The Black Cat

By Edgar Allan Poe

"The Black Cat" is a short story by Edgar Allan Poe. It was first published in the August 19, 1843, edition of The Saturday Evening Post. It is a study of the psychology of guilt, often paired in analysis with Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart". In both, a murderer carefully conceals his crime and believes himself unassailable, but eventually breaks down and reveals himself, impelled by a nagging reminder of his guilt.

• Language: English
• Publisher: MVP
• Release date: Dec 12, 2018
• ISBN: 9782291062257

Edgar Allan Poe

Edgar Allan Poe was born in Boston in 1809. His parents, both touring actors, died before he was three. He was raised by John Allan, a prosperous Virginian merchant. Poe published his first volume of poetry while still a teenager. He worked as an editor for magazines in Philadelphia, Richmond and New York, and achieved respect as a literary critic. In 1836, he married his thirteen year-old cousin. It was only with the publication of The Raven and other Poems in 1845 that he achieved national fame as a writer. Poe died in mysterious circumstances in 1849.

Reviews for The Black Cat

[johnabbott-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Crazy story, love the writing in this time period.

[cj82487 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This short story was most unexpected. the main character has succumbed to his illness and is thrust into despair and unhappiness only to find relief upon committing murder. His sense of superiority and arrogance are ultimately his downfall. I only wish there were more to the story as I found myself sad that it was over.

[empressreece · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Pluto...

I will say this for Mr. Poe, he knows how to piss me off! The story was absolutely vile & despicable & I never want to read anything like it again! The only redeeming part was the ending & for that alone and that only I give it 2 stars especially considering I found an inconsistency...

In one paragraph it states "The whole house is blazing." "...My entire worldy wealth was swallowed up, and I resigned myself thenceforward to despair." Then on the next page it says he brought his new cat "home" to his wife. So if his house burnt down what home did he go to??

unless I just missed something in my rush to get through with this fkd-up story.


Pluto's brother- Shadow : )

IF YOU TOUCH MY CAT, HE WE WILL COME AFTER YOU!!

*I read this for my 2016 Halloween Book Bingo: ~Black Cat~ square

[avalon_today · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I listened to this free at Lit2go, great little site. This short story is gruesome, but Poe does it so well. And what happens to that poor cat, well be warned it isn’t pretty.

[orix_bluewave · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a horror.I was very surprised at the last seen.But the story is simple.So I can read this book easy.

[dandelionroots · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I know it's a short story, but he's always poetry. Good kitty.

[joybee_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great tale, a great reread. The tale follows the narrator, who was once a gentle soul, as he is driven mad and violent by alcoholism. He begins by torturing his beloved pets, and eventually leads to murder. Creepy and suspenseful.

[arkrayder · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

At it’s most basic, The Black Cat, is about domestic violence and brutal murder. The narrator is fundamentally giving a confession of how he destroys himself, his wife, and his pets and ultimately ends up on the gallows. He is unable to pinpoint why he has gone out of control and in a way this fact is one of the reasons that the story is so interesting.

[philsyphe · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Although I can’t stomach Poe’s writing style, I thought this was an interesting short story. It’s heavy on the “telling”, with very little “showing”, but I like the originality of the tale.

[altheaann · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I think I might have to give this one the Most Unpleasant Narrator of All Time award.

It's true, animal abusers tend to be psychopaths.

Here, Poe gives us a disturbing glimpse into the mind of a man who shows no remorse for his deeds and is eager to blame outside factors for his own decisions. The story, published in 1843, still has the ability to shock, even today.

[bdtrump · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Scary in its own right, I didn't enjoy this as much as 'The Tell-Tale Heart.' Not my favorite of Poe's work, but still a fun short read.

[lgandt · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was always a fitting ending to the tail, in my opinion.