Other authors,
Other authors, such as Poe, create a fantasy world in their stories, imag ining situations in which their characters have total control like Poe’s protago nist Montresor in “The Cask of Amontillado” (p. 490). Pigeonholing his character does not bring us close to understanding the sense of horror that Poe evokes in the story. We can appreciate it more readily by relishing the language Poe uses in dialogue and description to show us Montresor’s thoughts and responses as he acts out his obsessive plan to avenge his honor. As the literary critic David Reynolds has realized, the two characters in this classic short story, although limited, are not flat.
They come swiftly alive before our eyes because Poe describes them with acute psychological realism. Montresor is a complex Machiavellian criminal, exhibiting a full range of traits from clever ingratiation to stark sadism. Fortunato, the dupe whose pride leads to his own downfall, nevertheless exhibits . . . admirable qualities . . . . The drama of the story lies in the carefully orchestrated interaction between the two. Poe directs our attention away from the merely sensational and toward the psychological. . . .
Different fictional worlds make different demands on the reader’s imagi nation. What is most important to the reader’s enjoyment of the tale is the emo tional truth conveyed by the characters, whether they are flat or round, dynamic or static. To avoid sentimentality (emotional overindulgence) and stereotyping (oversimplified judgment) in creating characters, the writer must be able to suggest enough complexity to engage the reader’s emotions, or the story will not succeed.
SETTING
Setting is the place and time of the story. To set the scene and suggest a mood or atmosphere for the events to follow, the writer attempts to create in the reader’s visual imagination the illusion of a solid world in which the story takes place. Paley uses only a few words to describe the subway setting of her story, but they create an image of power and danger. The doors are “locked.” The platform is “swaying.” The cars on either side are full of people, who are watching the boys uneasily.
