The Pit and the Pendulum

The Pit and the Pendulum" is a short story written by Edgar Allan Poe and first published in 1842. The story is about the torments endured by a prisoner of the Spanish Inquisition, though Poe skews historical facts. The narrator of the story is deemed guilty for an unnamed crime and put into a completely dark room. He passes out while trying to determine the size of the room. When he wakes up, he realizes there is a large, deep pit in the middle of the room. He loses consciousness again and awakens strapped on his back, unable to move more than his head. He soon realizes there is a large blade-like pendulum hanging above him, slowly getting closer to cutting through his chest. He finds a way to escape but the walls of his prison start to move and close in on him, pushing him closer and closer to falling into the pit.The story is especially effective at inspiring fear in the reader because of its heavy focus on the senses, such as sound, emphasizing its reality, unlike many of Poe's stories which are aided by the supernatural. The traditional elements established in popular horror tales at the time are followed but critical reception has been mixed.

From Library Journal

Grade 8 Up-This series entry presents Poe's unabridged text accompanied by annotated color and black-and-white illustrations and reproductions of various aspects of life during the stories' time periods. The selections include "The Gold-Bug," "The Oval Portrait," "The Cask of Amontillado," "Some Words with a Mummy," "The Tell-Tale Heart," and "The Murders in the Rue Morgue." In some instances, as when there is a historical connection, the annotations are particularly enlightening, e.g., the information about the Inquisition and its relationship to "The Pit and the Pendulum." To maintain continuity, readers may prefer to read through the stories first and then return to the sidebars or vice versa. Libraries that own anthologies of Poe tales will not be denying readers the most important material-the stories themselves-if they pass on this one.Joanne K. Cecere, Highland High School, NY Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Edgar Allan Poe was an American poet, short story writer, playwright, editor, critic, essayist and one of the leaders of the American Romantic Movement. Best known for his tales of the macabre and mystery, Poe was one of the early American practitioners of the short story and a progenitor of detective fiction and crime fiction. He is also credited with contributing to the emergent science fiction genre.Poe died at the age of 40. The cause of his death is undetermined and has been attributed to alcohol, drugs, cholera, rabies, suicide (although likely to be mistaken with his suicide attempt in the previous year), tuberculosis, heart disease, brain congestion and other agents. Other Books of Author: - The Tell-Tale Heart (1843) - The Raven (1845) - The Fall of the House of Usher (1839) - The Murders in the Rue Morgue (1841) - The Pit and the Pendulum (1842) - Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque (1840) - The Cask of Amontillado (1846) - The Masque of the Red Death (1842) - The Purloined Letter (1844) - A Descent into the Maelström (1841)

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