Hi Julia!
I also noted the similarities Poe’s story holds to our current situation today. It made me come to the conclusion that outbreak narratives of multiple variations essentially maintain similar characters: the ones who disregard or down play the severity of the situation. I also liked your analysis of the chimes of the clock acting as a countdown. It did not occur to me that it was countdown, however, I did think of it as a warning bell. Nevertheless, I agree with you what you have said and I want to note that at the core of both Defoe and Poe’s work there is a sense of chaos that underlines their outbreak narratives as well as ours.