I've been feeling particularly unintelligent and uncultured recently. It's partly down to being in Spain and not being able to speak the language properly, despite languages apparently being my forte, but also that I used to read all the time as a child but now I hardly ever pick up a book to read unless I have to. It's not that I don't like reading, but I have just really gotten out of the habit of it, and so I'm making the effort to get back into it again. Fortunately I just received a small piles of books for my 21st birthday (I'm getting so old!) so have been able to reignite my passion for literature, but have also found myself turning to the internet for reading ..  Read the complete review

Edgar Allan Poe was a 19th Century American gothic-writer and poet, who became famous for his tales of horror. The Tell-Tale Heart is a short story, told in the first person by the central character. The central character remains unnamed and without physical description throughout the story. There are four other characters - an unnamed old man, with whom the central character resides, and three policemen. In common with most of the works of Poe, the story has a very simple plot line. The central character is suffering from some form of mental disorder, which would not be immediately apparent to those around him/her. The disorder causes him to plot and ...  Read the complete review

"The Tell Tale Heart" is undoubtedly one of Poe's better known short stories, and deservedly so. It is an excellent short tale for any strangers to Poe to gain an insight into what his literature is about. Containing all the terror, dark mirth, and shivers that one learns to associate with Poe's shorter works of horror fiction. Pay particular attention to the disturbing descriptive work used as he discusses the terror and discomfort caused by 'the old man's eye'. I must admit, it is some months since I last read "the tell tale heart" and the hairs on my neck have just stood to attention at the thought. Upon reading "The Tell Tale ...  Read the complete review

Edgar Allan Poe's (famous for writing the Raven) the tell tale heart is the short story told by a man who narrates the story of himself killing an elderly gentleman. A subtle horror/thriller which despite it's age still raises a few hairs on the back of your neck. I like the style of the piece with it being narrated by the killer and not told in third person or by the victim. I felt this gives it more scope to look into the mind of a 'normal' man and the tiny trigger which turns him from reasonable human to killer. I also find the fact that he isn't killing because of what the man has done, said, or got, but because of his own neuroses. An excellent and ...  Read the complete review