Edgar Allan Poe

[AnyaKimlin]

I saw these at the used bookstore this morning:
THE TELL-TALE HEART by Julian Symons, a biography of Edgar Allan Poe, $5.
THE RETURN TO THE HOUSE OF USHER by Robert Poe, who claims to be a descendant of Poe via tryst, $3.75.
Anyone know whether these are worth having and whether the price is right?

Both are good, but my maiden name was Usher so. GRR!! Poe. Aside from that yes they are worth having. The price I have no idea about being in the UK.

 

[dask]

Okay, thanks. If they're still there next week I'll pick 'em up. Oh, you should hyphenate your name to keep Usher. It'll keep your husband in line!

 

[AnyaKimlin]

LOL I'm saving it for when I write my horror story My Dad has three sons and five grandsons carrying on the family name isn't a priority.

 

[Extollager]

However, quite a few scholars over the years have leaned toward what was called "cooping":

Cooping - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Given Poe's political proclivities, and the fact that he did tend to make enemies easily at times, as well as some other factors, I'm inclined toward this explanation myself. If this was the case, it makes things, to me, even more tragic. But in any event, the least we can say is that the final days of Edgar Allan Poe were anything but pleasurable.....

Wow, JDW. Talk about the old weird America. I'd never heard this before. Pity I didn't get to mention it when I had my one-shot experience of teaching the American Lit course at my university!

 

[j d worthington]

I should have added (back then) that Mabbott himself opposes this view, and he is one I would tend to put some reliance on.... However, this still remains an open question (concerning Poe), and it was an established practice....

 

[kythe]

I just stumbled onto Poe a few days ago, and have since read several of his horror stories. Not my usual stuff, but I had it in the back of my mind to read Poe ever since an entire chapter was devoted to his works in "The Martian Chronicles" by Ray Bradbury. I figured if it was good enough for Bradbury, it should be good enough for me.

That is some freaky stuff there, but I find myself glued to it and keep reading story after story. Some I've read more than once, and get more out of the stories each time.

 

[Alex The G and T]

Ayup.

Enjoy.

 

[Lady of Winterfell]

Which stories in particular have you read? I have been trying to make my way through the complete collection of Poe's stories and poems, but so far the first few I've read haven't impressed me all that much.

 

[kythe]

I started with "The Fall of the House of Usher" because I had heard of it, its a famous reference. I have found it the most difficult due to some archaic language, but its also the most in-depth and intriguing. I found myself reading it twice, and picked up more each time.

Other memorable stories included "The Tell-tale Heart" and "Black Cat" - both of which have the same basic plot. It's "I committed a terrible crime on a completely innocent being, and I'm not sorry. I only wish bad things didn't happen to me as a result". It's an unusual perspective, and I found myself hooked on Poe.

I've also read:
The Pit and the Pendulum
The Cask of Amontillado
The Raven
The Masque of Red Death
Hop Frog
The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar

They all have different themes, but they are all intriguing in their own ways.

 

[Extollager]

You could try "A Tale of the Ragged Mountains," "William Wilson," "The Descent into the Maelström" and, then, his novel, The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym. It's a long time since I read the novel, but I could say that I personally like these short stories more than some of his better-known ones.

 

[Randy M.]

I'd second "William Wilson." Besides that one, favorites include "The Purloined Letter" and "The Mysteries of the Rue Morgue," and "The Tell-Tale Heart" (if might have to be of a certain age to understand this, but whenever I read it I find myself thinking of Peter Lorre as the perfect voice for the narrator). But the one story by Poe I find truly indispensable is "The Fall of the House of Usher," one of the great Gothic stories.

Randy M.

 

[Lady of Winterfell]

I think I may have to read the Poe stories out of order then. From the beginning of the book, I have read The Unparalleled Adventure of One Hans Pfaall, The Gold Bug, The Murders in the Rue Morgue, The Mystery of Marie Roget, and The Balloon Hoax. The only one of which I really enjoyed was The Murder in the Rue Morgue.


I read The Raven and The Tell Tale Heart many years ago in school, and remember loving them...hence the reason I decided to pick up this edition with all Poe's stories. Thanks for the recommendations!

 

[kythe]

I just finished "The Murders in Rue Morgue". Even though it seems popular here, it was actually my least favorite. I'm glad I didn't read it first.

It definately seems like a precursor to the later Sherlock Holmes. But I found the story too unbelievable for something trying for realism (basically no supernatural or horror aspects). Plus, I found myself feeling sorry for the abused orangutan.

I'm not sure if I want to pursue Poe's detective stories. I think I prefer his horror.

 

[j d worthington]

I think I may have to read the Poe stories out of order then. From the beginning of the book, I have read The Unparalleled Adventure of One Hans Pfaall, The Gold Bug, The Murders in the Rue Morgue, The Mystery of Marie Roget, and The Balloon Hoax. The only one of which I really enjoyed was The Murder in the Rue Morgue.


I read The Raven and The Tell Tale Heart many years ago in school, and remember loving them...hence the reason I decided to pick up this edition with all Poe's stories. Thanks for the recommendations!

Lady: Here's a chronological listing of Poe's tales (keeping in mind that revised versions -- sometimes heavily revised -- may be seen as entirely new stories in some cases):

Edgar Allan Poe Society of Baltimore - Works - Tales - Chronological List

I would definitely include "Usher", "Ligeia", "MS. Found in a Bottle", "Silence: A Fable", "Shadow: A Parable", "The Masque of the Red Death", "The Tell-Tale Heart", "The Black Cat", "The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar", and perhaps "The Man of the Crowd" and "The Cask of Amontillado" as among his best horror/terror short works (though the latter two, and even "The Tell-Tale Heart" and "The Black Cat" are really more allied to crime stories than genuine horror/weird tales). "The Pit and the Pendulum" is entirely an essay in suspense, with horrific elements.

The Narrative of A. Gordon Pym, of Nantucket... an interesting book, but I don't think it holds up as well upon rereading -- as a whole, that is; neither, apparently, did Poe.

Also, some of his "sketches" are quite good....

I'm not sure if I want to pursue Poe's detective stories. I think I prefer his horror.

The two are very closely allied... in fact, one could say that the mystery/detective tale emerged from the older horror tale, or the gothic, as did science fiction.

By the way... have you ever read Lovecraft's chapter on Poe in his "Supernatural Horror in Literature"? If not, you might find it of considerable interest, given Lovecraft's intense admiration for Poe. (He also contributed at least two worthy notes to Poe scholarship: defining the theme of "Usher", and the identity of "the boreal pole", as noted by Poe scholar T. O. Mabbott.)

 

[Lady of Winterfell]

Thanks JD, I appreciate the post! Now I'm looking forward to reading some more Poe.

 

[Fried Egg]

I recently re-read "The Pit and the Pendulum" and found myself on this occasion being somewhat disappointed by the ending:

Spoiler

The protagonist being rescued in the nick of time right before the his final termination.

 

[BAYLOR]

I recently re-read "The Pit and the Pendulum" and found myself on this occasion being somewhat disappointed by the ending:

Spoiler

The protagonist being rescued in the nick of time right before the his final termination.

It's still a pretty effective story

 

[J Riff]

Just noticed a movie 'Extraordinary Tales' - animated versions of a half-dozen EAP stories. Anyone familiar with this?

 

[BAYLOR]

I recently re-read "The Pit and the Pendulum" and found myself on this occasion being somewhat disappointed by the ending:

Spoiler

The protagonist being rescued in the nick of time right before the his final termination.

I read this one long ago. great story. I also like the film adaptation of it with Vincent Price.

 

[Extollager]

Activating this thread.

Anyone read some Poe lately? Or anything about Poe?