*To be edited as I consider and wax and ponder and declaim. First: Poe stories can be divided into three categories: droll intellectual riffs such as 'Some words with a mummy'; mysteries such as 'Murder in the Rue Morgue' or 'Purloined Letter'; and wonderfully crafted jewels of horror like 'The Cask of Amontillado' (or The Black Cat or the Pit and Pendulum).