How Does Poe Create Tension In The Tell Tale Heart

In the story, “The Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe, there is a variety of elements that make it fit into the horror genre including suspense, setting, and the organization of the narrative. All these components are critical to the makeup of any narrative that is meant to thrill and scare. These three segments come together to create the feeling the author would like to radiate to the readers; horror. To begin with, suspense is included in mostly every horror based movie, book, and tale. As Sharon Russell explains, suspense is “The tension we feel when a character goes into the attic, down into the basement, or just into the abandoned house”(17-19). Suspense is a key component to creating a horror story. The tension created allows a narrative to fill with further excitement. Poe creates this feeling throughout “The Tell-Tale Heart”, by emphasizing important details with his writing style. The repetition of several words as well as specific punctuation, such as exclamation points, question marks, and dashes, are things Poe adds to his story to create a feeling of suspense. “True!—nervous—very, very dreadfully nervous I had been and am! but why will you say that I am mad?”(Poe 1). This quote from the story exemplifies some of the things Poe uses in order to create this tale more thrilling. …show more content…
As Russell writes, “We expect a connection between the setting and the events in this genre”(47-48). As a reader, it is expected for the story to unfold in a logic setting. In order for a horror story to create a scary effect, the narrative has to take place in a location that generates a frightening feeling. “The Tell-Tale Heart” develops in a creepy, dark setting. This helps to elevate the author’s writing. As written by Poe, the Whites lived in a old, scary house located near the cemetery. Just by him giving this information about the setting, he is making the story more