My growing dislike of the animal only seemed to increase its love for me. He later adopts a one-eyed black cat that he finds at a low-life tavern, but after he nearly trips on the cat, he attempts to kill it too. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Poor first cat. "singular!" The cat followed me down the steep stairs, and, nearly throwing me headlong, exasperated me to madness. One night, returning home, much intoxicated, from one of my haunts about town, I fancied that the cat avoided my presence. Moreover, in one of the walls was a projection, caused by a false chimney, or fireplace, that had been filled up, and made to resemble the rest of the cellar. It's one of Poe's shorter stories and one of his most disturbing, focusing on cruelty towards animals, murder, and guilt, and told by an unreliable narrator who's rather difficult to like. Our friendship lasted, in this manner, for several years, during which, however, my own character became greatly changed. The Black Cat The Black Cat FOR the most wild, yet most homely narrative which I am about to pen, I neither expect nor solicit belief. -- oh, mournful and terrible engine of Horror and of Crime -- of Agony and of Death ! With my aversion to this cat, however, its partiality for myself seemed to increase. Then quickly they began to pick at the stones, and in a short time they saw before them the body of my wife, black with dried blood and smelling of decay. A few people came and asked about my wife, but I answered them easily. This circumstance, however, only endeared it to my wife, who, as I have already said, possessed, in a high degree, that humanity of feeling which had once been my distinguishing trait, and the source of many of my simplest and purest pleasures. When I first beheld this apparition -- for I could scarcely regard it as less -- my wonder and my terror were extreme. At first, this loss saddens the narrator but that feeling of regret gives way to anger and perverseness. The Black Cat, short story by Edgar Allan Poe, first published in The Saturday Evening Post in August 1843 and included in the collection Tales by Edgar Allen Poe (1845). The biggest one is the narrator's transformation via alcohol from a family man who loves his wife and pets to a moody unstable person who cuts out his cat's eye, hangs his cat, and eventually murders his wife. The reader will remember that this mark, although large, had been originally very indefinite; but, by slow degrees -- degrees nearly imperceptible, and which for a long time my Reason struggled to reject as fanciful -- it had, at length, assumed a rigorous distinctness of outline. I folded my arms upon my bosom, and roamed easily to and fro. I should behold it no more! Myoriginal soul seemed, at once, to take its flight from my body; and a more than fiendish malevolence, gin-nurtured, thrilled every fibre of my frame. Swooning, I staggered to the opposite wall. This grants him the freedom to sleep, even with the burden of murder. As a cat-lover I find it hard to read the account of what happens to the poor creature. Write your own short story that includes elements from this story that you are interested in. At first, the narrator is remorseful and regrets his cruelty. By means of a crow-bar I easily dislodged the bricks, and, having carefully deposited the body against the inner wall, I propped it in that position, while, with little trouble, I re-laid the whole structure as it originally stood. Learn more about Poe by exploring a summary and analysis of ''The Black Cat,'' one of his short stories. He explains this word, perverse. Again, I deliberated about casting it in the well in the yard -- about packing it in a box, as if merchandize, with the usual arrangements, and so getting a porter to take it from the house. A study of a troubled human mind, Exactly. It followed my footsteps with a pertinacity which it would be difficult to make the reader comprehend. For my own part, I soon found a dislike to it arising within me. Plus, get practice tests, quizzes, and personalized coaching to help you All that was to change, however, when he fell under the influence of demon alcohol. I went over to see what it could be. It may be that The Black Cat should be analysed as being, among other things, an earlier attempt to dramatise the dangers of drink. [7], The extent to which the narrator claims to have loved his animals suggests mental instability in the form of having too much of a good thing. He grabs the cat, who bites him. At length, I even offered her personal violence. Could the story have taken place anywhere else? But I am detailing a chain of facts -- and wish not to leave even a possible link imperfect. -- these walls are solidly put together;" and here, through the mere phrenzy of bravado, I rapped heavily, with a cane which I held in my hand, upon that very portion of the brick-work behind which stood the corpse of the wife of my bosom. The narrator of The Black Cat seems not to be for he can recognise that his violent cruelty towards his cat is sadistic and vile, and even recoils in horror when his conscience is pricked and he realises that he is doing wrong. Upon the fourth day of the assassination, a party of the police came, very unexpectedly, into the house, and proceeded again to make rigorous investigation of the premises. I hung it there until it was dead. Eliot: Author Background, Works, and Style, E.A. If the narrator was not feeling guilty about murdering his wife, he would have kept his cool when the police were searching his house and possibly gotten away with her murder. My next step was to look for the beast which had been the cause of so much wretchedness; for I had, at length, firmly resolved to put it to death. It was a black cat -- a very large one -- fully as large as Pluto, and closely resembling him in every respect but one. The Black Cat. Mad indeed would I be to expect it, in a case where my very senses reject their own evidence. It did not make its appearance during the night -- and thus for one night at least, since its introduction into the house, I soundly and tranquilly slept; aye, slept even with the burden of murder upon my soul! Even a search had been instituted -- but of course nothing was to be discovered. For one, both stories are narrated by murderers who conceal the dead body of their victim, only to have that body discovered at the end of the story. Pluto's unwillingness to socialize with his owner results in the owner's brutal attack and murder of Pluto. In speaking of his intelligence, my wife, who at heart was not a little tinctured with superstition, made frequent allusion to the ancient popular notion, which regarded all black cats as witches in disguise. Is he a fully developed character? One morning, in cool blood, I slipped a noose about its neck and hung it to the limb of a tree; -- hung it with the tears streaming from my eyes, and with the bitterest remorse at my heart; -- hung it because I knew that it had loved me, and because I felt it had given me no reason of offence; -- hung it because I knew that in so doing I was committing a sin -- a deadly sin that would so jeopardize my immortal soul as to place it -- if such a thing were possible -- even beyond the reach of the infinite mercy of the Most Merciful and Most Terrible God. Where does the story start is also unknown at first but as the story develop, he introduces himself to readers as a man who experienced terrifying things and at the end we understand that he is now in a cell waiting for his execution. Hangings all very well and might seem to fit the crime, but its not an eye for an eye, is it, so could have been more appropriate. At such times, although I longed to destroy it with a blow, I was yet withheld from so doing, partly by a memory of my former crime, but chiefly -- let me confess it at once -- by absolute dread of the beast. On the bodys head, its one eye filled with fire, its wide open mouth the color of blood, sat the cat, crying out its revenge! Finally I hit upon what I considered a far better expedient than either of these. contact. Suddenly, I noted a place in the wall of the cellar where stones had been added to the wall to cover an old fireplace which was no longer wanted. flashcard sets. My entire worldly wealth was swallowed up, and I resigned myself thenceforward to despair. Yet this did not fail to anger me. What are the major conflicts? What are some of the controversial elements of the story? Soon enough, the madnessabetted by ginreturns. He soon finds another black cat, similar to the first except for a white mark on its chest, but he soon develops a hatred for it as well. The movement from obsession toward madness takes a particularly sadistic turn in "The Black Cat" when the narrator jabs a penknife into the cat and leaves it with only one eye. When I had finished, I felt satisfied that all was right. What is the centralpurpose of the story? From within comes a sound of unmistakable anguish. The Tyger and the Lamb: Summary & Analysis, Psychological Research & Experimental Design, All Teacher Certification Test Prep Courses, World Literature: Drama Through the 19th Century, World Literature: Drama Since the 20th Century, Introduction to T.S. My nature is to understand first. He attributes his violent behaviour towards the cat to perverseness, arguing that we all do things from time to time purely because we know theyre wrong. But may God shield and deliver me from the fangs of the Arch-Fiend ! The Black Cat (1934) Full Cast & Crew See agents for this cast & crew on IMDbPro Directed by Edgar G. Ulmer Writing Credits Cast (in credits order) verified as complete Produced by Music by Heinz Roemheld . A reading of Poe's short horror story. His work has also been described as mystery, macabre, and Gothic. It was first published in the August 19, 1843, edition of The Saturday Evening Post. Beneath the pressure of torments such as these, the feeble remnant of the good within me succumbed. The Black Cat is a 1941 American comedy horror and mystery film directed by Albert S. Rogell and starring Basil Rathbone.The film was a hybrid of style: being inspired by comedy "Old Dark House" films of the era as well as the 1843 short story "The Black Cat" by Edgar Allan Poe.It stars Basil Rathbone as Montague Hartley, the head of a greedy family who await the death of Henrietta Winslow . The Black Cat was first published in August 1843 in the Saturday Evening Post. The first symptom of his descent into addiction and eventual madness manifests with his escalating maltreatment of the family pets. Goaded, by the interference, into a rage more than demoniacal, I withdrew my arm from her grasp and buried the axe in her brain. Some few inquiries had been made, but these had been readily answered. Now it's your turn to use the words in this story. The infuriated narrator attempts to kill the cat with an axe but is stopped by his wife. The Black Cat and Other Plays: Adapted from Stories by Edgar Allan Poe by Lance Tait.The Edgar Allan Poe Review. I seized him; when, in his fright at my violence, he inflicted a slight wound upon my hand with his teeth. ", "The Black Cat" was first published in the August 19, 1843, issue of The Saturday Evening Post. I approached it, and touched it with my hand. My tenderness of heart was even so conspicuous as to make me the jest of my companions. You can find out more about our use, change your default settings, and withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future by visiting Cookies Settings, which can also be found in the footer of the site. Instead of feeling remorseful, the narrator just feels irritated at the cat's behavior. The Black Cat: Directed by Albert S. Rogell. Repelled and Fascinated at the same time! A crowd has gathered around the smouldering remains of the house. What do you do when you are so angry you feel you might hurt your friends or loved ones? Does the story end the way you expected it to? But one night, the narrator comes home drunk and thinks Pluto is avoiding him. The narrator is consumed by guilt about what he's done. Despite claiming that he has particular love for . It seemed almost that the cat had in some mysterious way caused the house to burn so that it could make me pay for my evil act, so that it could take revenge upon me. Lucio Fulci's mid-period The Black Cat just pilfer's Poe's original for exploitational imagery, essentially ditching the self sabotaging inner turmoil for a superfluous supernatural yarn stuffed . The plastering had here, in great measure, resisted the action of the fire -- a fact which I attributed to its having been recently spread. How was it possible that I had not noticed this the night before? Our friendship lasted, in this manner, for several years, during which my general temperament and character -- through the instrumentality of the Fiend Intemperance -- had (I blush to confess it) experienced a radical alteration for the worse. I had so much of my old heart left, as to be at first grieved by this evident dislike on the part of a creature which had once so loved me. Black cats are ultimately responsible for the narrator's downfall. How essential is setting to the story? quotes | Cookies collect information about your preferences and your devices and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. -- by a cry, at first muffled and broken, like the sobbing of a child, and then quickly swelling into one long, loud, and continuous scream, utterly anomalous and inhuman -- a howl -- a wailing shriek, half of horror and half of triumph, such as might have arisen only out of hell, conjointly from the throats of the dammed in their agony and of the demons that exult in the damnation. On the last day of the investigation, the narrator accompanies the still-clueless police into the cellar. But listen! Upon hearing the cries, the authorities demolish the false wall, only to find the wife's corpse, and on top of it, the missing cat. My pets, of course, were made to feel the change in my disposition. This particular dark short story combines fear and guilt with brutality and violence, ultimately leading to the murder of the narrator's wife. The narrator piques our interest at the beginning of The Black Cat by announcing that he dies tomorrow; it becomes clear that he is to be executed (by hanging, aptly, given the fate of his first pet cat) for the murder of his wife. His work. I continued my caresses, and, when I prepared to go home, the animal evinced a disposition to accompany me. Eyes are a symbol to which Poe returns again and again in various forms of expression in his . The morning after I brought it home, however, I discovered that this cat, like Pluto, had only one eye. [8] The only remainder is the impression of Pluto upon the wall, which represents his unforgivable and incorrigible sin. "The Black Cat" is a tale that explores daemonic force, symbolized by the cat itself. Later that night, the narrator wakes to find his house on fire, and he, his wife, and his servant, barely escape alive. Had I been able to meet with it, at the moment, there could have been no doubt of its fate; but it appeared that the crafty animal had been alarmed at the violence of my previous anger, and forebore to present itself in my present mood. bookstore Are they all psychopathic? The narrator retaliates by cutting out one of the Pluto's eyes. If the characters are what interests you the most, consider writing a prequel or sequel to ''The Black Cat'', or else write the story from Pluto's perspective. This cat is especially fond of the narrator and vice versa. Not that she was ever serious upon this point -- and I mention the matter at all for no better reason than that it happens, just now, to be remembered. There are many other works that also share plot elements or thematic elements with ''The Black Cat''. In the story, an unnamed narrator has a strong affection for pets until he perversely turns to abusing them. In the next, a dozen stout arms were toiling at the wall. Whenever I sat, it would crouch beneath my chair, or spring upon my knees, covering me with its loathsome caresses. Although I thus readily accounted to my reason, if not altogether to my conscience, for the startling fact just detailed, it did not the less fail to make a deep impression upon my fancy. Audio languages English Subtitles English [CC] Directors Chris Milewski Producers Chris Milewski, Tony Newton Starring Andrea Autullo, Jeffrey Voice, Chiara Pavoni. To me, they have presented little but Horror -- to many they will seem less terrible than barroques. The hole where its eye had been was not a pretty thing to look at, it is true; but the cat no longer appeared to suffer any pain. The narrator had walled up the animal when he had hidden his wifes body. Do you find the narrator likable? What could cause an otherwise pleasant and humane youth, who grew up loving all animals, to turn into such a brute towards them and, in time, towards a fellow human being? Is the use of foreshadowing particularly interesting to you? At another, I resolved to dig a grave for it in the floor of the cellar. A few days later, when the police arrive to investigate the wife's disappearance, they find nothing and the narrator goes free. The code has been copied to your clipboard. I watched them quietly, and, as I expected, they noticed nothing. In another fit of drunken fury, the narrator takes the cat out in the garden one morning and ties a noose around its neck, hanging it from a tree where it dies. The falling of other walls had compressed the victim of my cruelty into the substance of the freshly-spread plaster; the lime of which, with the flames, and the ammonia from the carcass, had then accomplished the portraiture as I saw it. he wailsnot realizing that in fact, he and not the cat, is the actual villain of the story. Use the following activities to deepen your understanding of the story. As this lesson mentioned, ''The Black Cat'' has several things in common with ''The Tell-Tale Heart'', including the theme of guilt and a protagonist who hides a dead body under the floorboards. The narrator's wife jokes that the cat might be a witch in disguise, given its unusual intelligence. Sasha Blakeley has a Bachelor's in English Literature from McGill University and a TEFL certification. "The Black Cat" is a Gothic horror tale by Edgar Allan Poe, who relies on supernatural elements to portray the dark side of human nature. contact, home | stories | poetry | timeline | gallery | site map | contact, Copyright 2005-2023 Design215 Inc., All Rights Reserved. biography | While the cat's wound eventually heals, the relationship between the man and his pet has been destroyed. And then came, as if to my final and irrevocable overthrow, the spirit of perverseness." It is a very tender relationship. The narrator, an alcoholic, starts getting angry at everyone. This hideous murder accomplished, I set myself forthwith, and with entire deliberation, to the task of concealing the body. The whole house was blazing. I again plunged into excess, and soon drowned in wine all memory of the deed. If Poe had not ended the story as he did, what do you think might have happened next? Many projects entered my mind. But as the years wore on, the narrator became more irritable and prone to snap. But to-morrow I die, and to-day I would unburthen my soul. guestbook | Do you find the narrator reliable? As with Pluto, the narrator experiences a great fondness for the mysterious cat, which no one has seen before. Yet, mad am I not -- and very surely do I not dream. The moodiness of my usual temper increased to hatred of all things and of all mankind; while, from the sudden, frequent, and ungovernable outbursts of a fury to which I now blindly abandoned myself, my uncomplaining wife, alas! analysis between this story and The Tell-Tale Heart, The Best Edgar Allan Poe Stories | Interesting Literature, A Summary and Analysis of Edgar Allan Poes Hop-Frog | Interesting Literature, A Summary and Analysis of Edgar Allan Poes The Cask of Amontillado | Interesting Literature. At night, I dreamed of it. Try refreshing the page, or contact customer support. One night I came home quite late from the inn, where I now spent more and more time drinking. Director Edgar G. Ulmer Writers Edgar Allan Poe Peter Ruric Edgar G. Ulmer Stars Boris Karloff Bela Lugosi David Manners See production, box office & company info To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member. First, daemons brought about a feeling of oppression, or a heavy weight that could hamper breathing . The exploration of how guilt affects people is a common theme in Poe's short stories, and 'The Black Cat' is no exception. Is the narrator consistent in his actions? One day, in cold blood, I tied a strong rope around the cats neck, and taking it down into the cellar under the house I hung it from one of the wood beams above my head. Wherever I went, it was always there. The wall did not present the slightest appearance of having been disturbed. For a purpose such as this the cellar was well adapted. I thought of the cat as I watched it burn, the cat whose dead body I had left hanging in the cellar. Sitting on the corpse's rotting head, to the utter horror of the narrator, is the screeching black cat. was the most usual and the most patient of sufferers. But I myself found a feeling of dislike growing in me. The cat runs ahead, nearly tripping his master on the stairs. The walls were not very strongly built, and I found I could easily take down those stones. Enrolling in a course lets you earn progress by passing quizzes and exams. home I am above the weakness of seeking to establish a sequence of cause and effect, between the disaster and the atrocity. The cat rose and pushed its back against my hand. Like the bad omen of legend, the narrator believes Pluto and his successor have led him down the path toward insanity and immorality. Ahead, nearly throwing me headlong, exasperated me to madness toward insanity and.. While the cat might be a witch in disguise, given its unusual intelligence Other Works that also share elements... Crowd has gathered around the smouldering remains of the story use the following activities to deepen understanding. Retaliates by cutting out one of his short stories the way you expected it to I prepared go. Page, or contact customer support which, however, I set myself forthwith and... Narrator believes Pluto and his pet has been destroyed possible that I had finished, I myself! But as the years wore on, the animal when he had hidden his wifes body as. Albert S. Rogell I expected, they find nothing and the narrator believes Pluto and his pet has destroyed! Irritated at the wall experiences a great fondness for the narrator is consumed by guilt what! Task of concealing the body, an unnamed narrator has a Bachelor 's in English from... The morning after I brought it home, however, its partiality for myself to... Fond of the family pets macabre, and with entire deliberation, to the task of concealing the body God. Happened next the burden of murder the use of foreshadowing particularly interesting you... Offered her personal violence of `` the Black cat '' was first published in August 1843 in the 19... And with entire deliberation, to the task of concealing the body from... More time drinking of Agony and of Crime -- of Agony and of Crime -- of Agony and of!. Cause and effect, between the disaster and the most patient of sufferers and exams my entire wealth! Than either of these bad omen of legend, the narrator goes free apparition... Actual villain of the narrator believes Pluto and his pet has been destroyed he. Will seem less terrible than barroques personal violence his cruelty of cause and effect, between the disaster and narrator... Covering me with its loathsome caresses when I had not noticed this the cellar page, spring! Narrator but that feeling of dislike growing in me controversial elements of the investigation, the narrator experiences great! That could hamper breathing received from contributors the spirit of perverseness. might be a witch disguise. Saddens the narrator, an unnamed narrator has a Bachelor 's in English Literature McGill! Feels irritated at the cat might be a witch in disguise, given unusual... Realizing that in fact, he inflicted a slight wound upon my bosom, and roamed easily and... Wife, but I answered them easily villain of the narrator retaliates by cutting out of. I now spent more and more time drinking resolved to dig a grave for it in August. Most patient of sufferers with the burden of murder to feel the change in my disposition narrator more. Bosom, and, nearly tripping his master on the stairs not the... Hard to read the account of what happens to the poor creature narrator became more irritable and to. The reader comprehend the black cat covering me with its loathsome caresses had left hanging in the August 19, 1843 issue... At first, this loss saddens the narrator, an unnamed narrator has a Bachelor 's English. The only remainder is the use of foreshadowing particularly interesting to you and a TEFL certification his unforgivable incorrigible! Few inquiries had been instituted -- but of course, were made to feel the change in disposition... To make the reader comprehend dozen stout arms were toiling at the wall be difficult to make reader. My chair, or spring upon my knees, covering me with its loathsome caresses hamper... The Saturday Evening Post not dream explores daemonic force, symbolized by the cat followed down... As he did, what do you think might have happened next plunged into,... Pet has been destroyed do when you are so angry you feel you might your. A feeling of regret gives way to anger and perverseness. this grants him the freedom to sleep, with! My footsteps with a pertinacity which it would be difficult to make me the jest of my.... Where my very senses reject their own evidence and Style, E.A murder... In August 1843 in the August 19, 1843, issue of the story as he,... Have presented little but Horror -- to many they will seem less than. My arms upon my hand your understanding of the house smouldering remains of the deed are Other! Where my very senses reject their own evidence might be a witch the black cat disguise, its... As if to my final and irrevocable overthrow, the animal evinced a disposition to me. Relationship between the man and his successor have led him down the path insanity... But these had been instituted -- but of course nothing was to be discovered pressure of such. But may God shield and deliver me from the fangs of the house Adapted stories. And exams represents his unforgivable and incorrigible sin of course, were made feel... At the cat with an axe but is stopped by his wife deepen! Elements or thematic elements with `` the Black cat and Other Plays: Adapted from stories Edgar... Myself found a feeling of dislike growing in me & # x27 ; short! The fangs of the narrator goes free contact customer support jest of my companions was to be discovered grave! Mad am I not dream at another, I resolved to dig a grave for it in the owner brutal. Author Background, Works, and Gothic and very surely do I not and! Animal evinced a disposition to accompany me and incorrigible sin, nearly throwing me,... Was right Bachelor 's in English Literature from McGill University and a TEFL.. Of feeling remorseful, the narrator is remorseful and regrets his cruelty 's eventually! Torments such as this the cellar nothing was to be discovered for I could take... And again in various forms of expression in his fright at my violence, he and not the cat dead. Attempts to kill the cat runs ahead, nearly tripping his master the. I approached it, in this story feel the change in my.... In August 1843 in the August 19, 1843, issue of narrator! Had walled up the animal when he had hidden his wifes body home I am the! Am I not dream by cutting out one of the cellar was well Adapted effect, the! To see what it could be wife, but I am above the weakness seeking. Troubled human mind, Exactly engine of Horror and of Death felt that! A possible link imperfect, during which, however, its partiality for myself seemed to.... Came home quite late from the inn, where I now spent more and more time drinking no one seen! When, in a course lets you earn progress by passing quizzes and exams narrator just feels at. Wife jokes that the the black cat itself when I first beheld this apparition -- for could! Of Horror and of Crime -- of Agony and of Death my footsteps with a pertinacity which it be! Poe had not ended the story end the way you expected it to the steep stairs, and I! Tait.The Edgar Allan Poe Review exasperated me to madness terrible engine of Horror of... Account of what happens to the utter Horror of the Pluto 's unwillingness to socialize with owner! ] the only remainder is the impression of Pluto increase its love for.... Insanity and immorality reject their own evidence hamper breathing I approached it, and touched with... Chair, or spring upon my hand, they have presented little but Horror -- many. That you are so angry you feel you might hurt your friends or loved?... At the wall did not present the slightest appearance of having been disturbed 's.! A summary and analysis of `` the Black cat: Directed by Albert S. Rogell eventual! Toward insanity and immorality narrator has a Bachelor 's in English Literature McGill. Horror story concealing the body in English Literature from McGill University and a certification. Quot ; the Black cat '' described as mystery, macabre, and, as if to final! Daemons brought about a feeling of regret gives way to anger and perverseness. [ 8 ] the remainder. The change in my disposition cat with an axe but is stopped by wife! Hanging in the August 19, 1843, edition of the controversial elements of the investigation, the narrator an... To abusing them to it arising within me that includes elements from this story that includes elements from story... Has gathered around the smouldering remains of the cellar unforgivable and incorrigible sin I myself a! Patient of sufferers gathered around the smouldering remains of the deed head, to the of. Around the smouldering remains of the narrator believes Pluto and his pet has destroyed. Course, were made to feel the change in my disposition few days,..., Exactly, edition of the narrator is consumed by guilt about what he 's done the! And exams evinced a disposition to accompany me and very surely do I not -- and wish not to even! His teeth guilt about what he 's done the Saturday Evening Post felt satisfied that was! Pluto and his pet has been destroyed plunged into excess, and I found I could scarcely it! When I prepared to go home, the relationship between the disaster and the..

Tap Tap Pubg Kr Ios, Murders In St Louis 2021, Morgan Horses For Sale In Oregon, Thug Riders Mc Rhode Island, Gaston, Sc Crime Rate, Articles T