Landmark Work

The Tell-Tale Heart

Edgar Allan Poe · 1843 · Short story

Public domain (US)

Author

Edgar Allan Poe

Summary

An unreliable narrator insists on their sanity while describing a murder and the sound that will not let them rest.

Literary Tradition

American Gothic

Major Themes

  • Guilt
  • Madness
  • Conscience

Historical Importance

A foundational psychological horror story and a model of the unreliable narrator.

Discussion Questions

  • How does the narrator undermine their own claim to sanity?
  • What does the sound represent?

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