7 Nov 2025

Episode 6.15 –

The “Hideous Heart:” Poe’s Aesthetic of Accountability

There really isn’t that much to say about Poe, is there? He’s just creepy. But wait. What if we could explain the supposed madness in all these stories?  We look at the narrators of Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart,” “The Imp of Perversity,” and “The Cask of Amontillado.” Along the way we consult several of his essays of the aesthetic, of literary craft, in order to understand what he may be up to.

Poe’s Works Discussed:

• “The Tell-Tale Heart”  (Read aloud in a recent episode)


• “The Imp of Perversity” (Read aloud in a recent episode)


• “The Cask of Amontillado”


• “Review of Twice-Told Tales”


• “The Philosophy of Composition”


• “Review of Night and Morning”


• “The Poetic Principle”


• “Eureka”

Complete Resources: https://waywordsstudio.com/project/le-guin-omelas/

CHAPTERS

00:00      Peeking In

07:54      Opening Theme

08:28      The Moral Door; The Vulture Eye

16:00      Structure, Confession, and Control

27:08      Accountability & The Aesthetic of Betrayal

37:12      Sanity Defense

44:39      And If We Object?

50:45      Closing Credits

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New to Literary Nomads? Check out episode 5.00 to find out what we’re all about: https://waywordsstudio.com/podcasts/waywords_podcast/an-introduction-and-irony/

Have a Question? Literary Nomads Mailbag: https://forms.gle/WKGp1YWrazNZ3TLt8 

Transcript:  https://waywordsstudio.com/general/transcript/6-15-hideous-heart

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Literary Nomads is the primary program of Waywords Studio (https://waywordsstudio.com). The podcast posts new material each week, with thought-provoking examinations of literature around selected questions or themes and several smaller supplemental episodes in between the larger programs: history, writing, and contemporary applications of ideas.

Visit us for expanded resources for guests and the Waywords community, for other programs and writing, and for opportunities to support our goal to expand reading. Resources available can include full bibliographies of material referenced, full and partial texts, annotated editions, supplemental and expanded episodes, fictional explorations, teaching and learning resources, additional essays, and online courses.

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CREDITS:

Original music by Randon Myles (https://randonmyles.com/)

Chapter headings by Natalie Harrison and Sarah Skaleski

USING THIS WORK:

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. It is open to be used and adapted for all not-for-profit uses with proper attribution.

MLA CITATION:

Chisnell, Steve. “The ‘Hideous Heart:’ Poe’s Aesthetic of Accountability,” Literary Nomads. Waywords Studio, 7 Nov 2025, https://waywordsstudio.com/project/le-guin-omelas/.