Book Name: The Pit and the Pendulum Summary:
An unnamed narrator opens the story by revealing that he has been sentenced to death during the time of the Inquisition—an institution of the Catholic government in fifteenth- and sixteenth-century Spain that persecuted all Protestants and heretical Catholics. Upon receiving his death sentence, the narrator swoons, losing consciousness. When he wakes, he faces complete darkness. He is confused because he knows that the usual fate of Inquisition victims is a public auto-da-fé, or “act of faith”—an execution normally taking the form of a hanging. He is afraid that he has been locked in a tomb, but he gets up and walks a few paces. This mobility then leads him to surmise that he is not in a tomb, but perhaps in one of the dungeons at Toledo, an infamous Inquisition prison. He decides to explore. Ripping off a piece of the hem from his robe, he places it against the wall so that he can count the number of steps required to walk the perimeter of the cell. However, he soon stumbles and collapses to the ground, where he falls asleep. Vocabulary words: Pertinacity: Adhering resolutely to an opinion, purpose, or design. Perversely persistent. Recusant: One who refuses to accept or obey established authority. An English Roman Catholic of the time from about 1570 to 1791 who refused to attend services of the Church of England and thereby committed a statutory offense. Ribands: Ribbons used as decorations. Scimitar: A saber having a curved blade with the edge on the convex side and used chiefly by Arabs and Turks. Scythe: A farming implement composed of a long curving blade fastened at an angle to a long handle.The Grim Reaper, the personification of death, is usually pictured as a cloaked skeleton holding a scythe. Sunder: To sever. To separate by or as if by violence. Surcingle: A belt, band, or girth passing around the body of a horse to bind a saddle or pack fast to the horse's back. Thule: Thule, pronounced "thoo-lee", was the northernmost part of the ancient world, usually an island, and often Iceland. Ultima Thule in medieval geographies may also denote any distant place located beyond the "borders of the known world." Toledo: A city in Spain where many of the Inquisitorial trials of the Spanish Inquisition were held. Veriest: A typical example. Properly entitled to the name or designation. Viand: An item of food. Abstruse: Difficult to understand. Brocade: A rich silk fabric with raised patterns in gold and silver. Brusquerie: Abruptness of manner. Buffoons: Clowns, ludicrous figures.
Summary:
An unnamed narrator opens the story by revealing that he has been sentenced to death during the time of the Inquisition—an institution of the Catholic government in fifteenth- and sixteenth-century Spain that persecuted all Protestants and heretical Catholics. Upon receiving his death sentence, the narrator swoons, losing consciousness. When he wakes, he faces complete darkness. He is confused because he knows that the usual fate of Inquisition victims is a public auto-da-fé, or “act of faith”—an execution normally taking the form of a hanging. He is afraid that he has been locked in a tomb, but he gets up and walks a few paces. This mobility then leads him to surmise that he is not in a tomb, but perhaps in one of the dungeons at Toledo, an infamous Inquisition prison. He decides to explore. Ripping off a piece of the hem from his robe, he places it against the wall so that he can count the number of steps required to walk the perimeter of the cell. However, he soon stumbles and collapses to the ground, where he falls asleep.
Vocabulary words:
Pertinacity: Adhering resolutely to an opinion, purpose, or design. Perversely persistent.
Recusant: One who refuses to accept or obey established authority. An English Roman Catholic of the time from about 1570 to 1791 who refused to attend services of the Church of England and thereby committed a statutory offense.
Ribands: Ribbons used as decorations.
Scimitar: A saber having a curved blade with the edge on the convex side and used chiefly by Arabs and Turks.
Scythe: A farming implement composed of a long curving blade fastened at an angle to a long handle.The Grim Reaper, the personification of death, is usually pictured as a cloaked skeleton holding a scythe.
Sunder: To sever. To separate by or as if by violence.
Surcingle: A belt, band, or girth passing around the body of a horse to bind a saddle or pack fast to the horse's back.
Thule: Thule, pronounced "thoo-lee", was the northernmost part of the ancient world, usually an island, and often Iceland. Ultima Thule in medieval geographies may also denote any distant place located beyond the "borders of the known world."
Toledo: A city in Spain where many of the Inquisitorial trials of the Spanish Inquisition were held.
Veriest: A typical example. Properly entitled to the name or designation.
Viand: An item of food.
Abstruse: Difficult to understand.
Brocade: A rich silk fabric with raised patterns in gold and silver.
Brusquerie: Abruptness of manner.
Buffoons: Clowns, ludicrous figures.