The Tell-Tale Heart Literary Analysis

What is considered horror? The horror genre is defined by many different characteristics some of which include, types of settings, organization, types of suspense and sources of horror. According to these characteristics, "The Tell-Tale Heart" is an example of horror. In "The Tell-Tale Heart," the narrator who claims he is not mad or psycho, murders a man for his "vulture eye" and eventually admits to police what he had done. This story fits the definition of horror from “What is the Horror Genre?” with many characteristics such as the setting, the organization, and the type of suspense, as it is in an old house, it is believable and it is suspenseful because readers know something the character doesn't. "The Tell-Tale Heart" is an example of horror in the categories of setting, type of suspense, and organization. …show more content…
In “The Tell-Tale Heart,” Poe says, "And now at that dead hour of the night, amid the dreadful silence of that old house..."(92). As seen in the text, the narrator goes into the man's old house which makes the story an example of horror. In “What is the Horror Genre?,” Russell writes, "The tension we feel when a character goes into the attic, down into the basement, or just into the abandoned house is partially a result of suspense. We don't know what is going to happen."(126). Since the story was set in an old house, it is suspenseful and the setting makes the story fit into the definition of horror as described by Russell. The story is an example of horror since it is set in an old house which is in the definition of