In this academic source, critics are immediately introduced. The second sentence states “Critics predominantly believe that this story is not about morality or ethics but about the powerful anatomy of a dark mind” (Magdalen). This statement is also not a fact, but an opinion, which makes this essay a literary argument. The writer also makes a judgment that “The Black Cat” is ethical, and that the narrator is mad because he deviates from the norms of traditional ethics. Throughout the essay I saw very little plot summary and a great deal of discussion about the literary argument and opinions/facts to back it up. Many critics were introduced as well to support the literary argument. While I feel that in most cases literary critics are very useful in a paper, I almost feel that there are too many critics and different opinions being presented here that I am unable to keep focused on the argument presented by the thesis. It seems as though the writer actually loses focus and goes on a bit of a tangent from time to time. While I’m sure this information is very well-planned and the result of serious analysis, it doesn’t help me in the topic I am looking at.
Ki, Magdalen Wing-Chi. "Diabolical evil and 'The Black Cat'." The Mississippi Quarterly 62.3-4 (2009): 569+. Literature Resource Center. Web. 15 Nov. 2010.
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