Popular Poe Stories in Plain English

Five of Edgar Allan Poe's most popular short stories have been rewritten in a plain English version made more accessible for today's readers. The content has not been shortened or simplified, but Poe’s complex and long-winded writing style has been toned down. Lengthy paragraphs remedied, meandering sentences simplified, unnecessary repetition curtailed, daunting vocabulary replaced, confusing dialogue addressed, and obscure references clarified.

A man with murderous intentions lures an enemy into his cellar with a false promise in “The Cask of Amontillado” An uninvited guest arrives at a fancy party held during the Plague in “The Masque of the Red Death.” An artist ignores the health of his subject while capturing her likeness on canvas in "The Oval Portrait." A prisoner endures extreme torture in "The Pit and the Pendulum." Finally, a man guilty of murder lets paranoia get the best of him as he tries to convince the reader of his sanity in "The Tell-Tale Heart."