The Imp of the Perverse is a

metaphor A metaphor is a figure of speech that, for rhetorical effect, directly refers to one thing by mentioning another. It may provide (or obscure) clarity or identify hidden similarities between two different ideas. Metaphors are often compared wi ...

for the urge to do exactly the wrong thing in a given situation for the sole reason that it is possible for wrong to be done. The impulse is compared to an imp (a small

demon A demon is a malevolent supernatural entity. Historically, belief in demons, or stories about demons, occurs in religion, occultism, literature, fiction, mythology, and folklore; as well as in Media (communication), media such as comics, video ...

) which leads an otherwise decent person into mischief, and occasionally to their death.

Poe's short stories

The phrase has a long history in

literature Literature is any collection of Writing, written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to ...

, and was popularized (and perhaps coined) by

Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; Edgar Poe; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic. Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre. He is wid ...

in his short story, " The Imp of the Perverse". Poe explores this impulse through several of his fictional characters, such as the narrators in " The Black Cat" and in "

The Tell-Tale Heart "The Tell-Tale Heart" is a short story by American writer Edgar Allan Poe, first published in 1843. It is related by an unnamed narrator who endeavors to convince the reader of the narrator's sanity while simultaneously describing a murder the n ...

", and includes hints of it in multiple other tales of his.

Other usages

* The Imp of the Perverse is also exemplified in "Le Mauvais Vitrier" ("The Bad Glazier"), a prose poem by

Charles Baudelaire Charles Pierre Baudelaire (, ; ; 9 April 1821 – 31 August 1867) was a French poet who also produced notable work as an essayist and art critic. His poems exhibit mastery in the handling of rhyme and rhythm, contain an exoticism inherited fr ...

. * The concept also figures prominently in the motives of

Jack Shaftoe Jack Shaftoe (also known, at various points, as King of the Vagabonds, ''L'Emmerdeur'', Half-Cocked Jack, Quicksilver, Ali Zaybak, Sword of Divine Fire, and Jack the Coiner) is one of the three primary fictional characters in Neal Stephenson's 2,6 ...

, a swashbuckling protagonist in

Neal Stephenson Neal Town Stephenson (born October 31, 1959) is an American writer known for his works of speculative fiction. His novels have been categorized as science fiction, historical fiction, cyberpunk, postcyberpunk, and baroque. Stephenson's work e ...

's trilogy '' The Baroque Cycle'': *

Eric Berne Eric Berne (May 10, 1910 – July 15, 1970) was a Canadian-born psychiatrist who created the theory of transactional analysis as a way of explaining human behavior. Berne's theory of transactional analysis was based on the ideas of Freud ...

saw what he called the "demon" in the self as the (vocalisation of) a primitive id impulse, citing the instance of a stockbroker who at the key moment "heard a demonic whisper telling him: 'Don't sell, buy'. He abandoned his carefully planned campaign, and lost his entire capital – 'Ha, ha,' he said".Eric Berne, ''What Do You Say After You Say Hello?'' (1974) p. 135 and p. 274

References

External links

* " The Imp of the Perverse" by Edgar Allan Poe {{DEFAULTSORT:Imp of the Perverse Problem behavior Concepts in ethics Concepts in the philosophy of mind Imagination Literary concepts Metaphors

Poe's short stories

Other usages

See also

References

External links