Annotated bibliography

Engel, Leonard W. "Victim and Victimizer: Poe's "The Cask of

Amontillado"." Interpretations 15.1 (1983): 26-30.

This journal article encompasses parts of "The Cask of Amontillado" readers may not
have seen. It presses on the motive behind Montresor's heinous act and his ability to
recall it, in detail, fifty years later. It also focuses on Montresor's background and why his
family name was so important to him. The article also compares Montresor to the
narrators of "The Tell Tale Heart" and "The black cat".
Leonard W. Engel is a mystery novelist that has multiple critical analysis' on Poe's
work. His work is objective and he gives clear examples to back his claims. I believe this
work is scholarly due to the tone, information given, and the degree of objectivity.
This article is helpful to me as a writer because Engle goes in depth about the
issues behind Montresor. He also peels back the layers of the story and exposes hidden
meanings and symbolism others had not seen. This specific piece is tailored to my
argument and aids my own claim.

Gruesser, John. "Poe's 'The Cask of Amontillado'" Explicator 56.3 (1998): 129.
Gruesser criticizes 'The Cask of Amontillado'. He gives an overview of the story and his
own interpretation of the story's characters.
The author of the article has a Ph.D. and teaches multiple literature classes at Kean
University. His areas of expertise span from African American literature to critical approaches in
literature. His information is the most reliable because he teaches a class specifically on Edgar
Allen Poe. His research is extensive and objective.
His source fits into my paper as another perspective with similarities of other sources I
have used, His primary claims are on symbolism and the significance behind the actual
characters. Latin is also brought up in his work, suggesting it is a key to understanding the story
better.

Mays, Kelly. The Norton introduction to literature. 11th ed. New York: W.W Norton, 2014. 107-
113
 Kelly Mays puts together a comprehensive book of stories and knowledge of literature to
assist writers. It offers thorough historical and critical context to suit any course. Mays offers
tools to encourage careful, close reading and thoughtful writing.
The author of this edition has taught writing and literature classes for 25 years at Stanford
University, where she earned her Ph.D. She is a British specialist whose work has appeared in
Victorian studies. Due to the variety in this book, I believe it is a reliable source that was
extensively researched before being put together. It is also a popular, scholarly book because of
how many editions have come to be with each one adding more resources.
Without this resource, I would not have the short story to analyze. There are also
questions at the end to promote critical thinking. Out of all my sources I consider this one to be
the most scholarly.

Whatley, Rehana. "Confession within a confession: Poe's brave new world in "The cask of
Amontillado"." Journal of Global Intelligence and Policy 5.7 (2012): 56-59.
This is a literary criticism of "The Cask of Amontillado". This specific article outlines the
ignorance and arrogance portrayed by Fortunato. It also explores the cultural and historical
significance of the story. The author goes into detail about the care freeness and carelessness that
got Fortunato in this situation.
Whatley is affiliated with Oakwood University where she teaches English literature. Her
claims are backed by strong evidence taken from the story and she is a reliable source. The tone
of the article depicts objective literature based research
The author connects friendship with deceit and benediction, which are some of the moral
issues surrounding the story. She argues that Montresor could not handle the newfound riches
Fortunato was rubbing in his face.

White, Patrick. "'The Cask of Amontillado': A case for the defense." Studies in Short fiction 26.4
(1989): 550-55.
This article discusses the evidence stacked against Montresor and justifies his actions.
The author, Patrick White, goes in depth about Montresor's family motto, the meaning behind it
for him, and why it was absolutely necessary for Montresor to take action. White explains how
he does not consider Montresor insane or satanic due to his masonry background. He flips
Montresor's background in a way to explain why he did what he did to Fortunato.
 This source is a popular one but gives an objective view on Montresor and his crime. I
feel that this author did extensive research to catch the reader up on some points a blind eye may
not have caught. An example of this is when Montresor says his family motto in Latin. If white
had not translated and explained the meaning, it would have gone right over the readers head.
White does a good job of analyzing each point he gives as he defends Montresor. It's a
helpful resource because his claims go against the status quo of other critical analysis of this
short story. His research is evident and his argument seems persuasive enough to bring readers to
his side.