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Shadow: A Parable
YE who read are still among the living; but I who write shall have long since gone my way into the region of shadows. For indeed strange things shall happen, and secret things be known, and many centuries shall pass away, ere these memorials be seen of men. And, when seen, there will be some to disbelieve, and some to doubt, and yet a few who will find much to ponder upon in the characters here graven with a stylus of iron.
Edgar Allan Poe, (born January 19, 1809, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.--died October 7, 1849, Baltimore, Maryland), American short-story writer, poet, critic, and editor who is famous for his cultivation of mystery and the macabre. His tale "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" (1841) initiated the modern detective story, and the atmosphere in his tales of horror is unrivaled in American fiction. His "The Raven" (1845) numbers among the best-known poems in the national literature.
Poe was the son of the English-born actress Elizabeth Arnold Poe and David Poe, Jr., an actor from Baltimore. After his mother died in Richmond, Virginia, in 1811, he was taken into the home of John Allan, a Richmond merchant (presumably his godfather), and of his childless wife. He was later taken to Scotland and England (1815-20), where he was given a classical education that was continued in Richmond. For 11 months in 1826 he attended the University of Virginia, but his gambling losses at the university so incensed his guardian that he refused to let him continue, and Poe returned to Richmond to find his sweetheart, (Sarah) Elmira Royster, engaged. He went to Boston, where in 1827 he published a pamphlet of youthful Byronic poems, Tamerlane, and Other Poems. Poverty forced him to join the army under the name of Edgar A. Perry, but, on the death of Poe's foster mother, John Allan purchased his release from the army and helped him get an appointment to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Before going, Poe published a new volume at Baltimore, Al Aaraaf, Tamerlane, and Minor Poems (1829). He successfully sought expulsion from the academy, where he was absent from all drills and classes for a week. He proceeded to New York City and brought out a volume of Poems, containing several masterpieces, some showing the influence of John Keats, Percy Bysshe Shelley, and Samuel Taylor Coleridge. He then returned to Baltimore, where he began to write stories. In 1833 his "MS. Found in a Bottle" won $50 from a Baltimore weekly, and by 1835 he was in Richmond as editor of the Southern Literary Messenger. There he made a name as a critical reviewer and married his young cousin Virginia Clemm, who was only 13. Poe seems to have been an affectionate husband and son-in-law.
Edgar Allan Poe, (born January 19, 1809, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.--died October 7, 1849, Baltimore, Maryland), American short-story writer, poet, critic, and editor who is famous for his cultivation of mystery and the macabre. His tale "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" (1841) initiated the modern detective story, and the atmosphere in his tales of horror is unrivaled in American fiction. His "The Raven" (1845) numbers among the best-known poems in the national literature.
Poe was the son of the English-born actress Elizabeth Arnold Poe and David Poe, Jr., an actor from Baltimore. After his mother died in Richmond, Virginia, in 1811, he was taken into the home of John Allan, a Richmond merchant (presumably his godfather), and of his childless wife. He was later taken to Scotland and England (1815-20), where he was given a classical education that was continued in Richmond. For 11 months in 1826 he attended the University of Virginia, but his gambling losses at the university so incensed his guardian that he refused to let him continue, and Poe returned to Richmond to find his sweetheart, (Sarah) Elmira Royster, engaged. He went to Boston, where in 1827 he published a pamphlet of youthful Byronic poems, Tamerlane, and Other Poems. Poverty forced him to join the army under the name of Edgar A. Perry, but, on the death of Poe's foster mother, John Allan purchased his release from the army and helped him get an appointment to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Before going, Poe published a new volume at Baltimore, Al Aaraaf, Tamerlane, and Minor Poems (1829). He successfully sought expulsion from the academy, where he was absent from all drills and classes for a week. He proceeded to New York City and brought out a volume of Poems, containing several masterpieces, some showing the influence of John Keats, Percy Bysshe Shelley, and Samuel Taylor Coleridge. He then returned to Baltimore, where he began to write stories. In 1833 his "MS. Found in a Bottle" won $50 from a Baltimore weekly, and by 1835 he was in Richmond as editor of the Southern Literary Messenger. There he made a name as a critical reviewer and married his young cousin Virginia Clemm, who was only 13. Poe seems to have been an affectionate husband and son-in-law.
First published January 1, 1835
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About the author
Edgar Allan Poe
10.4kbooks27.6kfollowersThe name Poe brings to mind images of murderers and madmen, premature burials, and mysterious women who return from the dead. His works have been in print since 1827 and include such literary classics as The Tell-Tale Heart, The Raven, and The Fall of the House of Usher. This versatile writer’s oeuvre includes short stories, poetry, a novel, a textbook, a book of scientific theory, and hundreds of essays and book reviews. He is widely acknowledged as the inventor of the modern detective story and an innovator in the science fiction genre, but he made his living as America’s first great literary critic and theoretician. Poe’s reputation today rests primarily on his tales of terror as well as on his haunting lyric poetry.
Just as the bizarre characters in Poe’s stories have captured the public imagination so too has Poe himself. He is seen as a morbid, mysterious figure lurking in the shadows of moonlit cemeteries or crumbling castles. This is the Poe of legend. But much of what we know about Poe is wrong, the product of a biography written by one of his enemies in an attempt to defame the author’s name.
The real Poe was born to traveling actors in Boston on January 19, 1809. Edgar was the second of three children. His other brother William Henry Leonard Poe would also become a poet before his early death, and Poe’s sister Rosalie Poe would grow up to teach penmanship at a Richmond girls� school. Within three years of Poe’s birth both of his parents had died, and he was taken in by the wealthy tobacco merchant John Allan and his wife Frances Valentine Allan in Richmond, Virginia while Poe’s siblings went to live with other families. Mr. Allan would rear Poe to be a businessman and a Virginia gentleman, but Poe had dreams of being a writer in emulation of his childhood hero the British poet Lord Byron. Early poetic verses found written in a young Poe’s handwriting on the backs of Allan’s ledger sheets reveal how little interest Poe had in the tobacco business.
For more information, please see
Just as the bizarre characters in Poe’s stories have captured the public imagination so too has Poe himself. He is seen as a morbid, mysterious figure lurking in the shadows of moonlit cemeteries or crumbling castles. This is the Poe of legend. But much of what we know about Poe is wrong, the product of a biography written by one of his enemies in an attempt to defame the author’s name.
The real Poe was born to traveling actors in Boston on January 19, 1809. Edgar was the second of three children. His other brother William Henry Leonard Poe would also become a poet before his early death, and Poe’s sister Rosalie Poe would grow up to teach penmanship at a Richmond girls� school. Within three years of Poe’s birth both of his parents had died, and he was taken in by the wealthy tobacco merchant John Allan and his wife Frances Valentine Allan in Richmond, Virginia while Poe’s siblings went to live with other families. Mr. Allan would rear Poe to be a businessman and a Virginia gentleman, but Poe had dreams of being a writer in emulation of his childhood hero the British poet Lord Byron. Early poetic verses found written in a young Poe’s handwriting on the backs of Allan’s ledger sheets reveal how little interest Poe had in the tobacco business.
For more information, please see
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 128 reviews
October 20, 2020
3.5 stars. A story of a dinner party with an uninvited presence. It gets quite creepy with the last few sentences!
October 20, 2020
3.5 stars. A story of a dinner party with an uninvited presence. It gets quite creepy with the last few sentences!
January 16, 2022
Parábola de Poe sobre la muerte, representada en forma de sombra que aparece cuando hay algún muerto.
"Yo soy SOMBRA, y mi morada está al lado de las catacumbas de Ptolemáis, y cerca de las oscuras planicies de Clíseo, que bordean el impuro canal de Caronte".
-----------------------------
Poe's parable about death, represented in the form of a shadow that appears when someone is dead.
"I am SHADOW, and my dwelling is near to the catacombs of Ptolemais, and hard by those dim plains of Helusion which border upon the foul Charonian canal".
"Yo soy SOMBRA, y mi morada está al lado de las catacumbas de Ptolemáis, y cerca de las oscuras planicies de Clíseo, que bordean el impuro canal de Caronte".
-----------------------------
Poe's parable about death, represented in the form of a shadow that appears when someone is dead.
"I am SHADOW, and my dwelling is near to the catacombs of Ptolemais, and hard by those dim plains of Helusion which border upon the foul Charonian canal".
July 24, 2019
Oinos and some friends have a feast when a shadow falls over the scene. What is is about and what makes its appeareance so terrible? Classic Poe tale set in a classic age. It's about the plague and the loss of a friend. A bit short but eerie at the end. Good atmosphere and twist. Recommended!
November 25, 2023
- القصة تجري في زمان قديم (794 ميلادي) في مكان ما في مصر على ما يبدو، يصف ادغار الغرفة التي يجتمع فيها سبعة أشخاص الى جانب ميت قد قضى بالطاعون، وبذلك يكون السبعة في إنتظار موتهم (على الأرجح). الظل الذي يظهر في النهاية يحدثهم بصوت اصدقائهم الذين قضوا، وبذلك يكون طيفاً او مجموعة أطياف مضت، او يكون مقدمة لنهاية السبعة وبدء اقترابهم من العالم الآخر.
- الرقم سبعة يعني التمام، وتمام حياتهم هي بإنتهائها والعبور الى الجهة الثانية.
- القصة تحمل بعض الإيحالات الى الكتاب المقدس
- الرقم سبعة يعني التمام، وتمام حياتهم هي بإنتهائها والعبور الى الجهة الثانية.
- القصة تحمل بعض الإيحالات الى الكتاب المقدس
December 27, 2022
I've been enjoyed reading Poe's short stories. Sometimes I read my favorites and sometimes I try something new. This go round I read "Shadow: A Parable," which is one of his early stories. It feels like his trial version of "The Masque of the Red Death." In Ancient Mediterranean, Oinos (the narrator) talks about how a plague has descended upon the land. He and six friends decide to hide in hopes of escaping death. While everyone outside of their locked room dies horrifically, the men sit in gloomy surroundings as they contemplate their own mortality. The friends drink and attempt to make merry at the funeral of their friend, Zoilus, who is laid out on the table in front of them. Their forced laughter and merriment fades as they realize that there is another shadowy figure in the room with them. When Oinos asks for the shadow's name, his voice - the voices of all of those who died outside - claims to be Death and the men realize that they will never escape their mortality.
Poe's work feeds on the fear of mortality and the darkness that hides our fate. Shadow is a faceless, formless shape that emanates from their dead friend. They have shut themselves off from the rest of their community in hopes of saving themselves, selfishly trying to hide from the truth. While others suffer, these men are cowards and they deserve their final minutes to be filled with fear. I love "The Masque of the Red Death." It is indeed the superior work, but "Shadow: A Parable" is a very close second.
Poe's work feeds on the fear of mortality and the darkness that hides our fate. Shadow is a faceless, formless shape that emanates from their dead friend. They have shut themselves off from the rest of their community in hopes of saving themselves, selfishly trying to hide from the truth. While others suffer, these men are cowards and they deserve their final minutes to be filled with fear. I love "The Masque of the Red Death." It is indeed the superior work, but "Shadow: A Parable" is a very close second.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 27, 2022
Short and dark, great imagery.
June 13, 2021
This was a rather intriguing story.
December 16, 2015
Nici n-am apucat să mă acomodez cu introducerea că am rămas surprins de ideea mistico-filosofică din final.
January 31, 2017
When I started reading this book I knew it was going to be a favorite. I had a great time reading the introduction which was :
"YE who read are still among the living; but I who write shall have long since gone my way into the region of shadows. For indeed strange things shall happen, and secret things be known, and many centuries shall pass away, ere these memorials be seen of men. And, when seen, there will be some to disbelieve, and some to doubt, and yet a few who will find much to ponder upon in the characters here graven with a stylus of iron."
How can someone not fall in love after reading the beginning of Poe's magical words?
I've read poetry between the lines, and that is why I've become more addicted to Edgar Allan Poe.
"YE who read are still among the living; but I who write shall have long since gone my way into the region of shadows. For indeed strange things shall happen, and secret things be known, and many centuries shall pass away, ere these memorials be seen of men. And, when seen, there will be some to disbelieve, and some to doubt, and yet a few who will find much to ponder upon in the characters here graven with a stylus of iron."
How can someone not fall in love after reading the beginning of Poe's magical words?
I've read poetry between the lines, and that is why I've become more addicted to Edgar Allan Poe.
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December 16, 2017Oh my dear Poe, how much you can do in a mere handful of words!
November 3, 2022
خوابیدن بر پشتِ شبها� ماهْ کفل مادیان.
March 29, 2025
Read it free here:
Read as part of the EAP Short Story Marathon with the Horror or Heaven folks here: /topic/show/...
Seven guys are sitting around in a peopleless town, depressed and drinking good wine. I'm assuming it's good, because it's from Chios and the narrator calls himself Oinos, which means Wine in Greek. Must be premium stuff, Elon Musk quality. Anyway, they're sitting around, depressed and heavy limbed, and as they party hardy, their reflections in the mirror show them as pallid and lifeless. In the corner of the room is the shrouded body of a guy called Zoilus, dead from the plague. A strange shadow comes in from the window and lands at Zoilus' feet. So the seven drunk dudes, led by Oinos, demanded to know who the shadow was, who tells them loudly that he is SHADOW in all caps, which much be very important.
I'm assuming the partiers shit their pants at this point, when they realized that SHADOW was not playing around and had come from some deathly realm, especially since its voice contained the voices of many of the dearly departed.
THE END.
And, EAP can write some fun short stories. No drinking after hours with this guy.
Read as part of the EAP Short Story Marathon with the Horror or Heaven folks here: /topic/show/...
Seven guys are sitting around in a peopleless town, depressed and drinking good wine. I'm assuming it's good, because it's from Chios and the narrator calls himself Oinos, which means Wine in Greek. Must be premium stuff, Elon Musk quality. Anyway, they're sitting around, depressed and heavy limbed, and as they party hardy, their reflections in the mirror show them as pallid and lifeless. In the corner of the room is the shrouded body of a guy called Zoilus, dead from the plague. A strange shadow comes in from the window and lands at Zoilus' feet. So the seven drunk dudes, led by Oinos, demanded to know who the shadow was, who tells them loudly that he is SHADOW in all caps, which much be very important.
I'm assuming the partiers shit their pants at this point, when they realized that SHADOW was not playing around and had come from some deathly realm, especially since its voice contained the voices of many of the dearly departed.
THE END.
And, EAP can write some fun short stories. No drinking after hours with this guy.
March 2, 2024
Neka sjena im se ukazala na večeri... Prekratko da bi se stvorio pravi doživljaj.
December 19, 2020
Shadow is a story that had me dubious for a while but ended in such a way that my doubts were easily pushed aside. It is one of Poe’s stories that packs a punch at the end, ensuring it will linger long after finishing. I would not label it one of my favourites, but it is certainly worth the read.
All in all, another addictive read from Poe.
All in all, another addictive read from Poe.
October 7, 2017
Read as part of my October-Halloween Readathon. The part I liked the most was the introduction: "YE who read are still among the living; but I who write shall have long since gone my way into the region of shadows. For indeed strange things shall happen, and secret things be known, and many centuries shall pass away, ere these memorials be seen of men. And, when seen, there will be some to disbelieve, and some to doubt, and yet a few who will find much to ponder upon in the characters here graven with a stylus of iron.
The year had been a year of terror, and of feelings more intense than terror for which there is no name upon the earth."
The year had been a year of terror, and of feelings more intense than terror for which there is no name upon the earth."
December 14, 2015
Me parece increíble lo mágica y transcendental, que pueden lograr ser simples palabras en un texto de tres hojas, dando la capacidad de trasladarte a una generación plenamente lejana y un ligero aroma de muerte en la cabeza. Edgar Allan Poe y su increíble talento va mas allá de lo que puedo entender. Sin mas que decir, es etérea su lectura.
June 24, 2018
An extremely short story that captures the magic and dread best seen in his poetry, most notably that of Annabel Lee and The Raven.
October 9, 2020
En muy pocas páginas, esta alegoría sobre la muerte, narrada por una especie de voz alucinada y nebulosa me remitió por alguna razón a "Las ruinas circulares" de Jorge Luis Borges.
December 16, 2021
he's not only a writer, he's a painter. he paints the terror with his spooky yet clever words and creeps up on you in no time.
January 9, 2021
Shadow - A Parable
Edgar Allan Poe
A very very short story, where death loooooooms over everyone including its reader 3:)
It is creepy and dark but it is old Poe not his trying to be funny shorts that I have been reading the last couple of issues.
Edgar Allan Poe
A very very short story, where death loooooooms over everyone including its reader 3:)
It is creepy and dark but it is old Poe not his trying to be funny shorts that I have been reading the last couple of issues.
August 14, 2022
حكاية جديدة بعنوان الظل ضمن مجموعه القط الاسود وحكايات اخري
يجتمع ٧ اشخاص مع جسم اخر ميت جراء الطاعون ليبدا ف الظهور ظل ليجيبهم باصوات جمهور وليس شخص واحد وهم اصدقاؤهم الذين ماتو
يجتمع ٧ اشخاص مع جسم اخر ميت جراء الطاعون ليبدا ف الظهور ظل ليجيبهم باصوات جمهور وليس شخص واحد وهم اصدقاؤهم الذين ماتو
December 24, 2024
Chłop opisał typowy piątkowy wieczór.
April 8, 2020
Las llamas de las siete lámparas de bronce que daban luz a nuestra orgía. Prolongándose en delgados filos luminosos, permanecían así, y pálidas e inmóviles ardían. Y en la redonda mesa de ébano, en torno a la cual nos hallábamos, y a la que el resplandor convertía en espejo, contempla cada uno de los invitados la palidez de su propia fisionomía y el fulgor inquieto de los sombríos ojos de sus camaradas.
Aunque es un cuento bastante corto, la representación que hace de la muerte es genial.
Aunque es un cuento bastante corto, la representación que hace de la muerte es genial.
August 19, 2014
"There were things around us and about of which I can render no distinct account-- things material and spiritual-- heaviness in the atmosphere-- a sense of suffocation-- anxiety-- and, above all, that terrible state of existence which the nerves experience when the senses are keenly living and awake, and meanwhile the powers of thought lie dormant."
Brevity And Poe.
Brevity And Poe.
June 10, 2016
"Вие, които четете, ще сте все още сред живите..."
Прекрасно "безсюжетно есе", поне както са го определили специалистите. Адмирации към Борис Дамянов за изключителния превод, който носи блажено удоволствие. Разказ-песен, разказ-ужас, разказ-трагедия. Простичък в идеята си, невероятно красив в изпълнението си.
Прекрасно "безсюжетно есе", поне както са го определили специалистите. Адмирации към Борис Дамянов за изключителния превод, който носи блажено удоволствие. Разказ-песен, разказ-ужас, разказ-трагедия. Простичък в идеята си, невероятно красив в изпълнението си.
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August 25, 2021you can clearly see the groundwork for my personal favorite poe story, the masque of the red death, in this even shorter story about the inevitability of death. the contrast between reflection, or being forced to confront one's metaphysical form, and the physically ambiguous shadow, bringer of death, was a potent one.
July 18, 2010
A very short...story?...about a group of men who face death. I suspect the point of this blew past me.
March 12, 2014
Poe is always creepy, but this time was really disturbing... This short-short story is great and now its wandering in my mind like a shadow...
December 15, 2017
If you want to read a very short story - (3 pages), that fills you with a gradually increasing feeling of dread, read this!
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