What does The Cask of Amontillado mean? What does it symbolizes and signifies? Why is it that the story tells about the vengeance of a friend? Why is it that the story tells irony when Fortunato's name means fortunate but he is killed? What does the thousand injuries mean?

-- Anonymous, August 24, 2002

Answers

Emelina,

Amontillado is a dry sherry noted for its delicate bouquet. Richer, deeper in colour and slightly heavier than Fino (Italian), but for those who prefer a sweeter style of aperitif.

Sherry, it is extremely fresh and alive. The sherry [from Jérez], naturally dry fortified wine, pale amber to brown in tint. The term sherry originally referred to wines made from grapes grown in the region of Jérez de Frontera, Andalusia, Spain; today it may refer to any of the fortified wines from Spain and is also applied to similar wines produced in the United States, Latin America, and South Africa.

It’s weird that Poe use a Spanish and sweeter ( less tastefully) wine to be sip up by two rich Italian connoisseurs, Montressori & Fortunato. Transposing a heavy and darker wine (see the Pit and the Pendulum) into a Venetian vault seems to me an exotic (Inquisition !!!) and less refined remembrance of Poe’s own revenge. Fortunato means fortunate, as Montressori from the french mon-tressor means my treasure. This novel appears to be more rough, more cruel, less specific (lacking symbolism) then other revenge novels, like Hop-Frog, The Black Cat, The Golden Bug.

Kind regards Jeremy Kern

-- Anonymous, August 25, 2002

Emelina,

Amontillado is a dry sherry noted for its delicate bouquet. Richer, deeper in colour and slightly heavier than Fino (Italian), but for those who prefer a sweeter style of aperitif.

Sherry, it is extremely fresh and alive. The sherry [from Jérez], naturally dry fortified wine, pale amber to brown in tint. The term sherry originally referred to wines made from grapes grown in the region of Jérez de Frontera, Andalusia, Spain; today it may refer to any of the fortified wines from Spain and is also applied to similar wines produced in the United States, Latin America, and South Africa.

It’s weird that Poe use a Spanish and sweeter ( less tastefully) wine to be sip up by two rich Italian connoisseurs, Montressori & Fortunato. Transposing a heavy and darker wine (see the Pit and the Pendulum) into a Venetian vault seems to me an exotic (Inquisition !!!) and less refined remembrance of Poe’s own revenge. Fortunato means fortunate, as Montressori from the french mon-tressor means my treasure. This novel appears to be more rough, more cruel, less specific (lacking symbolism) then other revenge novels, like Hop-Frog, The Black Cat, The Golden Bug, etc.

Kind regards

Jeremy Kern

-- Anonymous, August 25, 2002