Otázka: The Pit and the Pendulum – E.A. Poe
Jazyk: Angličtina
Přidal(a): Niki
EDGAR ALLAN POE (1809-1849)
He was born in Boston as son of two actors. His parents died when he was just a little boy. He was taken by a rich family of Richmond, the Allans but they never adopted him. He spent some time in England and then he returned to America and studied at the University of Virginia.
After first year at university he had to leave university because he had not enough money. He was in debts because he was drinking and gambling. His career began with collection of poems Tamarlane and other poem (1827). He became successful literary critics but he wanted be writer.
He tried to write poetry (The Raven-1845). When he was 26 years old he married his 13 years old cousin Virginia but in 1842 she felt an ill with tuberculosis and she died soon. Poe was crushed by Virginia’s death and he closed up before the world. In 1849 he died in horrible condition.
He invited new literature form – detective stories.
He was also master of psychological stories.
He wrote:
- « The gold bug
- « The murders in the Rue Morgue
- « The mask of the Red death
- « The Pit and the pendulum
The Pit and the Pendulum
It is short story about prisoner who was sentence to the death. He was put in the dark room where he couldn’t see something. He explored the room and he found a pit in a middle of the prison, but he didn’t know how far from him it is. Once he stumbled over something and felt on the edge of the pit. He stood up but he felt into a faint. When he woke up he was tied to wooden desk. He could move only his head and one hand to be able to eat some meat from a plate on the floor. All several days he watched a terrible pendulum that was swinging on the ceiling above him and moving down. But he didn’t capitulate and he rubbed his rope with the meat and let some rats to bite the rope. He was free but only for short time. The walls started moving and warming up. Gradually the walls driving him into the pit. In the last moment he was saved by the French army.
