Reflective Blog on Edgar Allan Poe's Short Stories

"Truth is stranger than fiction." - Edgar Allan Poe

It has always been a pleasure, pride and privilege to discuss short stories by Edgar Allan Poe with students. New interpretations and perspectives emerge from each discussion and new techniques of teaching are learnt with each session. That's the charm of teaching literature. However, the quality of teaching depends on the outcome of learning and one of the ways to measure the outcome is to assign some post-task.

Hence, here is a list of areas to be pondered over in preparing a reflective blog on the aforementioned works. Students are expected to think on the below given points, read the stories once again and answer the questions with utmost sincerity and zeal.

Please do comment the links of your blogs in the comment box here and don't forget to tag me in social media posts about the same.

Answer the following questions:-

01) Make a comparative study of 'The Tell-tale Heart' and 'The Black Cat'.

02) Elucidate various narrative techniques in Poe's stories. How far do they help in achieving the 'pre-conceived effect'?

03)  Write a note on the various psychological disorders to be found in the characters of the stories and their significance to that particular text.

04) Analyze the genre of short story keeping in mind Poe's works. References of stories by other writers and/or regional writers are expected in it.

05) Read the translation of 'The Tell-tale Heart' by Mr. Paresh Vyas and published in a leading Gujarati daily Gujarat Samachar dated 18-08-'19. Note down your observations about that translation.

Feel free to ask for any assistance needed in this.

Heartiest wishes...!!!

Thanks.