A beautiful introduction about Edgar Allan Poe, and the Poe's essay about "The Philosophy of Composition" Complements well this edition of one of the best stories of Edgar Allan Poe. The Pit and the Pendulum narrates the story is about the torments endured by a prisoner of the Spanish Inquisition, though Poe skews historical facts. The narrator of the story describes his experience of being tortured. The story is especially effective at inspiring fear in the reader because of its heavy focus on the senses, such as sound, emphasizing its reality, unlike many of Poe's stories which are aided by the supernatural. The traditional elements established in popular horror tales at the time are followed, but critical reception has been mixed.