Edgar Allan Poe is classified as an American Romantic writer, a detective fiction writer, and a Gothic writer. He is considered by many to be the father of the short story and the first writer of detective fiction. Some critics refer to Poe as the first truly modern writer because he probed the individual and the mystery of the self.

In “The Cask of Amontillado,” a visit to a friend’s wine cellar turns out to have disastrous consequences. Listen to the careful description of revenge in the opening statements and follow along as vengeance finally catches up with Fortunato.