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Critical reading

发布时间:2018-02-26
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This article has as goal a critical reading of "The Cask of Amontillado", by Edgar Allan Poe (published in 1846). Among the several possibilities of a literary text's analysis, we choose to focuse structural elements of the narrative, including aspects relating to the gender/genre and the linguistic construction of the text. Then we are going to consider the structural organization of the literary text and the effect of its reading too.

The Cask of Amontillado relates the story of a man called Montresor, who was insulted by Fortunato and he vowed revenge. Montresor knew that Fortunato had a weak point: he prided himself on his connoisseurship in wine - and took advantage of it. He encountered Fortunato in the Carnival season, he had already drunk much and invited him to opine about a pipe/cask which he had received, but he had doubts if it was Amontillado. Then Fortunato went to Montresor's vaults and he was deceived. There were mp attendants at home and Montresor secured him by his waist with a short chain and a padlock, because Fortunato was too much astounded to resist. Then Montresor began to wall up the entrance of the niche and Fortunato screamed, after he thought Montresor was joking and until laugh. Suddenly he perceived that he wasn't joking and asked for the love of God to stop, but he went ahead and finished his labour. He plastered the wall up and Fortunato was arrested there in the catacombs of Montresor's family.

The structure of text is linear, because the story is based in envy and revenge, there are indirect (narrative) and direct (dialogues) discourses during the story. The narrative creation reports about itself. The narrator belongs to the story and tells his experience. Sometimes it gives the impression that the narrator is talking to the readers like if it was his conscience (it seems that he is justifying his act) - "The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could, but when he ventured upon insult I vowed revenge. You, who so well know the nature of my soul, will not suppose, however, that I gave utterance to a threat".

In the beginning the narrative is on first person and the narrator continues justifying his revenge - "At length I would be avenged; this was a point definitely settled - but the very definitiveness with which it was resolved precluded the idea of risk. I must not only punish but punish with impunity. A wrong is unredressed when retribution overtakes its redresser. It is equaly unredressed when the avenger fails to make himself felt as such to him who has done the wrong".

Sometimes the narrator talks about his friend, therefore the narrative is on third person. The narrator and character result in a kind of hybrid interlocutor, which it appears the presence of the indirect discourse - "He had a weak point -- this Fortunato -- although in other regards he was a man to be respected and even feared. He prided himself on his connoisseurship in wine. Few Italians have the true virtuoso spirit. For the most part their enthusiasm is adopted to suit the time and opportunity, to practise imposture upon the British and Austrian millionaires. In painting and gemmary, Fortunato, like his countrymen, was a quack, but in the matter of old wines he was sincere".

After it returns to first person - "In this respect I did not differ from him materially; -- I was skilful in the Italian vintages myself, and bought largely whenever I could". There are many dialogues between the narrator and his friend too (direct discourse) - "My dear Fortunato, you are luckily met. How remarkably well you are looking to-day. But I have received a pipe of what passes for Amontillado, and I have my doubts". "How?" said he. "Amontillado? A pipe? Impossible! And in the middle of the carnival!".

Sometimes  the narrator uses the descritive text too, rich in details, it seems that he wants the reader know exactly how is the place where they were - "At he most remote end of the crypt there appeared another less spacious. Its walls had been lined with human remains, piled to the vault overhead, in the fashion of the great catacombs of Paris. Three sides of this interior crypt were still ornamented in this manner... within the wall thus exposed by the displacing of the bones, we perceived a still interior crypt or recess, in depth about for feet, in width three, in height six or seven..."

This mix of indirect and direct discourses allow to readers view the intrinsic conditions of the characters, because the narrator uses some channels of information.

The author mixed irony, surprise, suspense and fear in the text. The story shows the characters-protagonist (Montresor and Fortunato) change their action's positions, when Fortunato pass to be injuried by Montresor. Besides, the story evidences the spirit of that time, when there were revenges and contests for the power - people of higher social level disputed the power (both were rich, mason).

The author keeps the suspense until the end of the story, because the readers think that Montresor won't able to kill Fortunato, but he does it, in planned manner and coldly.

References

Materials and folders used in classes, principally "A Personagem de Ficção";

"Cinco Lições de Psicanálise"  (www.cefetsp.br/edu/eso/filosofia/cincolicoespsicanalise.html);

"Recepção crítica e análise de textos literários" , de Penha Lucilda de Souza Silvestre (www.letras.ufmg.br/atelaeotexto/revistatxt2/ricardoazevedo.htm)

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