The Threat of the Feminine in “The Black Cat” by Lorna Bauer

Poe’s tumultuous relationship with the feminine can best be understood in “The Black Cat.” His representation of women as shallow, one-dimensional characters can be compared to the commonly known figure of “the ingenue.” I seek to uncover this representation in his work at great length to understand how the stock character of the “feminine” encapsulates male insecurity and fear of the feminine. I’m interested in the following components:

The feminization of cats and the projection of the narrator’s wife onto the cat.

The “clinginess” of these characters and their representation of the ingenue.

The insecurity the narrator experiences regarding his emasculation.

The violent death that both characters face as a product of the narrator’s rage.

And, most critically, the interplay of all of these factors. How, precisely, does the ingenuity of these characters trigger Poe’s male insecurity? How does this text portray Poe’s concept of masculine control? Rather, what is the significance of punishment for resisting the trope of the “ingenue”? How does Poe’s career as a writer reflect these tensions?

Primary Source:

Poe, Edgar Allen. “Text: Edgar Allan Poe, ‘The Black Cat’ (Text-03b), Tales (1845), Pp. 37-46.” Edgar Allan Poe Society of Baltimore – Works – Tales – The Black Cat (Text-03b), 1845, eapoe.org/works/tales/blcatb.htm.