Edgar Allan Poe

The Raven/Annabel Lee/ The Fall Of The House Of Usher

Of all people I was not looking forward to Poe. I have my own somber tragedies to bear. The thought of his in conjunction was oppressive. He was a sick man, but I don't begrudge him his morbidity. Early on life doled out her disappointments. He topped them off with an inclination to souse his troubles away. The poor man was such a sot that he died from an apparent case of Wernicke's encephalopathy. (His kingdom for a multivitamin.) This information helped flesh out Poe's anguished writings.

The Raven
1. All in all a picture of mental illness. I think it would be fun to write an explanation of the Raven, a sort of prequel, to dispel the myth of his origin. Surely this is not an original thought! Certainly it has been done! (I don't supposed my professor would allow me to write such a paper in lieu of the obligatory "800-Word Cumulative Essay On Unit One"?) I digress.

2. For the first time ever, I actually enjoyed The Raven. In days of yore, I didn't want to read it but had to because it was my lot. Today, I read it because I want to. No mystery here.

3. "...vainly I had tried to borrow From my books surcease of sorrow..."
This have I lived for a number of years now, save- replace "books" with "blog"!

4. I felt that "...and followed faster" was cheating somehow. It reminded me of Theodore Giesel.

5. "Then upon the velvet sinking..."
Genius! And again in "...whose velvet violet lining... she shall press, ah, nevermore!" My new obsession to sit in said chair lingers.

Annabel Lee
1. Entirely simple and a bit trite as in "...we loved with a love that was more than love..." and the very idea that the angels killed her for their jealousy. Melodramatic to a fault, but you know I liked it!

2. "And neither the angels in heaven above,
Nor the demons down under the sea,
Can ever dissever my soul from the soul
Of the beautiful ANNABEL LEE..."

The above reminds me of Romans 8:38-39.

3. Even though it's Poe and the answer is obvious, I had to wonder if the imagery was literal or figurative in:

"...all the night tide, I lie down by the side
Of my darling-my darling-my life and my bride,
In her sepulchre there by the sea-
In her tomb by the sounding sea."

The Fall of the House of Usher (FHU)
1. After a fresh read of FHU, I wondered if Poe spoke from personal experience regarding the two references to opium use!

2. The description of the man Usher evoked images of Peter Lorre, which made me laugh at myself. Were I casting director for FHU, he would be the man for the part!

3. Usher's list of symptoms caused uncomfortable ruminations and added dimension, albeit esoteric, to his character. (Elaboration will not be entertained!)

4. A Valentine from Poe arrived at the door in the form of FHU; I am unwrapping one of its 14 chocolate-covered cordials as we speak. ("Ennuye") Ahh the argot of literati!

For the real Poe fan.

Attend Edgar's wake.
Visit Edgar's grave.