浅析爱伦·坡短篇小说的现代性-以《黑猫》为例

ChapterOneIntroductionLookingbackthroughoutthe20thcentury,AllanPoehasbeenanundyinghotspotinWesternliterarycriticism.Accordingtosomestatistics,therearehundredsofbooksandpaperswrittenbywesterncriticsonhimeveryyear.Thereasonforthisis,ontheonehand,thatthestrongsenseofmodernityinhisworksisamazing;Ontheotherhand,itisalsooneoftheimportantreasonsforitsremarkabletextnarration.Hisshortstorycreationshowsobviousnarrativetechniquesofconsciousnessandmodernity.Firstofall,heusesthelimitednarrativeperspectiveofthefirstpersontobreaktheomniscientnarrativeperspectiveofthethirdpersoninthetraditionalnovel,whichopensupawayforthediversificationofthenovelnarrative.Healsodeviatesfromthelineardevelopmentmodeofnarrativetimeintraditionalnovelsandexploresfromtraditionaldiachronictomodernsynchronicandspatial.Changingtherelativelysimplenarrativemodeoftraditionalnovelsandintroducingsymbolism,suggestionandothertechniquesintonovelcreationhasaprofoundinfluenceontheemergenceanddevelopmentofmodernistliterature.Poewasalsoascholarwhopursuedaestheticism.HisrepresentativenovelTheBlackCathasstrongaestheticstylecharacteristics.Thestorytakesthestorybetweentheheroandtwocatsasthemainclue,throughtheportrayalofthehero'shumancrueltytoachieveashockingfeareffect.Poewasgoodatcreatinganatmosphereoffearbydiggingoutthedarksideofcharacters'hearts,ratherthansimplycreatingfearwiththehelpofviolentmurderandsupernaturalevents.Thisdescriptionofthedarksoultouchedthedarksoulofcharacters.Inthisspecialenvironment,thespiritofcharactersreachedthevergeofcollapse,andthesecretoftheheartrevealedtheuglysoul.Withhisuniquestyle,Poeshowsustheaestheticfeaturesofterror,andthisterrorispreciselybasedonaesthetics.Poe'spsychologicaldescriptionofthecharactersinhisnovelisverydelicate,especiallythepartthatrevealsthesplitpersonalityandpathologicalpsychologyofthehero,whichhascausedastrongimpactonreaders'visionandmind.Theauthorcreatesthehorrorbeautyofthenovelbyshapingtheimagesofpsychopathicviolentpersons,gruesomemurderscenesandevilandmysterioushorrorimages,sothatreaderscanfeelthepleasureandpleasurebroughtbyterrorwhileexperiencingterror.ChapterTwoIntroductionofAllanPoe,TheBlackCatandModernityTheoryEdgarAllanPoewasafamousAmericanpoet,shortstorywriterandliterarycritic.ThebestexampleofPoe'screativegeniusishishorrornovels.ThehorrordepictedbyAllanPoeisnotonlyformalandsensual,butmoreimportantly,itcomesfromthedeepinside,soastoachievethehorroreffectfromtheoutsidetotheinside.Poe'sfamoushorrornovelBlackCatembodieshisartisticviews.Readerscanexploreitsmoderncharacteristics.ThischapterwillbrieflyintroduceEdgarAllanPoe,TheBlackCatandthetheoryofmodernity.2.1IntroductionofAllanPoeThischapterwillintroducePoe'slifeexperienceandstyleofhisworksfromtwoaspects,thusleadingtothemodernityfactorsinPoe'sworks.AllanPoewasanAmericanwriter,poet,editor,andliterarycritic,andisconsideredtohavebeenanimportantmemberoftheAmericanromanticmovement.Poeisknownforhismysteriousandscarystories,wasoneofthefirstpeopletopracticeshortstoriesinAmerica,andisconsideredtheinventorofthegenreofdetectivestories.Healsocontributedtothenewsciencefictiongenre.HewasthefirstfamousAmericanwritertomakealivingbywritingalone.Poe'sparentsdiedbeforehewasfouryearsold,andhewasadoptedbyJohnandhiswife,awealthybusinessmanfromRichmond,Virginia.Poe'sofficialnamewasEdgarAllanPoe.HisadoptivefathertriedtogethimintobusinessandbecomeagentlemaninVirginia,butPoe'sdreamwastobecomeawriter,liketheEnglishpoetLordByronwhomheadmired,buttheheadmasterdidn'tthinkhisfatherwouldallowhispoemstobepublished.WhenPoestartedcollege,hisstingyadoptivefathergavehimlittlefinancialsupportandheembarkedonalongjourneyofpovertyanddebt.Moneyhauntedhimandastrainedrelationshipwithhisadoptivefathermadehimdecidetobecomeasuccessfulwriter.Poewasonly18whenhepublishedhisfirstbook,Timur.In1835,hemarriedhis13-year-oldcousin,VirginiaClem,inBaltimore.InJanuary1845,PoepublishedhispoemTheRaven,whichwasaninstantsuccess.Hiswifediedoftuberculosistwoyearslater.HebegantoplanthepublicationofhisdiaryPennsylvania.PoediedinBaltimoreonOctober7,1849,attheageof40.PoeandhisworksinfluencedliteratureintheUnitedStatesandaroundtheworld,aswellasinspecializedfields,suchascosmologyandcryptography.Poeandhisworkappearthroughoutpopularcultureinliterature,music,films,andtelevision.Anumberofhishomesarededicatedmuseumstoday.Inthehistoryofwesternliterature,the19thcenturyisthecenturyofnovels,andtheachievementoftraditionalnovelshasreacheditspeak.Behindthenovel'sbrilliantachievementslurksacrisis:conformism,stagnation.Someofthesharp-eyedwritersbecameawareofthiscrisisandbegantoexploreandbreakthroughtraditionalformsoffictionart.ThegeniusAmericanwriterAlanPoemustbeapioneer.Whilehiscountrymenwerestilladvocatingthe"literaryway",Poe'snovelsshowedastonishingoriginalityandmodernity.Intermsofaestheticstyle,Poebrokethetraditionalaestheticpatternofunityoftruth,goodnessandbeauty,heldhightheaestheticismof"writingpoetryforthesakeofwritingpoetry",closelycombinedbeautyanddeath,andusedittowrite"thedeathofbeauty"andtheresurrectionofthedeadbody,bringingterroranduglinessintotheaestheticcategoryforthefirsttime.Inthecontentofhisworks,Poebrokethroughthetraditionofreproducingobjectiverealitywithrealismandturnedfrom"outside"to"inside".First,hedugdeepintothesubconsciousofhumanbeingsandproposedthethemesofalienation,lonelinessanddeathinmodernliterature.Intheaspectofnarrativeskillsandtechniques,Poechangedtheomniscientandomnipotentnarrativeperspectiveofthethirdpersoninthepast,andbegantousethelimitedperspectiveofthefirstperson,andgavefullplaytotheroleofimagination,usingsymbols,hints,imagesandothermoderntechniques,makinghisworksfullofmysteryThestrongmodernconsciousnessembodiedinPoe'snovelsisfarbeyondhistime.Becauseofthis,Poeonlywrotemorethan70shortstoriesinhislife,butheenjoyedmanyhonorsinthenovelkingdomandwasevenregardedasthefounderofmodernism.2.2IntroductionofTheBlackCatThenovelBlackCatisnarratedinthevoiceofafirst-personnarrator,whoconfesseswhathehasdoneinthemindofamanwhoisabouttodie.Theheroofthestoryisagentleandkindtemperament,liketofeedandpetanimals,marriedawifewithasimilartemperament,duringthisperiod,theyareespeciallyfondofablackcatathome.Whereverhewent,theblackcatfollowedhimandbecameveryclosetohim.Butafewyearslater,protagonist,becameaddictedtoalcohol,angry,oftenangry,evenabuseandbeathiswife,fortheirownloveofthesmallanimalsfromtimetotimeabusethem,ofcourse,theblackcatisnotimmune,onenight,drunk"I"thoughttheblackcattoavoidtheirowncruelgougeoutoneofitseyes,notlongafter,protagonisttopersecuteitagain,Hungtheblackcatthatwasoncehisfavorite.Thatverynight,ananonymousfiredestroyedallofmypossessions,andtheappearanceofthecatcameomademeevenmoreworried,andmyconsciencemademeadoptacatverysimilartotheblackcat,onlythiscathasawhitespotonitschest.Butitwasnotlongbeforeprotagonistbegantodislikeit,becausethenextdayfornoreason,oneofitseyeswastakenout,andtheimageofthewhitespotresemblesagallows,whichtormentedprotagonistsleepandeat.Oneday,inthecellar,thecatalmosttrippedhim,protagonistfinallyinarage,swinginganaxetokillit,thewiferefusedtostop,theirrationalprotagonistaxetokillher,thecatalsoranaway.Protagonistwenttogreatlengthstosealmywife'sbodyintothewallofthecellartoescapethepolice.Ididn'texpecttheblackcattobebuiltintothewall.Whenthepolicecametothecellartocheck,theblackcat'scry,sothatthepolicefoundtheevidenceofkillinghiswife.TheBlackCatembodiesPoe'sartisticviews.AllanPoefirstintroducedpsychologyintoliterarycreationandcalledhis"literaryproposition"psychologicalpropositiondirectly."Heexploredtheunconsciousvoiceofeveryoneand"foundawaytodigintothedarkdepthsofhumansoul."TheBlackCatmainlydiscussedthecruelandevilbehaviorimpulseshiddeninhumanconsciousness.Poeusesalotofsymbolicimageryandadoptsafirst-personnarrativeperspective.2.3IntroductionofModernityTheoryModernistliteratureisapartofcapitalistcultureinthe20thcentury.Thiskindofliteraturedoesnotadvocatetoreproducelifewithworks,butadvocatestostartfrompeople'spsychologicalfeelingsandexpresstheoppressionanddistortionoflifetopeople.Inmodernistliterature,charactersareoftendeformed,storiesareoftenabsurd,andthemesareoftendesperate.Theliteraryviewofmodernismisexpressiontheoryratherthanreflectiontheory.Itemphasizesthatobjectiverealityistheappearanceandsubjectiverealityistheessence.Onlybybreakingthroughtheobjectiverealitytoexpressthesubjectivereality,canweobtainthehighestreality.Thecentralcontentistheexpressionofsocialcrisisandhumanalienation;Popularthemesarefindingoneselfandbelonging.Ittriestoexpressthecomplexityandfluidityofthecharacter'sconsciousness,human'smentaltraumaandabnormalpsychology.Thetechniquesofexpressionincludesymbolism,absurdityandstreamofconsciousness.Poe'sfamousshortstoryTheBlackCatembodieshisartisticviews.Readerscanexploreitsmoderncharacteristics.Hefirstintroducedpsychologyintoliterarycreationandcalledhis"literaryproposition"psychologicalproposition.Heprobedintothedarkrecessesofeveryman'ssubconsciousand"foundawaytodigintothedarkdepthsofthehumansoul".TheBlackCatmainlyexploresthecruelandevilimpulseofbehaviorhiddeninhumanconsciousness.InTheBlackCat,Poeusedalotofsymbolicimagery.Pluto,thefirstblackcat,wastheprotagonist'sbelovedobjectandplaymate.Accordingtotheancientwesternlegend,superstitiouspeoplebelievethat"allblackcatsarechangedbythewitch",alwaysaccompaniedbythewitchoftheblackcatnaturallybecameasymbolofbadluck.Modernistnovels"emphasizezeroinvolvementofemotion,andthenarratorhasnobias".Poealsoretiredfromhisownwork.HisnovelTheBlackCatadoptsafirst-personnarrativeperspective,inwhichthenarratorisboththenarratorandtheheroofthestory.Therefore,thenarratorbelongstothelimitedknowledge,whichisconducivetotheauthortocreatesuspenseandachievethehorroreffect.Inaddition,thefirst-personnarratorscandescribetheirownpsychologydirectlyandclearlysothatreaderscanpersonallyexperiencethefeelingsofthenarrator'scrazyfear.Inthefirsthalfofthe19thcentury,whenAllanPoelived,thecapitalistsocietyappearedtobeflourishing,butinfact,itimpliedthedeepeningpoliticalandeconomiccrisis,andpeoplegenerallyfeltunbearablerepressionandmisery.Undersuchagreatsocialburden,AllanPoefirstcreativelyforesawthealienationofloneliness.ChapterThreeModernityFactorsinTheBlackCatAllanPoe'smodernityconsciousnessisfullyreflectedinhisshortstoryTheBlackCat.ThischapterwillanalyzethemodernityinTheBlackCatfromfouraspects,suchasaestheticstyle,content,narrativeskillsandlonelinessalienation.3.1AestheticStyle3.1.1HorrorAestheticsAmongtheaestheticfeaturesofThenovelBlackCat,theimageofdeathisalsoatypicalfeature.Astheimagethatappearsmostfrequentlyinthenovel,theblackcatisalsothedevelopmentclueofthewholestory.Thestorydescribeshow"I"andtheblackcatdevelopfromclosepartnerstoantagonisticenemies.Inthisprocess,theblackcathasemotionalcharacteristicslikepeople.When"I"killedthefirstcatandtheheroinewhoprotectedthecat,theblackcatplottedrevenge,whichshowsthatitisalsodifferentinintelligence.Theblackcatinthenovelhaslongbeenseparatedfromthecategoryofanimals.Asanemotionalandintelligentimage,itnotonlycreatesfearfortheprotagonist,butalsobringsakindofstimulatingpleasuretothereader.Theuseofsymbolismmakestheimageoftheblackcatcloselyrelatedtodeath,andtheuseofimagecreatesanevilandmysteriousatmosphereofterrorforthenovel.Poenotonlytouchesthesensitivenervesofthereadersinthecreationofthehorrorimage,butalsobringsspiritualpleasuretothereaders,andthisaestheticpleasureisentirelyoutofsensibility.Intraditionalwesternculture,theblackcatisconsideredtobetheembodimentofthewitch,soitcanbeseenthattheblackcatitselfhasacertainimpliedmeaning.Inaddition,thewriterhasrepeatedlydescribedtheimageoftheblackcatinthenovel,whichseemstoimplythattheblackcathasaspecificsymbolicsignificanceinthenovel.Theauthor'screationofthenovel'shorrorimageismainlyreflectedintwoaspects:ontheonehand,theblackcat'seyesandtheemptyeyesocketsafterbeingdugout,andontheotherhand,thewhitehairspotsonthecat'schest,bothofwhichaddahintofmysterytothehorroratmosphereandhighlightthethemeofdeath.Inordertomakethehorrorimageoftheblackcatdeeplyrootedinpeople'shearts,readershavespentalotofthought.First,thenameoftheblackcat"Thename"Pluto"representsdeathinGreekmythology,andthecolorofthecatitselfhassymbolicmeaningsofevilandterrorinWesternculture,sotheimageoftheblackcathascoveredthenovelwithastrongcolorofterror.Astheprotagonist'sfavoritepet,therelationshipbetweentheblackcatandtheprotagonistusedtobeveryclose.Astheprotagonist'sdrinkingandcruelnaturewereexposed,theblackcathadasenseofresistancetotheprotagonist.Inordertopreventtheblackcatfromseeinghisevilheart,hecruellycutoutaneyeoftheblackcat,sotheblackcat'seyesalsohavespecialmeaninginthenovel.Itcanseethroughtheinsidiousheartofhumanbeings,andtheprotagonisthastokillitwhenthereisnoplacetohidetheevil.Theblackcatcreatesahorribleeffectforthenovelbeyondtheordinaryimageofmurderitself.ThesecondcatadoptedlaterinthebarisalmostlikePlutoexceptforthewhitefuronhischest.Itsexistencealwaysremindstheherooftheevilcatkillingheoncecommitted.Thismysterioussimilarityanditsconstantadherencetotheheromakehimliveinfearalldaylong,andtheblackcatbecomeshishauntingnightmare.Inadditiontothementaltorture,thecatseemstohaveakindofmagic,underitstemptation,theprotagonistkilledhiswife,anditisalsoitshowlthatexposedthecrimecommittedbytheprotagonist.Theweirdestthingisthewhitefurspotonthecat'schest,whichistheimageofagallows.Thestorydevelopssofar,andtheatmosphereofterrorismoreintense,theblackcatseemstoappearforrevenge,anditschestThegallowsislikedeath,suggestingthattheprotagonistisdoomedtothegallows3.1.2ViolenceAestheticsViolentmurdernotonlyexcitesourpsychologicalfear,butalsobringsastrongimpactonourvision,andEdgarAllanPoemakesexcellentuseofthis.Intheprocessofsettingthescene,AllanPoeusuallychosesomedarkenvironments,suchascorridors,basements,tombsandotherenvironmentswithspecialatmosphere,andcreatedascaryatmospherethroughscenedescription.Embarrassmentinthenovelisatypicalterror.Inthisscene,theheronotonlycompletesthetortureofthecat,butalsokillshiswifeandbuildsherbodyinsidethedarkdampwallsoftheearth.Asatheauthorgaveadetaileddescriptionofthisscene.Themudonthewallwasverysoftbecausethecellarwaswetalltheyearround,andthewallwasspeciallyprotrudedforthepurposeofbuildingafireplace.Therewasnomoresuitableplaceforhidingthebodyinacellar,andthelegendsaidthatmonksburiedmartyrsinthisway,sotheauthorarrangedthesectionofwallbuildingofthecellarwithspecialsignificancecoldforyearswithoutsunshine,willalsogivepeopleagrimfeeling,inadditiontothekilnisgenerallyrelativelyclosedandnarrow,onlyasmallclosedspacegivespeopleafeelingofrepressionandsuffocation,theuseofthisscenewillundoubtedlygivepeopleaverystrongsenseoffear.Althoughthepolicedidnotfindthecryptwherehisbodywashidden,thecat'swailinginthewallledhimtobearrestedbythepolice.Itwasthecatthatluredhimtokillhiswife.Itwasalsothecatthatsenthimtohisdeath.Inthebasement,aspacealreadyfullofhorror,theprotagonistknocksonthewallandkillshislife,whilethecat'sintermittentechoesinthewallfurtherpushthehorroratmospheretoaclimax.Theauthor'sdepictionofthissceneisamplified,andthelong,sharpsoundisfullofweirdness.Atfirst,itislikeasmallbaby'scry,andthenitturnsintoalong,sharphowl.Theghostlywailechoesinthekiln,whichmakespeople'shairstandonend,andwhenthepolicepryopenthewall,thefeelinginsideisevenmorefrightening.Thedecayingbody,stainedwithbloodeverywhere,wasembeddedinthewall,andwhatwasmoresurprisingwastheone-eyedcatstandingoverherhead,withitsgapingjawsandslyeyesthatseemedtohideasmile.Inthefaceofsuchbloodyscenes,thestrongvisualimpactmakesthenervousmomenttenseheartfearlingeringforalongtime,inadditiontothefearofthehero'sdevoidofhumanityandextremebehavior,morefearfromthenovelofthecat,atthistimetheblackcathasbeencompletelyontheoppositesideofthehuman,andititselfexudesthebleakbreathistomakereadersfeeldepressedandfrightened.AccordingtoBurke'sprincipleoffear,itisonlywhenfearandpainactuallyharmthehumanbeingthattheemotionoffearorpainisproduced.Onthecontrary,thisfearbringsakindofserenity,evenakindofpleasantemotion,whichistheaestheticfeatureoffearinthetext.3.2ModernConsciousness3.2.1CloseCombinationofDeathandBeautyAllanPoe'stheoryofliteratureandarthasobviousviews.Headvocated"artforart'ssake"andemphasizedtheperfectunityofimpressionandeffect.Hebelievedthatbeautyliesinsadness,deathisapoeticexistence,andartistsshouldactivelycreatethrillingandterrifyingeffectsintheirworks.ThisviewofliteratureandartisreflectedinPoe'sconcretecreationpractice.Itisimpossibleforhisworkstofocusontruth,kindnessandbeauty.Onthecontrary,mostofthethemesaresupernaturalterror,beautydisillusionment,bizarredeath,terribledreams,mysteriousfatalism,andtheevilofhumannature.Theyarefilledwithdilapidatedhouses,darkenvironments,andcharacterswhoendupdestroyingthemselves.ThebeautyadvocatedbyAllanPoeisnolongerthebeautyinthenon-traditionalsense,buttheunique"sad"and"melancholy"beauty,whichis"theclosestcombinationofdeathandbeauty".InTheBlackCat,hespellsoutunimaginablystrangetimesandhorrors:burials,reanimation,murder,torture.Theenduringappealofthesestoriesisthattheyusefictiontodetailindividualanguish.3.2.2ExcavationoftheUnconsciousMindandDualPersonalityPoe'snovelshaveastrongcolorofterrorandastrongatmosphereofmystery.Thiskindofterrorisnot"Germanicfaketerror",butakindof"spiritualterror".ThisisbecausePoehasdugdeepintothehumanunconscious.Firstofall,Poeintroducedpsychologyintoliterarycreationandexploredthedarkinnerlayerofpeople'ssubconscious.Drivenby"abnormalmentality",theheroinPoe'snovelinvoluntarilycommitscrimesandevilsagainsthisownwishes.The"abnormalstateofmind"isakindofhumaninstinct,whichcoincideswithFreud'stheoryoftheunconscious,butpredatesFreudbyhalfacentury.Whileshowingtheevilinthehumansubconscious,Poealsodepictsthisstruggleagainstthegood,thebattlebetweeninstinctandreason.Thecharactersintheworksareseriouslytwistedandtwisteddualpersonalities.InTheBlackCat,theprotagonistbegantoshowmentalproblems,turningfromaverygoodmanintoamurderer.Thecatandhiswifealsohidethebodyofthecruelmurderer,reflectingtheprotagonist'sschizophreniaandlackofpersonality.3.3NarrativeSkills3.3.1TransformationofNarrativePerspectiveBritishscholarPasseyLubbockpointedoutinhisbookTheArtofFictionthat"themostcomplexproblemintheartoffictionwritingistheuseofthenarrativeidea--therelationshipbetweenthenarratorandthestory."ReadingPoe'snovelsoftenmakesusfeelpersonallyinvolved,fromwhichwecanseeourowninnerloneliness,fear,anxietyanddespair.Poemostlyusesfirst-personnarration,whichmakesthenarratormoreindependentfromtheauthor'scontrol,andestablishesanequaldialoguebetweenthenarratorandthereaderfromamicroperspective.Therelationshipbetweennarratorandauthor,andbetweennarratorandreaderaretwoimportanttopicsinthe20thcenturynovelnarrative.Theobvioustendencyofthe20thcenturynovelnarrativeistoadvocatethewriter'swithdrawalfromtheworkandtoadvocatethedialoguebetweenwriterandreader.Therefore,inthenarrativeperspectiveofthenovel,Poe'shorrornovelcreationhasobvioustranscendenceandmodernity.Poewritesmostlyinthefirstperson.Protagonistisusuallyacharacterinastory,perhapsabystanderorprotagonist.Thesefirst-personnarrativesareintenseandexciting.Ithasgreatappealtoreaders.Poealsocreatedthepsychologicalanalysistechniqueof"penitentmonologue"inhiscrimenovels.ThewholestoryofBlackCatisaninnermonologue,includingthewholestoryplotisalsocompletedintheself-rationalanalysis,sothepsychologicalactivitiesoftheprotagonistarerenderedincisivelyandvividlyduetothelengthoftheshortstory.Thestructureofthenovelisalsoretrospective,"ButtomorrowI'mgoingtodie,andI'mgoingtotellittodaysothatmysoulcanrest."Inthisway,theprotagonistdirectlylistenstotheaudience,anddelicatelyconfidedthewholepsychologicalactivityofhisstrugglewiththeblackcat.Inthemeantime,"my"anxiety,irritability,fear,tension,remorse,hateandotherpsychologicalarefullydissected.Thisconfessionalmonologueisthebestexpressionofthehorroroftheprotagonist'ssoul,ashebeginsbysaying,"Thesethingsareonlyterrortome."InTheBlackCat,thechangeofnarrativeperspectiveismuchmorecomplicated.Inadditiontothetwoperspectivesthataresuretoexistintheretrospectivenarrationofthefirstperson,itcanbefoundfromacomprehensiveclosereadingthatPoeintroducesanarrativeperspectiveofrepentanceandtryingtomakethewholecaseclearinordertomakethecrazy,weirdandhypocriticalmouthoftheprotagonistmoredistinct.Atthebeginningofthememoryprotagonistdelusionalthefalseconfessionweakensthecrueltyofthecrimetoseekalightsentence.However,afterthestoryunfoldsgradually,asthenarrator'sperspectiveshiftstothe"innerperspectiveofthefirstperson",thetrueselfthatprotagonisttriedtosuppressgraduallybecomesprominent.Therefore,inthestory,weoftenfindcontradictorynarrativeswhentalkingaboutthereasonswhyprotagonistmutilatedtheblackcatPluton,protagonistoncementionedthisItriedtodeflatetheblamebysaying,"Itseemsthatchronicalcoholismisaterribledisease,"butlaterinthenarrativeprotagonistadmitted:"SoIsaythattheirresistible,primitivecriminalimpulseofthisnaturewillleadmetothefinalmadness:theirrational,violentdesiretodoevilforthesakeofdoingevil,inthisnature,vexesmebitterlyIcan'tstopabusinganimals."Thesesimilar"slipofthetongue"narrativesmorevividlydepictthehypocrisyofprotagonist.3.3.2TransformationofNarrativeEnvironmentMostofPoe'shorrornovelsleavetheexacttimeandplaceofthestoryunexplained.Thestoriesusuallytakeplaceinnamelesscountries,distantvalleys,orgrim,run-downhomesteads,withnocleartimeorplace.Poe'sherohasnoclearidentity,evennoname,nonativeplaceorfamily,psychosomaticpsychopathy,alcoholismordrugaddiction,self-destructionandmutilationofothers,theydon'tseemtobelongtoanyconcreterealworld.Poereplacedphysicaltimewithmentaltimeinhisnovelsandstructuredthewholestorywiththeflowoftheprotagonist'sconsciousness.TheBlackCatisallaboutmonologuesandself-consciousflowsasplotthreadsforanengrossingstory."IdonotexpectoraskthereadertobelievethemostabsurdandordinarystoryIamabouttowrite,"theauthorbegins."ButifIweretodietomorrow,Iwouldnotliftthisheavyburdenfrommysoultoday."Suchasentenceindicatesthattheauthorusedretrospectivenarrationwhenformulatingthenovel.Whenthenarratedeventprocessispresentedinthetextasthepreviousevent,whichhasbeencompletedbeforeobservation,weareobviouslyfacedwiththenarrativereview,thatis,thereconstructionoftheearlierevents,theearlierstatesandeventsarecombinedintotheoveralltextwithaunifiedstructureandmeaning.Therearemanywordsinthetexttellingusthatitis"I"doingtherecall,suchas:"Iamclearandconciseatpresentandallthingsthatlovetobeborninthehousearemadepublic.Ihavebeenfrightened--tortured--mywholeliferuinedbytheconsequencesofthesethings.""Perhapssomeaspiringlandwillappearinthefuture,andmakethesestrangethingsofmineordinary--someaspiringlandcalmerandmorelogicalthanIam,andfarlessexcitablethanIam--andhewillseethatthecircumstancesIrecountwithfeararebutaseriesofordinarytransactions.Thesewordsallindicatethat"I"