Lesson:
We spent the class period discussing the students' reactions to The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allen Poe.
After defining a few vocabulary terms, we identified basic literary elements. This story is set in an undisclosed European city (presumably in Italy) at an undisclosed time (probably late 1700s or early 1800s). The action occurs from dusk into darkness "in the supreme madness of the carnival season" (similar to Mardi Gras) and descends progressively from street level to the deepest recesses of ancient catacombs.
The protagonist (though not the typical "good guy") is Montressor. Montressor is a French name meaning "My treasure". It is the name of a noble French family and their accompanying castle and small town. The Montresor motto in our story is the actual motto of the Scottish royal family and also of the Scottish Order of the Thistle, a knighthood which sometimes included knights from non-Scottish European noble families. However, the coat of arms is quite different. Poe apparently borrowed ideas from different times and places to weave his tale of horror.
The antagonist is Fortunato, an Italian nobleman and wine connoisseur, whose very name is ironic, considering his fate. (Since he mentions his Lady Fortunato, we may conclude that he is, himself, Lord Fortunato.)
The tale is told in Montressor's words, which, since Montressor is at least twisted, if not insane, categorizes our reading as being in the first person unreliable point of view.
The story is rich in symbolism, irony, and word play, which we discussed at length.
Assignment:
Each student will write a five-paragraph literary analysis essay about Poe's The Cask of Amontillado. Each essay will follow standard format, with the three body paragraphs discussing setting, character, and theme, in that order. Various other literary elements, such as Poe's use of irony and symmbolism, should be discussed wherever appropriate.
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