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"The Pit and the Pendulum" is a short story by American writer Edgar Allan Poe and first published in 1842 in the literary annual The Gift: A Christmas and New Year's Present for 1843. The story is about the torments endured by a prisoner of the Spanish Inquisition , though Poe skews historical facts.
- United States
- The Gift: A Christmas and New Year's Present for 1843
- 1842
- Carey & Hart
Upon arousing, I found by my side, as before, a loaf and a pitcher of water. A burning thirst consumed me, and I emptied the vessel at a draught. It must have been drugged; for scarcely had I drunk, before I became irresistibly drowsy. A deep sleep fell upon me -- a sleep like that of death.
A summary of “The Pit and the Pendulum” (1842) in Edgar Allan Poe's Poe’s Short Stories. Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of Poe’s Short Stories and what it means. Perfect for acing essays, tests, and quizzes, as well as for writing lesson plans.
July 11, 2021. The Pit and the Pendulum. I was sick — sick unto death with that long agony; and when they at length unbound me, and I was permitted to sit, I felt that my senses were leaving me. The sentence — the dread sentence of death — was the last of distinct accentuation which reached my ears.
As the "Pit and Pendulum" narrator ’s body awakens, he tries to remember his own descent into this dream world, and imagines silent figures carrying him into darkness and then a terrible stillness as they pause. Then, sound and motion returns and the narrator comes back to consciousness and remembers the details of the trial.
Like many of Poe’s stories, “The Pit and the Pendulum” is a dramatic monologue. Sentenced to death by the Spanish Inquisition, the imprisoned narrator finds himself in absolute darkness, in danger of falling to his death into a pit in the centre of the cell.
Oct 19, 2023 · Historical Texts: Manuscripts and Authorized Printings: Text-01 — “The Pit and the Pendulum” — 1842 — (There are no known draft manuscripts or scratch notes reflecting the original effort of composition. The tale was written as a new story for TGAPP, and is listed in Poe's handwritten table of contents.
