Comment on his use of literary technique in composition of the short story.

The primary literary technique that unifies his stories is
Poe’s concept that the short story should produce a powerful, single impact, usually
involving something bizarre or horrible.  Another major technique showing Poe’s great
skill is his manipulation of point of view. Half of his stories demonstrate Poe’s
concern with a consistent and reliable narrative voice. “The Black Cat” and “The Cask of
Amontillado” both feature a first-person narrator who is a major participant or mover;
“The Fall of the House of Usher” introduces a first-person narrator who is a major
observer; and “The Masque of the Red Death” uses a third-person limited narrator. Each
of the stories may be studied for the effects of Poe’s control over point of view. The
other half use a delusional, unreliable, and mainly homicidal narrator.  Another
unifying topic is Poe’s uses of setting and detail, ranging from the particular to the
symbolic, from the ordinary to the macabre.