Language

Style of language

The language in the short story “The Premature Burial” by Edgar Allan Poe is formal. The narration does not use slang or contractions, and the sentences are long and complex. The vocabulary is advanced, with several literary references, which show that the narrator has received a formal education. The manner of speech and the vocabulary reflect the narrator’s worldview, highlighting his intelligence and education. It also shows that the narrator belongs to the upper class.

An instance of humor is created by the contrast between the formal and elaborate style of the narration and the informal speech of the laborers in the small portion of dialogue which occurs towards the end:

‘Hillo! hillo, there!’ said a gruff voice, in reply.
‘What the devil’s the matter now!’ said a second.
‘Get out o’that!’ said a third.
‘What do you mean by yowling in that ere kind of style, like a cattymount?’ said a fourth; and hereupon I was seized and shaken without ceremony, for several minutes, by a junto of very rough-looking individuals.

The moment breaks the tension when it had reached its peak, leading...