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The Imp of the Perverse
The Imp of the Perverse is a metaphor 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) which leads an otherwise decent person into mischief.
==Overview==
The phrase has a long history in literature, and was popularized (and perhaps coined) by Edgar Allan Poe in his short story, "The Imp of the Perverse".
:We have a task before us which must be speedily performed. We know that it will be ruinous to make delay. The most important crisis of our life calls, trumpet-tongued, for immediate energy and action. ... It must, it shall be undertaken to-day, and yet we put it off until to-morrow, and why? There is no answer, except that we feel ''perverse'', using the word with no comprehension of the principle. ... () The clock strikes, and is the knell of our welfare. At the same time, it is the chanticleer-note to the ghost that has so long overawed us. It flies—disappears—we are free. The old energy returns. We will labor ''now''. Alas, it is ''too late!''
Poe explores this impulse through several of his fictional characters, the narrators in "The Black Cat"〔Meyers, Jeffrey. ''Edgar Allan Poe: His Life and Legacy''. New York: Cooper Square Press, 1992: 58. ISBN 0-8154-1038-7〕 and in "The Tell-Tale Heart".〔Sova, Dawn B. ''Edgar Allan Poe: A to Z''. New York: Checkmark Books, 2001: 113. ISBN 0-8160-4161-X〕
抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』
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