The Cask Of Amontillado Genre Analysis

There are many different ways in which a genre can tell us about what is to come in a story. A genre can be portrayed by the elements that are a part of it. For example, a nonfiction story can be recognized by having things such as facts or statistics. However, the way in which the characters interact with each other and the setting can also determine the genre of a story. In the story The Cask of Amontillado, the reader can determine that this story is considered gothic literature by comparing it to two other articles. Considering that a genre can be understood through the vents of the story, it is also helpful to understand the origin of the genre in which the story is considered to be. To begin with, understanding genres can begin

For every literary genre, there are key behaviors, tones, and elements that form the genre. This is the same for forming the gothic literature genre. The “peculiarities or behaviors” in gothic literature are meant to portray the “perverse, cruel, and murderous tendencies of human nature” (Snodgrass). In Mary Ellen Snodgrass’ article Aberrant Behavior in Gothic Literature, the author explains the main idea of the characters’ actions in this genre. This describes that gothic literature can have a slightly dark tone and portrays the more vicious side of humans through the way in which they treat each other. This can be seen very clearly through the way in which the two main characters interact with each other in Edgar Allen Poe’s The Cask of Amontillado. In the story, the reader can understand that it is gothic literature by the actions portrayed between Montresor, the antagonist, and Fortunato, the story’s protagonist. Montresor is portrayed as a very cold, vengeful character, while Fortunato is a very happy man. The reader is informed early in the story that Fortunato has wronged Montresor, but is never told how. The continuing plotline focuses on Montresor taking revenge on Fortunato to a very high level. When Montresor says “there remained but a single stone to