Presents a collection of critical essays on Poe's novel, The tell-tale heart, arranged chronologically in the order of their original publication.

In Edgar Allan Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart", the narrator tries to prove his sanity after murdering an elderly man because of his "vulture eye". His growing guilt leads him to hear the old man's heart beating under the floorboards, which drives him to confess the crime to the police.

This engaging summary presents an analysis of The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe, one of the author’s best-known short stories. It is told from the point of view of an unnamed narrator who is at great pains to convince the reader of their lucidity; however, this only serves to accentuate their frightening descent into madness. The narrator lives with an elderly man whose “vulture eye” becomes an obsession for him, with terrible consequences. Edgar Allan Poe was an American short story writer, poet, critic, novelist and editor. He is best known for his stories of mystery and horror, which stand out for their chilling atmosphere and vivid, memorable characters. Find out everything you need to know about The Tell-Tale Heart in a fraction of the time! Edgar Allan Poe is also famous for such works as ''The Raven'', "The Cask of Amontillado", "The Fall of the House of Usher", "The Masque of the Red Death", "The Pit and the Pendulum", "The Murders in the Rue Morgue", "The Tell-Tale Heart", "The Gold-Bug", "The Black Cat", "The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar", "Hop-Frog" and many more.

This hair-raising collection includes eight of the most ingenious and gripping tales by the great master of suspense and creator of the American Gothic horror story. Includes "The Fall of the House of Usher," "The Tell-Tale Heart," "William Wilson," "The Pit and the Pendulum," "The Cask of Amontillado," "The Gold-Bug," "The Purloined Letter," and "The Murders in the Rue Morgue."

But even yet I refrained and kept still. I scarcely breathed. I held the lantern motionless. I tried how steadily I could maintain the ray upon the eve. Meantime the hellish tattoo of the heart increased. It grew quicker and quicker, and louder and louder every instant. The old man's terror must have been extreme! It grew louder, I say, louder every moment!-do you mark me well I have told you that I am nervous: so I am. And now at the dead hour of the night, amid the dreadful silence of that old house, so strange a noise as this excited me to uncontrollable terror. Yet, for some minutes longer I refrained and stood still.

The Tell-Tale Heart strips away myths that have grown up around the life of Edgar Allen Poe, providing a fresh assessment of the man and his work. Symons reveals Poe as his contemporaries saw him – a man struggling to make a living and whose life was beset by tragedy, such that he was driven to excessive drinking and unhealthy relationships.

A new selection for the NEA’s Big Read program A compact selection of Poe’s greatest stories and poems, chosen by the National Endowment for the Arts for their Big Read program. This selection of eleven stories and seven poems contains such famously chilling masterpieces of the storyteller’s art as “The Tell-tale Heart,” “The Fall of the House of Usher,” “The Cask of Amontillado,” and “The Pit and the Pendulum,” and such unforgettable poems as “The Raven,” “The Bells,” and “Annabel Lee.” Poe is widely credited with pioneering the detective story, represented here by “The Purloined Letter,” “The Mystery of Marie Roget,” and “The Murders in the Rue Morgue.” Also included is his essay “The Philosophy of Composition,” in which he lays out his theory of how good writers write, describing how he constructed “The Raven” as an example.