Abstract: The Black Cat is a classic horror novel written by Edgar Allan Poe. The novel is a typical novel of death theme which is surrounded by the smell of death. This paper will focus on death in The Black Cat, analyze the expression of death theme in this novel and discuss the reasons for Poe’s choice of death as the theme for his works so as to get more profound understanding of the value of this novel and arouse people’s reflection on human nature.  

Key words: Edgar Allan Poe; The Black Cat; death theme; reasons for creation

Contents

Abstract

中文摘要

1. Introduction-1

 1.1 Edgar Allan Poe & The Black Cat-1

 1.2 Literature Review-2

2. The Expression of Death Theme in The Black Cat-5

 2.1 The Development of Death-5

 2.2 Imagery of Death-7

 2.3 Psychological Description of Approaching Death-9

3. Reasons for Poe’s Creation of Death Theme-11

 3.1 Literary Background-11

 3.2 Personal Experience-13

 3.3 The Principle of Creation-16

4. Conclusion-17

References-19