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In lines 66-77 from "The Pit and the Pendulum," the narrator regains consciousness after having fainted. How does this account help create tension...

Initially, the narrator recalls his experience and informs us that he has been sentenced to death. He recalls the grotesque forms of his judges. Before he passes out, he is so distraught that he suggests death might be a better alternative than what awaits him. So, this already establishes a rising suspense about what will happen to him: 


And then there stole into my fancy, like a rich musical note, the thought of what sweet...

Initially, the narrator recalls his experience and informs us that he has been sentenced to death. He recalls the grotesque forms of his judges. Before he passes out, he is so distraught that he suggests death might be a better alternative than what awaits him. So, this already establishes a rising suspense about what will happen to him: 



And then there stole into my fancy, like a rich musical note, the thought of what sweet rest there must be in the grave. 



The reader assumes that when he wakes up, his death sentence will be carried out. The reader is left to wonder about how he will be killed. When he swoons, he never completely loses consciousness. So, as he is carried down into the pit, in his half-slumbering state, he still is somewhat aware of things. He describes his descent: a "hideous dizziness oppressed me at the mere idea of the interminableness of the descent." It's as if he can feel himself descending into darkness. And when he does fully awaken, he is in complete darkness. The tension and suspense are peaked for him as well as the reader because he has no clue where he is. So, during the swoon (fainting spell) he has the horrible vague sensation of descending. And when he wakes up, he is in total darkness. He is in complete suspense at this point. He is suspended in space and time in the sense that the darkness gives him no sense of place or time. 

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