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The Imp of the Perverse by Edgar Allan Poe (Paperback / softback, 2013)

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The Imp of the Perverse is a short story that begins as an essay written by 19th-century American author and critic Edgar Allan Poe. It discusses the narrator's self-destructive impulses, embodied as the symbolic metaphor of The Imp of the Perverse. The narrator describes this spirit as the agent that tempts a person to do things merely because we feel we should t. The narrator explains at length his theory on The Imp of the Perverse, which he believes causes people to commit acts against their self-interest. This essay-like discussion is presented objectively, though the narrator admits that he is one of the many uncounted victims of the Imp of the Perverse. He then explains how his conviction for murder was the result of this. The narrator murders a man using a candle that emits a poisous vapor. The victim enjoyed reading in bed at night and, using the candle for illumination, dies in his poorly-ventilated room. No evidence is left behind, causing the coroner to believe the man's death is an act of God. The narrator inherits the man's estate and, kwing he can never be caught, enjoys the benefits of his murderous act for many years. The narrator remains unsuspected, though he occasionally reassures himself by repeating under his breath, I am safe. One day, he tes that he will remain safe only if he is t foolish eugh to openly confess. In saying so, however, he begins to question if he is capable of confessing. He fearfully runs through the streets, arousing suspicion. When finally stopped, he feels struck by some invisible fiend. He reveals his secret with distinct enunciation, though in such a hurry as if afraid of being interrupted. He is quickly tried and convicted of murder and sentenced to death by hanging. The Imp of the Perverse begins as an essay rather than as a work of fiction, a format that Poe previously used in The Premature Burial. It is, therefore, less about plot and more about theory. As Poe describes this theory: We stand upon the brink of a precipice. We peer into the abyss-we grow sick and dizzy. Our first impulse is to shrink away from the danger. Unaccountably we remain... it is but a thought, although a fearful one, and one which chills the very marrow of our bones with the fierceness of the delight of its horror. It is merely the idea of what would be our sensations during the sweeping precipitancy of a fall from such a height... for this very cause do we w the most vividly desire it. The work theorizes that all people have self-destructive tendencies, including the narrator. The narrator's ultimate confession as a murderer is t inspired by any feelings of guilt but, instead, from a desire to publicize his actions despite kwing that he should t.

Product Identifiers

Publisher
Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
ISBN-10
1494290928
ISBN-13
9781494290924
eBay Product ID (ePID)
189721729

Product Key Features

Format
Paperback / Softback, Trade Paperback (US) ,Unsewn / Adhesive Bound
Language
English
Topic
General & Literary Fiction
Author
Edgar Allan Poe

Additional Product Features

Date of Publication
26/11/2013
Content Note
Black & White Illustrations
Country of Publication
United States

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The Imp of the Perverse by Edgar Allan Poe (Paperback / softback, 2013)

About this product

Product Information

Product Identifiers

Product Key Features

Additional Product Features

Best Selling in Books

The Mountain Is You: Transforming Self-Sabotage Into Self-Mastery by Brianna Wiest (Paperback, 2020)

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