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袦懈褋褌懈褔械褋泻懈械 褉邪褋褋泻邪蟹褘
协写谐邪褉 袗谢谢邪薪 袩芯 鈥� 邪屑械褉懈泻邪薪褋泻懈泄 锌懈褋邪褌械谢褜-褉芯屑邪薪褌懈泻, 泻褉懈褌懈泻 懈 锌芯褝褌, 锌芯谢芯卸懈胁褕懈泄 薪邪褔邪谢芯 褋芯胁褉械屑械薪薪芯屑褍 写械褌械泻褌懈胁褍 懈 卸邪薪褉褍 锌褋懈褏芯谢芯谐懈褔械褋泻芯泄 锌褉芯蟹褘.
袙 褋斜芯褉薪懈泻 胁芯褕谢懈 褌邪懈薪褋褌胁械薪薪褘械 薪芯胁械谢谢褘 芦袪褍泻芯锌懈褋褜, 薪邪泄写械薪薪邪褟 胁 斜褍褌褘谢泻械禄, 芦袟芯谢芯褌芯泄 卸褍泻禄, 芦袥懈谐械泄褟禄, 褌褉邪谐懈褔械褋泻邪褟 懈褋褌芯褉懈褟 协褕械褉芯胁邪 写芯屑邪, 蟹邪谐邪写芯褔薪褘械 褍斜懈泄褋褌胁邪 薪邪 褍谢懈褑械 袦芯褉谐 懈 屑薪芯谐懈械 写褉褍谐懈械 袦懈褋褌懈褔械褋泻懈械 褉邪褋褋泻邪蟹褘, 芯褌泻褉褘胁邪褞褖懈械 锌褉懈褉芯写褍 褍卸邪褋邪 懈 褋褌褉邪褏邪.
袙 褋斜芯褉薪懈泻 胁芯褕谢懈 褌邪懈薪褋褌胁械薪薪褘械 薪芯胁械谢谢褘 芦袪褍泻芯锌懈褋褜, 薪邪泄写械薪薪邪褟 胁 斜褍褌褘谢泻械禄, 芦袟芯谢芯褌芯泄 卸褍泻禄, 芦袥懈谐械泄褟禄, 褌褉邪谐懈褔械褋泻邪褟 懈褋褌芯褉懈褟 协褕械褉芯胁邪 写芯屑邪, 蟹邪谐邪写芯褔薪褘械 褍斜懈泄褋褌胁邪 薪邪 褍谢懈褑械 袦芯褉谐 懈 屑薪芯谐懈械 写褉褍谐懈械 袦懈褋褌懈褔械褋泻懈械 褉邪褋褋泻邪蟹褘, 芯褌泻褉褘胁邪褞褖懈械 锌褉懈褉芯写褍 褍卸邪褋邪 懈 褋褌褉邪褏邪.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1842
1416 people are currently reading
15744 people want to read
About the author
Edgar Allan Poe
10.7k听books27.8k听followersThe 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鈥檚 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鈥檚 first great literary critic and theoretician. Poe鈥檚 reputation today rests primarily on his tales of terror as well as on his haunting lyric poetry.
Just as the bizarre characters in Poe鈥檚 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鈥檚 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鈥檚 sister Rosalie Poe would grow up to teach penmanship at a Richmond girls鈥� school. Within three years of Poe鈥檚 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鈥檚 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鈥檚 handwriting on the backs of Allan鈥檚 ledger sheets reveal how little interest Poe had in the tobacco business.
For more information, please see
Just as the bizarre characters in Poe鈥檚 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鈥檚 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鈥檚 sister Rosalie Poe would grow up to teach penmanship at a Richmond girls鈥� school. Within three years of Poe鈥檚 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鈥檚 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鈥檚 handwriting on the backs of Allan鈥檚 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 676 reviews
May 31, 2017
It's unfair to just burying Poe in the "Horror" tomb, with a Raven & a Black Cat..
Reading this volume I really see how HUGE his imagination was, how it was ahead of his times.
From traveling over the ocean by a air transportation... or to the moon..
Or inventing the first Detective story ever..
Or his delving into the matter, death, soul, mind and even God and free well by hypothesis.
Or of course, the delving into the man's Conscience, guilt and self-destruction..
There's even kind of Romance, Fantasy, adventure, treasure hunt, code breaking, satire...
He inspired and with crime novels,
And inspired ,then and even recently with his science fiction stories,
And so more... just by his wild imagination..
So the five stars here are for his originality and innovations in stories..
Which is not just little Horror Stories..
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Personal Note:
----------
In order to enjoy his stories, I read first the Arabic -complete, unbridged- translation of it... then reviewing and fast readin it in its original forum, since Poe use a bit hard language for me and he's got a way in 'digression' sometimes and complex sentences.
So I skipped few stories here till I have the translation of it-and even enjoyed some stories that aren't in this edition-, so I'll be back to this book again soon.
Mohammed Arabey
From 20 April 2017
To 6 May 2017
Reading this volume I really see how HUGE his imagination was, how it was ahead of his times.
From traveling over the ocean by a air transportation... or to the moon..
Or inventing the first Detective story ever..
Or his delving into the matter, death, soul, mind and even God and free well by hypothesis.
Or of course, the delving into the man's Conscience, guilt and self-destruction..
There's even kind of Romance, Fantasy, adventure, treasure hunt, code breaking, satire...
He inspired and with crime novels,
And inspired ,then and even recently with his science fiction stories,
And so more... just by his wild imagination..
So the five stars here are for his originality and innovations in stories..
Which is not just little Horror Stories..
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Personal Note:
----------
In order to enjoy his stories, I read first the Arabic -complete, unbridged- translation of it... then reviewing and fast readin it in its original forum, since Poe use a bit hard language for me and he's got a way in 'digression' sometimes and complex sentences.
So I skipped few stories here till I have the translation of it-and even enjoyed some stories that aren't in this edition-, so I'll be back to this book again soon.
Mohammed Arabey
From 20 April 2017
To 6 May 2017
January 18, 2025
The tales of Edgar Allan Poe never fail to amaze and mystify, to horrify and delight. I own many collections of Poe鈥檚 stories, and each one helps me to see something new in the work of a great author whose stories I have read many, many times. This collection comes from the Everyman Library of the J.M. Dent publishing company of London, and bears the straightforward title of Tales of Mystery and Imagination.
A chronology of Poe鈥檚 times is followed by a helpful introduction in which editor Graham Clarke of the University of Kent remarks that 鈥淓dgar Allan Poe remains an endlessly elusive and problematic writer鈥� (p. xxi) 鈥� an assessment with which most students of Poe鈥檚 work would no doubt agree. Afterward, we are off into the tales 鈥� and I found that the way editor Graham arranged the tales contributes much to the success of this volume.
For instance, Poe鈥檚 often-overlooked story 鈥淢orella鈥� chronicles the life, death, and (perhaps) after-life of a woman named Morella. Morella, who knows that childbirth is going to kill her, tells her un-loving husband, the story鈥檚 narrator, that he will love their daughter (also to be named Morella) as he never loved her. The narrator records that after the death of the mother Morella, the daughter Morella 鈥済rew strangely in stature and intellect, and was the perfect resemblance of her who had departed, and I loved her with a love more fervent than I had believed it possible to feel for any denizen of Earth鈥� (p. 200).
The regular reader of Poe鈥檚 work will not be surprised to hear that things do not end well for the narrator of 鈥淢orella.鈥� Yet what I found artful in arrangement, in this edition of Poe鈥檚 Tales of Mystery and Imagination, was the way editor Clarke placed 鈥淢orella鈥� alongside other Poe tales of an ill-fated love, all of which bear, as their title, a woman鈥檚 first name: 鈥淟igeia,鈥� 鈥淓leonora,鈥� 鈥淏erenice.鈥� Such careful editorial arrangement and organization of the tales is characteristic of this entire volume.
I also appreciated how Clarke placed Poe鈥檚 three mystery tales involving the Parisian master-sleuth C. Auguste Dupin 鈥� 鈥淭he Murders in the Rue Morgue,鈥� 鈥淭he Mystery of Marie Rog锚t,鈥� and 鈥淭he Purloined Letter鈥� 鈥� one after another, in the order in which they were published. This arrangement helps the reader to see the development of Poe鈥檚 ideas of 鈥渞atiocination,鈥� the practice of imaginative identification through which Dupin solves three different mysteries. 鈥淭he Purloined Letter鈥� is particularly clear about how Dupin鈥檚 theory of ratiocination rejects the strictly rational and employs elements of the intuitive; as Dupin鈥檚 friend, the unnamed narrator of the stories, remarks, 鈥淚t is merely鈥n identification of the reasoner鈥檚 intellect with that of his opponent鈥� (p. 503).
The harm that editor Rufus Griswold did in publishing his scabrous obituary of Poe, after the author鈥檚 premature death at age 40 in 1849, endures, as many readers to this day think of Poe as a demonic and death-obsessed uber-Goth. In fact, Poe鈥檚 tales of aberrant psychology always involve an element of moral choice, as when the unnamed narrator of 鈥淭he Premature Burial鈥� explains at length his morbid fear of being buried alive, and then explains how a traumatic life event helped him to achieve a sort of breakthrough:
鈥O]ut of Evil proceeded Good鈥�.My soul acquired tone 鈥� acquired temper. I went abroad. I took vigorous exercise. I breathed the free air of Heaven. I thought upon other subjects than Death. I discarded my medical books鈥�.I read鈥o fustian about churchyards 鈥� no bugaboo tales 鈥� such as this. In short I became a new man, and lived a man鈥檚 life. (p. 301)
These are not the words of a man who celebrates unhealthy psychological states; they represent the thinking of an author who recognizes that such states of mind exist and affect people鈥檚 lives.
In his introduction to these tales, editor Clarke reminds the reader that 鈥渨e would do well to remember that Poe is the interminable hoaxer, and that, while he wrote some wonderful short stories, he also told some excessively tall tales鈥� (p. xxvii). Clarke鈥檚 words of warning certainly apply in the case of 鈥淭he Balloon Hoax.鈥� Poe鈥檚 completely fictional account of a balloon voyage across the Atlantic was presented as a serious news story, and was accepted as fact by many readers before the truth of the story鈥檚 falsity became generally known.
This early example of 鈥渇ake news鈥� benefited from the verisimilitude with Poe set forth authentic sounding details about the non-existent balloon that supposedly made this epic voyage: 鈥淔rom the end of the axis which is next the car, proceeds a shaft of steel, connecting the screw with the pinion of a piece of spring machinery fixed in the car. By the operation of this spring, the screw is made to revolve with great rapidity, communicating a progressive motion to the whole鈥� (p. 400). In his meticulous description of technology that does not exist yet, Poe looks ahead to the science-fiction genre of which he was, with Mary Shelley and Jules Verne, among the founding authors.
On this reading of the tales of Poe, I also found myself focusing on 鈥淭he Gold Bug.鈥� Typically, when reading this story, I would focus on its Southern setting in antebellum South Carolina, or on its possible connections to Poe鈥檚 early life (as a young soldier, he was stationed at Fort Moultrie, on coastal Sullivan鈥檚 Island where the story is set). This time however, I found myself focusing much more on the story鈥檚 codebreaking elements.
The story鈥檚 protagonist, William Legrand, is a noble Southerner who has fallen into poverty through no fault of his own 鈥� much the way Poe liked to think of himself. Legrand stumbles upon a coded clue that, if deciphered accurately, might reveal the location of a vast pirate treasure. Speaking to the story鈥檚 unnamed narrator, Legrand expresses his pride in his abilities as a cryptographer, much the way Poe himself often did: 鈥淐ircumstances, and a certain bias of mind, have led me to take interest in such riddles, and it may well be doubted whether human ingenuity can construct an enigma of the kind which human ingenuity may not, by proper application, resolve鈥� (p. 99).
In the various editorial positions he held in Richmond, Philadelphia, and New York City, Poe often boasted of his abilities as a cryptographer, challenging his readers to send in coded messages and claiming never to have failed to solve one. 鈥淭he Gold Bug鈥� certainly demonstrates Poe鈥檚 interest in code-breaking; and the story鈥檚 resolution may represent a form of wish-fulfillment, with Poe perhaps fantasizing about his cryptographic abilities leading him and his family out of the poverty that characterized so much of his life.
This collection of Poe鈥檚 short stories is a favourite of mine for another reason. One of the films I like best is Fran莽ois Truffaut鈥檚 Fahrenheit 451 (1966), an adaptation of Ray Bradbury鈥檚 1953 novel about a dystopian future society where reading is illegal and firemen burn books. The film鈥檚 protagonist, a reformed fireman named Guy Montag, is asked at one point to pick out a favourite book, and without hesitation he produces a copy of Tales of Mystery and Imagination by Edgar Allan Poe 鈥� a nice nod to the way Poe inspired Bradbury, the way he has inspired so many authors of fantasy, horror, and science-fiction literature.
It was good spending time once again with my old Baltimore pal Edgar Allan Poe 鈥� and I look forward to the next time I take up another edition of his stories, and see what stands out for me then.
A chronology of Poe鈥檚 times is followed by a helpful introduction in which editor Graham Clarke of the University of Kent remarks that 鈥淓dgar Allan Poe remains an endlessly elusive and problematic writer鈥� (p. xxi) 鈥� an assessment with which most students of Poe鈥檚 work would no doubt agree. Afterward, we are off into the tales 鈥� and I found that the way editor Graham arranged the tales contributes much to the success of this volume.
For instance, Poe鈥檚 often-overlooked story 鈥淢orella鈥� chronicles the life, death, and (perhaps) after-life of a woman named Morella. Morella, who knows that childbirth is going to kill her, tells her un-loving husband, the story鈥檚 narrator, that he will love their daughter (also to be named Morella) as he never loved her. The narrator records that after the death of the mother Morella, the daughter Morella 鈥済rew strangely in stature and intellect, and was the perfect resemblance of her who had departed, and I loved her with a love more fervent than I had believed it possible to feel for any denizen of Earth鈥� (p. 200).
The regular reader of Poe鈥檚 work will not be surprised to hear that things do not end well for the narrator of 鈥淢orella.鈥� Yet what I found artful in arrangement, in this edition of Poe鈥檚 Tales of Mystery and Imagination, was the way editor Clarke placed 鈥淢orella鈥� alongside other Poe tales of an ill-fated love, all of which bear, as their title, a woman鈥檚 first name: 鈥淟igeia,鈥� 鈥淓leonora,鈥� 鈥淏erenice.鈥� Such careful editorial arrangement and organization of the tales is characteristic of this entire volume.
I also appreciated how Clarke placed Poe鈥檚 three mystery tales involving the Parisian master-sleuth C. Auguste Dupin 鈥� 鈥淭he Murders in the Rue Morgue,鈥� 鈥淭he Mystery of Marie Rog锚t,鈥� and 鈥淭he Purloined Letter鈥� 鈥� one after another, in the order in which they were published. This arrangement helps the reader to see the development of Poe鈥檚 ideas of 鈥渞atiocination,鈥� the practice of imaginative identification through which Dupin solves three different mysteries. 鈥淭he Purloined Letter鈥� is particularly clear about how Dupin鈥檚 theory of ratiocination rejects the strictly rational and employs elements of the intuitive; as Dupin鈥檚 friend, the unnamed narrator of the stories, remarks, 鈥淚t is merely鈥n identification of the reasoner鈥檚 intellect with that of his opponent鈥� (p. 503).
The harm that editor Rufus Griswold did in publishing his scabrous obituary of Poe, after the author鈥檚 premature death at age 40 in 1849, endures, as many readers to this day think of Poe as a demonic and death-obsessed uber-Goth. In fact, Poe鈥檚 tales of aberrant psychology always involve an element of moral choice, as when the unnamed narrator of 鈥淭he Premature Burial鈥� explains at length his morbid fear of being buried alive, and then explains how a traumatic life event helped him to achieve a sort of breakthrough:
鈥O]ut of Evil proceeded Good鈥�.My soul acquired tone 鈥� acquired temper. I went abroad. I took vigorous exercise. I breathed the free air of Heaven. I thought upon other subjects than Death. I discarded my medical books鈥�.I read鈥o fustian about churchyards 鈥� no bugaboo tales 鈥� such as this. In short I became a new man, and lived a man鈥檚 life. (p. 301)
These are not the words of a man who celebrates unhealthy psychological states; they represent the thinking of an author who recognizes that such states of mind exist and affect people鈥檚 lives.
In his introduction to these tales, editor Clarke reminds the reader that 鈥渨e would do well to remember that Poe is the interminable hoaxer, and that, while he wrote some wonderful short stories, he also told some excessively tall tales鈥� (p. xxvii). Clarke鈥檚 words of warning certainly apply in the case of 鈥淭he Balloon Hoax.鈥� Poe鈥檚 completely fictional account of a balloon voyage across the Atlantic was presented as a serious news story, and was accepted as fact by many readers before the truth of the story鈥檚 falsity became generally known.
This early example of 鈥渇ake news鈥� benefited from the verisimilitude with Poe set forth authentic sounding details about the non-existent balloon that supposedly made this epic voyage: 鈥淔rom the end of the axis which is next the car, proceeds a shaft of steel, connecting the screw with the pinion of a piece of spring machinery fixed in the car. By the operation of this spring, the screw is made to revolve with great rapidity, communicating a progressive motion to the whole鈥� (p. 400). In his meticulous description of technology that does not exist yet, Poe looks ahead to the science-fiction genre of which he was, with Mary Shelley and Jules Verne, among the founding authors.
On this reading of the tales of Poe, I also found myself focusing on 鈥淭he Gold Bug.鈥� Typically, when reading this story, I would focus on its Southern setting in antebellum South Carolina, or on its possible connections to Poe鈥檚 early life (as a young soldier, he was stationed at Fort Moultrie, on coastal Sullivan鈥檚 Island where the story is set). This time however, I found myself focusing much more on the story鈥檚 codebreaking elements.
The story鈥檚 protagonist, William Legrand, is a noble Southerner who has fallen into poverty through no fault of his own 鈥� much the way Poe liked to think of himself. Legrand stumbles upon a coded clue that, if deciphered accurately, might reveal the location of a vast pirate treasure. Speaking to the story鈥檚 unnamed narrator, Legrand expresses his pride in his abilities as a cryptographer, much the way Poe himself often did: 鈥淐ircumstances, and a certain bias of mind, have led me to take interest in such riddles, and it may well be doubted whether human ingenuity can construct an enigma of the kind which human ingenuity may not, by proper application, resolve鈥� (p. 99).
In the various editorial positions he held in Richmond, Philadelphia, and New York City, Poe often boasted of his abilities as a cryptographer, challenging his readers to send in coded messages and claiming never to have failed to solve one. 鈥淭he Gold Bug鈥� certainly demonstrates Poe鈥檚 interest in code-breaking; and the story鈥檚 resolution may represent a form of wish-fulfillment, with Poe perhaps fantasizing about his cryptographic abilities leading him and his family out of the poverty that characterized so much of his life.
This collection of Poe鈥檚 short stories is a favourite of mine for another reason. One of the films I like best is Fran莽ois Truffaut鈥檚 Fahrenheit 451 (1966), an adaptation of Ray Bradbury鈥檚 1953 novel about a dystopian future society where reading is illegal and firemen burn books. The film鈥檚 protagonist, a reformed fireman named Guy Montag, is asked at one point to pick out a favourite book, and without hesitation he produces a copy of Tales of Mystery and Imagination by Edgar Allan Poe 鈥� a nice nod to the way Poe inspired Bradbury, the way he has inspired so many authors of fantasy, horror, and science-fiction literature.
It was good spending time once again with my old Baltimore pal Edgar Allan Poe 鈥� and I look forward to the next time I take up another edition of his stories, and see what stands out for me then.
July 13, 2017
This will be another ongoing review, as I've been doing with collections and anthologies. Poe has always mesmerised me in terms of his influence on writers and the short story genre at large; his poetry is also both haunting and relatively accessible. This collection was given to me in hardback, 31 years ago. Its pages are now yellow and aged, but the contents within are better than I remember. If you're patient with Poe, I think you'll find he's very rewarding in return. If you rush through and don't enjoy the rhythm of the prose, I'd imagine he'd be tiresome. He's one of those writers to be savoured when you have the time rather than a page turning entertainment.
William Wilson 5* William Wilson" is all about 'the double'. Even the eponymous title is a pun of sorts: Will-I-am, and Wil-son. Through a doppelganger haunting William, Poe explores the concept of sanity. An interesting story with long sentences but little specific imagery. Psychologically chilling.
The Gold-Bug 3* A little more dated, involving a bug bite (and potential madness) and a cryptogram. Not a storyline that did much for me personally.
The Fall of the House of Usher 5* A classic Poe story. The unnamed narrator visits the crumbling gothic mansion of his friend Usher to learn of Usher's sister's death. But not all is as seems. This story is the very opposite of William Wilson in terms of style. Rather than being devoid of imagery, Poe illustrates his stylistic variation and prowess with a story of sensory imagery overload. Poe manages this detailed gothic prose to build on an especially macabre mood and atmosphere. The language aesthetics here are as powerful as the story. A gothic horror masterpiece.
The Masque of Red Death 5* Another gothic fantasy. Holed up in an aristocratic castle trying to avoid 'the Red Death'- basically the plague; a masquerade ball takes a catastrophic turn. A masked guest in blue is the Red Death personified. And although deadly, he is both more and less than he seems. Foreboding atmosphere throughout. A strong tale.
The Cask of Amontillado 4.5* Like most of Poe's stories, this haunted me long after I finished it. What atmosphere could be more chilling than a man murdering another for revenge at Carnivale time in a unnamed part of Italy? The protagonist, Montresor, somehow holds Fortunato accountable for his own decline in fortunes. Fortunato (obviously relating to fortune) is a happy, respected and an admired member of society, who has risen through the ranks, possibly with the aid of The Freemasons. He is everything Montresor once was, and he has apparently made a few derogatory comments about Montresor, although whether this is the reason for his murder, or whether the reason is an envy bordering on lunacy, is questionable. Another excellent dark story.
A Descent into the Maelstrom 3* An old-fashioned tale of a maelstrom whirlpool survivor. Only Poe takes the wonders and beauty of the vortex further. Not my personal favourite, but I'd think a few sci-fi fans would love it.
The Pit and the Pendulum 4* As a reader who enjoys dark fiction, fantasy and historical fiction, this imaginative tale of torture during the Spanish Inquisition really intrigued me. The strong aural imagery throughout takes us almost into the realm of the ghostly too. I feel as though this story had a great influence on gothic horror tales in general. While not as complicated as some other stories here, it's still a captivating narrative.
The Purloined Letter 3.5* A forerunner for short detective fiction. A letter has been stolen and there appears blackmail (and more) at hand. There are far better detective stories out there, but this is an interesting look at an early exponent of the genre.
Metzengerstein 4* A gothic tale on a hyperbolic scale. This one is devoid of subtlety and is rather heavy handed with regards to both the gothic tropes along with its overt symbolism. In this tale, Frederick, the sole living member of the Metzengerstein family line, has a long standing vendetta with the Berlifitzing clan. When a fire destroys the Berlifitzing patriarch, Frederick is suspected. Frederick, however, is obsessed with a wild horse, which has eerily gone unobserved. Metzengerstein's own home is then set alight, and with an ironic justice, the wild horse, with Frederick on it, charges into the flames. A clever case of guilt personified -or guilt hippofied...
The Murders in the Rue Morgue 3.5* Murders, balconies, and that good ol'orangutan... Detective Dupin from The Purloined Letter is back again. Once again this mystery story is not nearly as sharp as the detective stories of today. In fact, this story is laughable. I still liked it though, as I don't think I'll ever read another mystery story involving a Bornean great ape.
The Tell-tale Heart 5* One of the most famous of Poe's stories, so it doesn't require any of my clumsy commentary. Lovely way to end the collection.
This collection is worth it. It chiefly contains the best of Poe with a range of styles on display, and those few tales that aren't his best are still incredibly interesting in terms of the evolution of the short story. When on song, Poe is a gothic master, and the chilling psychology behind most of these haunting tales adds extra layers to the intrigue and uncertainty, and these layers exemplify Poe's greatest works.
William Wilson 5* William Wilson" is all about 'the double'. Even the eponymous title is a pun of sorts: Will-I-am, and Wil-son. Through a doppelganger haunting William, Poe explores the concept of sanity. An interesting story with long sentences but little specific imagery. Psychologically chilling.
The Gold-Bug 3* A little more dated, involving a bug bite (and potential madness) and a cryptogram. Not a storyline that did much for me personally.
The Fall of the House of Usher 5* A classic Poe story. The unnamed narrator visits the crumbling gothic mansion of his friend Usher to learn of Usher's sister's death. But not all is as seems. This story is the very opposite of William Wilson in terms of style. Rather than being devoid of imagery, Poe illustrates his stylistic variation and prowess with a story of sensory imagery overload. Poe manages this detailed gothic prose to build on an especially macabre mood and atmosphere. The language aesthetics here are as powerful as the story. A gothic horror masterpiece.
The Masque of Red Death 5* Another gothic fantasy. Holed up in an aristocratic castle trying to avoid 'the Red Death'- basically the plague; a masquerade ball takes a catastrophic turn. A masked guest in blue is the Red Death personified. And although deadly, he is both more and less than he seems. Foreboding atmosphere throughout. A strong tale.
The Cask of Amontillado 4.5* Like most of Poe's stories, this haunted me long after I finished it. What atmosphere could be more chilling than a man murdering another for revenge at Carnivale time in a unnamed part of Italy? The protagonist, Montresor, somehow holds Fortunato accountable for his own decline in fortunes. Fortunato (obviously relating to fortune) is a happy, respected and an admired member of society, who has risen through the ranks, possibly with the aid of The Freemasons. He is everything Montresor once was, and he has apparently made a few derogatory comments about Montresor, although whether this is the reason for his murder, or whether the reason is an envy bordering on lunacy, is questionable. Another excellent dark story.
A Descent into the Maelstrom 3* An old-fashioned tale of a maelstrom whirlpool survivor. Only Poe takes the wonders and beauty of the vortex further. Not my personal favourite, but I'd think a few sci-fi fans would love it.
The Pit and the Pendulum 4* As a reader who enjoys dark fiction, fantasy and historical fiction, this imaginative tale of torture during the Spanish Inquisition really intrigued me. The strong aural imagery throughout takes us almost into the realm of the ghostly too. I feel as though this story had a great influence on gothic horror tales in general. While not as complicated as some other stories here, it's still a captivating narrative.
The Purloined Letter 3.5* A forerunner for short detective fiction. A letter has been stolen and there appears blackmail (and more) at hand. There are far better detective stories out there, but this is an interesting look at an early exponent of the genre.
Metzengerstein 4* A gothic tale on a hyperbolic scale. This one is devoid of subtlety and is rather heavy handed with regards to both the gothic tropes along with its overt symbolism. In this tale, Frederick, the sole living member of the Metzengerstein family line, has a long standing vendetta with the Berlifitzing clan. When a fire destroys the Berlifitzing patriarch, Frederick is suspected. Frederick, however, is obsessed with a wild horse, which has eerily gone unobserved. Metzengerstein's own home is then set alight, and with an ironic justice, the wild horse, with Frederick on it, charges into the flames. A clever case of guilt personified -or guilt hippofied...
The Murders in the Rue Morgue 3.5* Murders, balconies, and that good ol'orangutan... Detective Dupin from The Purloined Letter is back again. Once again this mystery story is not nearly as sharp as the detective stories of today. In fact, this story is laughable. I still liked it though, as I don't think I'll ever read another mystery story involving a Bornean great ape.
The Tell-tale Heart 5* One of the most famous of Poe's stories, so it doesn't require any of my clumsy commentary. Lovely way to end the collection.
This collection is worth it. It chiefly contains the best of Poe with a range of styles on display, and those few tales that aren't his best are still incredibly interesting in terms of the evolution of the short story. When on song, Poe is a gothic master, and the chilling psychology behind most of these haunting tales adds extra layers to the intrigue and uncertainty, and these layers exemplify Poe's greatest works.
April 11, 2013
"An artist is usually a damned liar, but his art, if it be art, will tell you the truth of his day." D.H. Lawrence.
Burying people alive, ghosts, macabre deaths of usually delicate and young women, dark magic, effects of inebriation and hallucination, torture, whirlpools sucking people out of their time, fatal plagues, abnormal psychological states, obsessional behaviors... William Blake in prose.
If D.H. Lawrence was any close to right about his predicament I wouldn't have liked to be in Mr.Poe's skin, such horrors!
That Poe lead a tormented and dysfunctional life is no secret. Haunted by the death of his mother when he was barely a toddler and later by the long illness and ultimate death of the love of his life(his cousin Virginia)whom he married when she was only thirteen, Poe struggled to keep afloat between feelings of abandonment and loss and his growing ill-health and addictions which eventually killed him in mysterious circumstances at the age of 40.
Whether this gloomy life served him as inspiration or he released his pain into his work, the extremeness of his imaginative creations managed to capture attention, if not acceptance.
The sickness-the nausea-
The pitiless pain-
Have ceased, with the fever
That maddened my brain-
With the fever called "Living"
That burned in my brain.
Considered the father of the short story, Poe manages to control the soul of the reader, nothing intervenes or distracts once you are engulfed in one of his curious and terrifying tales, you feel pulled down by an inexplicable and exotic sort of nostalgia which catches at your breath and prevents you from stopping to read. But make no mistake, Poe plays with you, giving you hope in a futile attempt to search for the truth and offer a plausible explanation for the unaccountable, even though you know deep inside that the end will be doomed from the start.
His literary quality is irrefutable, he borrows from the European Gothic tradition and adds elements of detective stories, creating a new register which seeks for the horrendous truth, for the paincuts into your soul, although sometimes a rare kind of beauty oozes from the text, whether conscious or unconsciously I can't say:
Then silence, stillness, and night were the universe
But mainly, Poe appears as a ruthless, crude and pessimistic voice who wants to put order amid the chaos, who wants to explain the inexplicable to elevate the name of the artist; offering an alternative to the newly born optimism, complacency and materialism of his age, and asking for nothing in return. He didn't seek for approval and often had to endure rebuke, few of his contemporaries valued his work at the time and being considered an oddball he was banned from society (or he excluded himself willingly).
It is through the anguish and torment expressed in his poems and short stories that it is plausible to imagine his existence rather miserable and that he suffered from a precariously balanced state of mind. But then, once again, I ask myself the same question which always arises when I try to link the real life of a writer with his work, was it his eccentricity that made his works so special? Were they the product of a genius or a deranged mind ? Or both?
The truth is, I am heartily sick of this life, and of the nineteenth century in general. I am convinced that everything is going wrong. Besides, I am anxious to know who will be President in 2045. As soon, therefore, as I shave and swallow a cup of coffee, I shall step over to Ponnonner's and get embalmed for a couple of hundred years.
In any case, although his haunted mind offered no respite, Poe's lucid writing managed to push the scales of reality and redefine the artistic world of beauty and lyricism towards a new daring approach where the probability of terror and darkness prevailed and where the motto could be summed up as to deny what is, and explain what is not .
As it usual happens in real life, neither black nor white, just a blurred smudge of indistinct grey.
Burying people alive, ghosts, macabre deaths of usually delicate and young women, dark magic, effects of inebriation and hallucination, torture, whirlpools sucking people out of their time, fatal plagues, abnormal psychological states, obsessional behaviors... William Blake in prose.
If D.H. Lawrence was any close to right about his predicament I wouldn't have liked to be in Mr.Poe's skin, such horrors!
That Poe lead a tormented and dysfunctional life is no secret. Haunted by the death of his mother when he was barely a toddler and later by the long illness and ultimate death of the love of his life(his cousin Virginia)whom he married when she was only thirteen, Poe struggled to keep afloat between feelings of abandonment and loss and his growing ill-health and addictions which eventually killed him in mysterious circumstances at the age of 40.
Whether this gloomy life served him as inspiration or he released his pain into his work, the extremeness of his imaginative creations managed to capture attention, if not acceptance.
The sickness-the nausea-
The pitiless pain-
Have ceased, with the fever
That maddened my brain-
With the fever called "Living"
That burned in my brain.
Considered the father of the short story, Poe manages to control the soul of the reader, nothing intervenes or distracts once you are engulfed in one of his curious and terrifying tales, you feel pulled down by an inexplicable and exotic sort of nostalgia which catches at your breath and prevents you from stopping to read. But make no mistake, Poe plays with you, giving you hope in a futile attempt to search for the truth and offer a plausible explanation for the unaccountable, even though you know deep inside that the end will be doomed from the start.
His literary quality is irrefutable, he borrows from the European Gothic tradition and adds elements of detective stories, creating a new register which seeks for the horrendous truth, for the paincuts into your soul, although sometimes a rare kind of beauty oozes from the text, whether conscious or unconsciously I can't say:
Then silence, stillness, and night were the universe
But mainly, Poe appears as a ruthless, crude and pessimistic voice who wants to put order amid the chaos, who wants to explain the inexplicable to elevate the name of the artist; offering an alternative to the newly born optimism, complacency and materialism of his age, and asking for nothing in return. He didn't seek for approval and often had to endure rebuke, few of his contemporaries valued his work at the time and being considered an oddball he was banned from society (or he excluded himself willingly).
It is through the anguish and torment expressed in his poems and short stories that it is plausible to imagine his existence rather miserable and that he suffered from a precariously balanced state of mind. But then, once again, I ask myself the same question which always arises when I try to link the real life of a writer with his work, was it his eccentricity that made his works so special? Were they the product of a genius or a deranged mind ? Or both?
The truth is, I am heartily sick of this life, and of the nineteenth century in general. I am convinced that everything is going wrong. Besides, I am anxious to know who will be President in 2045. As soon, therefore, as I shave and swallow a cup of coffee, I shall step over to Ponnonner's and get embalmed for a couple of hundred years.
In any case, although his haunted mind offered no respite, Poe's lucid writing managed to push the scales of reality and redefine the artistic world of beauty and lyricism towards a new daring approach where the probability of terror and darkness prevailed and where the motto could be summed up as to deny what is, and explain what is not .
As it usual happens in real life, neither black nor white, just a blurred smudge of indistinct grey.
June 17, 2017
丕丿诏丕乇 丌賱賳 倬賵 丿乇 丕蹖乇丕賳 亘蹖卮鬲乇 亘賴 賵丕爻胤踿 趩賴丕乇 倬賳噩 鬲丕 丕夭 丿丕爻鬲丕賳 賴丕蹖 禺蹖賱蹖 賲毓乇賵賮卮 (诏乇亘踿 爻蹖丕賴貙 賳賯丕亘 賲乇诏 爻乇禺貙 賯賱亘 乇丕夭诏賵貙 爻賯賵胤 禺丕賳丿丕賳 丌卮乇 賵...) 卮賳丕禺鬲賴 賲蹖卮賴. 丕蹖賳 讴鬲丕亘 賲噩賲賵毓賴 丕蹖 丕夭 丿丕爻鬲丕賳 賴丕蹖 讴賲鬲乇 卮賳丕禺鬲賴 卮丿踿 倬賵 丿乇 丕蹖乇丕賳賴. 賴乇 趩賳丿 亘毓囟蹖 丕夭 丿丕爻鬲丕賳 賴丕蹖 丕蹖賳 賲噩賲賵毓賴 賴賲 噩夭亍 丿丕爻鬲丕賳 賴丕蹖 讴賱蹖丿蹖 倬賵 賴爻鬲賳. 賲孬賱 丿賵 丿丕爻鬲丕賳 丕賵賱 (噩賳丕蹖鬲 丿乇 讴賵蹖 睾爻賾丕賱禺丕賳賴貙 賵 賳丕賲踿 诏賲卮丿賴) 讴賴 讴丕乇丌诏丕賴 丌诏賵爻鬲 丿賵倬賳 乇賵 亘乇丕蹖 丕賵賱蹖賳 亘丕乇 賲毓乇賮蹖 賲蹖 讴賳賳. 讴丕乇丌诏丕賴蹖 讴賴 亘毓丿賴丕 賲賳亘毓 丕賱賴丕賲 亘乇丕蹖 禺賱賯 讴丕乇丌诏丕賴 賴丕蹖 丿蹖诏賴貙 賲孬賱 卮乇賱賵讴 賴賵賱賲夭貙 倬賵丌乇賵 卮丿.
噩丿丕蹖 丕夭 丕蹖賳 丿賵 丿丕爻鬲丕賳貙 趩賳丿 丿丕爻鬲丕賳 禺蹖賱蹖 禺賵亘 丿蹖诏賴 賴賲 鬲賵蹖 丕蹖賳 賲噩賲賵毓賴 亘賵丿貙 亘賴 胤賵乇 禺丕氐貙 爻賵爻讴 胤賱丕蹖蹖貙 丨賯蹖賯鬲 賯囟蹖踿 丌賯丕蹖 賵丕賱丿賲丕乇 賵 賱蹖噩蹖丕 噩夭亍 丿丕爻鬲丕賳 賴丕蹖 禺賵亘 丕蹖賳 讴鬲丕亘 亘賵丿賳.
亘丕賯蹖 丿丕爻鬲丕賳 賴丕 丿乇 丨丿賾 賯丕亘賱 賯亘賵賱 亘賵丿賳貙 亘毓囟蹖 賴丕卮賵賳 讴賲 賵 亘蹖卮 鬲讴乇丕乇 丕蹖丿賴 賴丕蹖 丿丕爻鬲丕賳 賴丕蹖 丿蹖诏踿 倬賵 亘賵丿賳 (賲孬賱 賲鬲夭賳 诏乇卮鬲丕蹖賳貙 讴賴 毓賳丕氐乇蹖 丕夭 诏乇亘踿 爻蹖丕賴 丿丕卮鬲).
噩丿丕蹖 丕夭 丕蹖賳 丿賵 丿丕爻鬲丕賳貙 趩賳丿 丿丕爻鬲丕賳 禺蹖賱蹖 禺賵亘 丿蹖诏賴 賴賲 鬲賵蹖 丕蹖賳 賲噩賲賵毓賴 亘賵丿貙 亘賴 胤賵乇 禺丕氐貙 爻賵爻讴 胤賱丕蹖蹖貙 丨賯蹖賯鬲 賯囟蹖踿 丌賯丕蹖 賵丕賱丿賲丕乇 賵 賱蹖噩蹖丕 噩夭亍 丿丕爻鬲丕賳 賴丕蹖 禺賵亘 丕蹖賳 讴鬲丕亘 亘賵丿賳.
亘丕賯蹖 丿丕爻鬲丕賳 賴丕 丿乇 丨丿賾 賯丕亘賱 賯亘賵賱 亘賵丿賳貙 亘毓囟蹖 賴丕卮賵賳 讴賲 賵 亘蹖卮 鬲讴乇丕乇 丕蹖丿賴 賴丕蹖 丿丕爻鬲丕賳 賴丕蹖 丿蹖诏踿 倬賵 亘賵丿賳 (賲孬賱 賲鬲夭賳 诏乇卮鬲丕蹖賳貙 讴賴 毓賳丕氐乇蹖 丕夭 诏乇亘踿 爻蹖丕賴 丿丕卮鬲).
December 16, 2016
Me guardo unos poquitos cuentos para el Halloween del a帽o que viene.... Me parece la lectura perfecta para esas fechas aunque no es recomendable leer tantos cuentos de Poe muy seguidos para no saturar. Distanci谩ndolos se disfrutan y aprecian mucho m谩s, hay alguno que tardar茅 en olvidar, es un autor que me ha sorprendido mucho.
Read
August 2, 2019Tales of Mystery & Imagination
Since I've written mini reviews for each of the stories I will have them here slightly edited along with an overall rating and review for the collection as a whole.
1) The Gold Bug
A treasure hunt story involving cryptography, directions, clues, skulls, and a lot of digging. It felt like watching Dora the Little Explorer but in a much darker atmosphere. 4 main characters, the narrator, his friend Mr Legrand, Legrand's dog and Legrand's servant, a nigger, yes another story that has racist remarks. Anyway this was a 3.5 stars story nothing more than a treasure hunt. But I've enjoyed it more than others.
2) The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar
A practitioner of mesmerism (a precursor of hypnosis) tries through the medium of hypnosis/mesmerism to revive a recently deceased person. A macabre little tale worthy of 3 stars. Didn't blew my mind though.
3) MS. Found in a Bottle
A story about a man that scrambles aboard a gigantic ship manned by elderly crewmen who are unable to see him (possibly a ghost ship). A sea tale that ends abruptly and with a sense of doom. 3 stars because I needed more, something that Mr. Poe rarely does.
4) A Descent into the M忙lstr枚m
At the summit of a mountain climb in Lofoten (mentioned in Kavvadias 螣 螤喂位蠈蟿慰蟼 螡维纬魏蔚位), in Norway, an old Norwegian is telling the story of his near escape from a massive whirlpool called M忙lstr枚m. Interesting story but there's no actual rising action or suspense because you know that the narrator is going to survive since he's the one telling the story. Almost 3 stars.
5) The Murders in the Rue Morgue
A tale that is considered the first detective story, written 46 years before the first Sherlock Holmes story in 1887. A gruesome double murder is committed in Rue Morgue in Paris and amateur detective C. Auguste Dupin investigates the crime scene. What he finds is beyond suspicion. 3.5
6) The Mystery of Marie Rog锚t
A sequel to the previous story. The longest and most boring story so far. It doesn't have a plot. Dupin just discusses with the narrator whether the murdered girl was murdered and then thrown into the river or the other way round, whether her clothes were torn intentionally or not, or whether the newspaper articles were telling the truth or were inventing things about the murder &c. You will enjoy this essay-like story only if you are a forensics/criminology student. 2 stars
7) The Purloined Letter
Definitely better story than The Mystery of Marie Rog锚t but definitely not as good as The Murders in the Rue Morgue, or moreover an enjoyable reading. It is a discussion more or less of how Dupin managed to take back the Purloined Letter from the villain of the story (a blackmailer) and give it back to the police. They also talk about versions of reality and mathematics. 2.9 stars
8) The Fall of the House of Usher
Finally, a decent gothic story by Mr. Poe in this collection. Our narrator arrives at the gloomy, gothic, decaying house of his childhood friend Roderick Usher and the atmosphere is oppressive even for the reader who anticipates this fall of the house that looms over the story like a threat. An eerie story that you enjoy even though some elements remain inexplicable. 3,5 stars
9) The Pit and the Pendulum
From Wikipedia: Terror is the feeling of dread and anticipation that precedes the horrifying experience. By contrast, horror is the feeling of revulsion that usually occurs after something frightening is seen, heard, or experienced.
So this is a terror story, the narrator describes his experience of being tortured next to a pit full of rats and a pendulum above him is about to cut him in half. The story was a disappointment though even to , who while at high school he changed the story into a much gruesome and horrible ending which I approve.
10) The Premature Burial
A horror short story on the theme of being buried alive (!)
In the first part the narrator describes different cases of premature burials from where some victims escaped and some not!
In the second part he describes his own experience as a man who suffers from anxiety of being buried alive. Graves, corpses, tombs, graveyards, mausoleums. Everything I like to read this time of the year. 3.5
11) The Black Cat
Violence against animals, which is followed by a series of ghastly revenges. The narrator, a most unlikable character. He deserved everything he suffered (IMO). Moreover the story is a critique of the perverse actions brought on by alcoholism. 3.5
12) The Masque of the Red Death
The title says it all: Death. The story starts and ends with death.
All the characters of the story die drenched in blood. 3.5
13) The Cask of Amontillado
This was one of the first stories I've ever read in English back in 2009 when my English was worse than Tsipras's. Since then I've read it at least 3 more times. A favourite story of revenge, wine, and murder. . . 4 stars.
14) The Oval Portrait
From Wikipedia: "The Oval Portrait" is a short story [...] involving the disturbing circumstances surrounding a portrait in a chateau. It is one of his shortest stories, filling only two pages in its initial publication in 1842.
I believe this tale might have inspired to write his only novel . 3.5
15) The Oblong Box
Nice little story but of course I saw what was coming. A mysterious box belonging to an even more mysterious man, on a ship full of passengers. 3 stars because it was simply interesting but not long enough.
16) The Tell-Tale Heart
A story that was pretty similar with the Black Cat but with a more sinister feeling and a very unreliable insane person as a narrator. The ending was the same with Black Cat's ending so I was a bit disappointed to read the same thing again. 3.5 stars though.
17) Ligeia
The story can be divided into 3 parts.
Part 1 where the unnamed narrator describes his wife Ligeia, her appearance and her mind and then she falls ill and dies.
Part 2 where the narrator moves to an unnamed gothic abbey in England marries a second wife Rowena who also falls ill and dies.
Part 3 is where the supernatural elements of the story come alive. . . Can't say more, you have to read it yourself. Atmospheric and eerie, yet verbose and slow. 3 stars
18) Loss of Breath
What a weird little story. A man literally loses his breath and everybody thinks he's a corpse and so they throw him out of a carriage, they dissect him, they hang him, they bury him, but he can't feel anything because he's out of breath! It was strange and macabre but the concept didn't convince me. How is it possible to live after losing your breath? Well it's fiction but again. . . 3 stars
19) Shadow - A Parable
A story 3 pages long and it left me standing in the shadows. After 2 readings I was still feeling like an ignoramus. 2 stars
20) Silence - A Fable
A fable about a demon and a man in an enchanted land. The demon tells his story, the man listens, and I am confused. Again. . .
Can't say more about this story because I simply can't. I just need to point out that the epigraph of this story was in Ancient Greek.
蔚峤曃次肯呄兾� 未蝿 峤€蟻苇蠅谓 魏慰蟻蠀蠁伪委 蟿蔚 魏伪峤� 蠁维蟻伪纬纬蔚蟼 蟺蟻蠋慰谓苇蟼 蟿蔚 魏伪峤� 蠂伪蟻维未蟻伪喂
Since the feeling of the story was quite eerie I will give it 2.9 stars. I'm a good man.
21) The Man of the Crowd
A man follows an old man through a crowded London for almost two days and then he decides to stop following him because the old man is the man of the crowd. [...] worse than the Hortulus Anime; and perhaps it is one of the great mercies of God that er la脽t sich nicht lesen.
韦喂 位蔚蟼 蟽慰尾伪蟻维; 危慰蠀伪蠂委位喂 纬喂伪蟿委 尉苇蠂伪蟽蔚蟼 谓伪 纬蟻维蠄蔚喂蟼; Again no explanation, which left me disappointed even though following a man for such a long time is quite creepy. 3 stars
22) Some Words with a Mummy
Finally, the last story, and an interesting one. 4 stars.
A group of intellectuals try to revive a mummy and the mummy now revived begins a conversation with the men. It was a witty story, a satire on Epyptomania and a criticism on the supposed superiority of the west. The end was one of the best parts of the story.
My wife is a shrew. The truth is, I am heartily sick of this life, and of the nineteenth century in general. I am convinced that everything is going wrong. Besides, I am anxious to know who will be president in 2045. As soon, therefore, as I shave and swallow a cup of coffee, I shall just step over to Ponnonner's and get embalmed for a couple of hundred years.
To be honest I'm anxious too to know who will be president of the United States in 2045; if they survive the (likely) Armageddon called Donald Trump.
Overall
70.2/22=3.19 which translates into 3 stars. A satisfying collection I had lying unread on my shelves since 2011 but not something I enjoyed 100% Certainly I will buy the 'sequel' to this collection but I don't think I will bother buying all his writings since it's obvious I will be disappointed by most of them.
Well done if you've reached this gargantuan, lengthy, sheety review.
Since I've written mini reviews for each of the stories I will have them here slightly edited along with an overall rating and review for the collection as a whole.
1) The Gold Bug
A treasure hunt story involving cryptography, directions, clues, skulls, and a lot of digging. It felt like watching Dora the Little Explorer but in a much darker atmosphere. 4 main characters, the narrator, his friend Mr Legrand, Legrand's dog and Legrand's servant, a nigger, yes another story that has racist remarks. Anyway this was a 3.5 stars story nothing more than a treasure hunt. But I've enjoyed it more than others.
2) The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar
A practitioner of mesmerism (a precursor of hypnosis) tries through the medium of hypnosis/mesmerism to revive a recently deceased person. A macabre little tale worthy of 3 stars. Didn't blew my mind though.
3) MS. Found in a Bottle
A story about a man that scrambles aboard a gigantic ship manned by elderly crewmen who are unable to see him (possibly a ghost ship). A sea tale that ends abruptly and with a sense of doom. 3 stars because I needed more, something that Mr. Poe rarely does.
4) A Descent into the M忙lstr枚m
At the summit of a mountain climb in Lofoten (mentioned in Kavvadias 螣 螤喂位蠈蟿慰蟼 螡维纬魏蔚位), in Norway, an old Norwegian is telling the story of his near escape from a massive whirlpool called M忙lstr枚m. Interesting story but there's no actual rising action or suspense because you know that the narrator is going to survive since he's the one telling the story. Almost 3 stars.
5) The Murders in the Rue Morgue
A tale that is considered the first detective story, written 46 years before the first Sherlock Holmes story in 1887. A gruesome double murder is committed in Rue Morgue in Paris and amateur detective C. Auguste Dupin investigates the crime scene. What he finds is beyond suspicion. 3.5
6) The Mystery of Marie Rog锚t
A sequel to the previous story. The longest and most boring story so far. It doesn't have a plot. Dupin just discusses with the narrator whether the murdered girl was murdered and then thrown into the river or the other way round, whether her clothes were torn intentionally or not, or whether the newspaper articles were telling the truth or were inventing things about the murder &c. You will enjoy this essay-like story only if you are a forensics/criminology student. 2 stars
7) The Purloined Letter
Definitely better story than The Mystery of Marie Rog锚t but definitely not as good as The Murders in the Rue Morgue, or moreover an enjoyable reading. It is a discussion more or less of how Dupin managed to take back the Purloined Letter from the villain of the story (a blackmailer) and give it back to the police. They also talk about versions of reality and mathematics. 2.9 stars
8) The Fall of the House of Usher
Finally, a decent gothic story by Mr. Poe in this collection. Our narrator arrives at the gloomy, gothic, decaying house of his childhood friend Roderick Usher and the atmosphere is oppressive even for the reader who anticipates this fall of the house that looms over the story like a threat. An eerie story that you enjoy even though some elements remain inexplicable. 3,5 stars
9) The Pit and the Pendulum
From Wikipedia: Terror is the feeling of dread and anticipation that precedes the horrifying experience. By contrast, horror is the feeling of revulsion that usually occurs after something frightening is seen, heard, or experienced.
So this is a terror story, the narrator describes his experience of being tortured next to a pit full of rats and a pendulum above him is about to cut him in half. The story was a disappointment though even to , who while at high school he changed the story into a much gruesome and horrible ending which I approve.
10) The Premature Burial
A horror short story on the theme of being buried alive (!)
In the first part the narrator describes different cases of premature burials from where some victims escaped and some not!
In the second part he describes his own experience as a man who suffers from anxiety of being buried alive. Graves, corpses, tombs, graveyards, mausoleums. Everything I like to read this time of the year. 3.5
11) The Black Cat
Violence against animals, which is followed by a series of ghastly revenges. The narrator, a most unlikable character. He deserved everything he suffered (IMO). Moreover the story is a critique of the perverse actions brought on by alcoholism. 3.5
12) The Masque of the Red Death
The title says it all: Death. The story starts and ends with death.
All the characters of the story die drenched in blood. 3.5
13) The Cask of Amontillado
This was one of the first stories I've ever read in English back in 2009 when my English was worse than Tsipras's. Since then I've read it at least 3 more times. A favourite story of revenge, wine, and murder. . . 4 stars.
14) The Oval Portrait
From Wikipedia: "The Oval Portrait" is a short story [...] involving the disturbing circumstances surrounding a portrait in a chateau. It is one of his shortest stories, filling only two pages in its initial publication in 1842.
I believe this tale might have inspired to write his only novel . 3.5
15) The Oblong Box
Nice little story but of course I saw what was coming. A mysterious box belonging to an even more mysterious man, on a ship full of passengers. 3 stars because it was simply interesting but not long enough.
16) The Tell-Tale Heart
A story that was pretty similar with the Black Cat but with a more sinister feeling and a very unreliable insane person as a narrator. The ending was the same with Black Cat's ending so I was a bit disappointed to read the same thing again. 3.5 stars though.
17) Ligeia
The story can be divided into 3 parts.
Part 1 where the unnamed narrator describes his wife Ligeia, her appearance and her mind and then she falls ill and dies.
Part 2 where the narrator moves to an unnamed gothic abbey in England marries a second wife Rowena who also falls ill and dies.
Part 3 is where the supernatural elements of the story come alive. . . Can't say more, you have to read it yourself. Atmospheric and eerie, yet verbose and slow. 3 stars
18) Loss of Breath
What a weird little story. A man literally loses his breath and everybody thinks he's a corpse and so they throw him out of a carriage, they dissect him, they hang him, they bury him, but he can't feel anything because he's out of breath! It was strange and macabre but the concept didn't convince me. How is it possible to live after losing your breath? Well it's fiction but again. . . 3 stars
19) Shadow - A Parable
A story 3 pages long and it left me standing in the shadows. After 2 readings I was still feeling like an ignoramus. 2 stars
20) Silence - A Fable
A fable about a demon and a man in an enchanted land. The demon tells his story, the man listens, and I am confused. Again. . .
Can't say more about this story because I simply can't. I just need to point out that the epigraph of this story was in Ancient Greek.
蔚峤曃次肯呄兾� 未蝿 峤€蟻苇蠅谓 魏慰蟻蠀蠁伪委 蟿蔚 魏伪峤� 蠁维蟻伪纬纬蔚蟼 蟺蟻蠋慰谓苇蟼 蟿蔚 魏伪峤� 蠂伪蟻维未蟻伪喂
Since the feeling of the story was quite eerie I will give it 2.9 stars. I'm a good man.
21) The Man of the Crowd
A man follows an old man through a crowded London for almost two days and then he decides to stop following him because the old man is the man of the crowd. [...] worse than the Hortulus Anime; and perhaps it is one of the great mercies of God that er la脽t sich nicht lesen.
韦喂 位蔚蟼 蟽慰尾伪蟻维; 危慰蠀伪蠂委位喂 纬喂伪蟿委 尉苇蠂伪蟽蔚蟼 谓伪 纬蟻维蠄蔚喂蟼; Again no explanation, which left me disappointed even though following a man for such a long time is quite creepy. 3 stars
22) Some Words with a Mummy
Finally, the last story, and an interesting one. 4 stars.
A group of intellectuals try to revive a mummy and the mummy now revived begins a conversation with the men. It was a witty story, a satire on Epyptomania and a criticism on the supposed superiority of the west. The end was one of the best parts of the story.
My wife is a shrew. The truth is, I am heartily sick of this life, and of the nineteenth century in general. I am convinced that everything is going wrong. Besides, I am anxious to know who will be president in 2045. As soon, therefore, as I shave and swallow a cup of coffee, I shall just step over to Ponnonner's and get embalmed for a couple of hundred years.
To be honest I'm anxious too to know who will be president of the United States in 2045; if they survive the (likely) Armageddon called Donald Trump.
Overall
70.2/22=3.19 which translates into 3 stars. A satisfying collection I had lying unread on my shelves since 2011 but not something I enjoyed 100% Certainly I will buy the 'sequel' to this collection but I don't think I will bother buying all his writings since it's obvious I will be disappointed by most of them.
Well done if you've reached this gargantuan, lengthy, sheety review.
December 10, 2019
30 verhalen: William Wilson; Een verhaal van de ruige bergen; De sfinx; De goudkever; De val van het huis van Usher; Het rendez-vous Veneti毛; Het ovale portret; Koning Pest; Het masker van de rode dood; Het vat amontillado; Metzengerstein; De put en de slinger; Hup-kikker; Een afdaling in de Maelstr枚m; Manuscript gevonden in een fles; De voortijdige begrafenis; De feiten in het geval Valdemar; Het verraderlijke hart; Mellonta tauta; Het duizend-tweede verhaal van Scheherazade; De langwerpige kist; Hoe een krantebericht ge-ixt werd; Het duiveltje van de dwarsheid; De stunt van de ballontocht; De moorden in de Rue Morgue; Het mysterie van Marie Roget; De gestolen brief; "Gij zijt die man"; De duivel in de klokketoren; De zwarte kater.
Sommige van deze verhalen waren zeer goed en spannend, of humoristisch, andere waren saai, of technisch erg ingewikkeld, en sommige vond ik ronduit slecht. Een mengelmoesje dus.
Sommige van deze verhalen waren zeer goed en spannend, of humoristisch, andere waren saai, of technisch erg ingewikkeld, en sommige vond ik ronduit slecht. Een mengelmoesje dus.
Read
November 16, 2021TOP PICKS:
-The Gold-Bug
-The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar
-The Black Cat
-The Masque of the Red Death
-The Cask of Amontillado
-The Imp of the Perverse
-The Oval Portrait
-The Tell-Tale Heart
-Berenice
-The Gold-Bug
-The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar
-The Black Cat
-The Masque of the Red Death
-The Cask of Amontillado
-The Imp of the Perverse
-The Oval Portrait
-The Tell-Tale Heart
-Berenice
September 25, 2021
卮诏賮鬲 丕賳诏蹖夭 賳亘賵丿賳 馃槙
November 18, 2022
No puede haber un mes de Noviembre sin leer algo de los maestros del terror g贸tico. As铆 que este a帽o le toc贸 a Poe y sus cuentos de imaginaci贸n y misterio.
Poe, escritor maldito con una vida dif铆cil y dura que puso los mimbres de muchas cosas que vinieron despu茅s. Culto hasta lo pedante, sus cuentos repiten siempre el mismo patr贸n pero sab铆a como hacer que una historia te helara la sangre.
G贸tico en estado puro.
La edici贸n es todo un cl谩sico , con las ilustraciones de Harry Clark y la traducci贸n de Julio Cort谩zar. Es de esos libros que hay que tener en la estanter铆a para releer de vez en cuando.
Poe, escritor maldito con una vida dif铆cil y dura que puso los mimbres de muchas cosas que vinieron despu茅s. Culto hasta lo pedante, sus cuentos repiten siempre el mismo patr贸n pero sab铆a como hacer que una historia te helara la sangre.
G贸tico en estado puro.
La edici贸n es todo un cl谩sico , con las ilustraciones de Harry Clark y la traducci贸n de Julio Cort谩zar. Es de esos libros que hay que tener en la estanter铆a para releer de vez en cuando.
May 31, 2020
Recept za dobre pri膷e:
Dobre pri膷e, veli Po, treba da budu napisane za 膷itanje 鈥瀒z jednog sedenja鈥�.
Dobre pri膷e jesu kratke da bi se odr啪alo jedinstvo utis(a)ka 鈥� njihov kraj je vrhunac svih elemenata pripovedanja.
Dobre pri膷e nisu rezultat namigivanja muze, ve膰 preciznog vrenja razuma.
Lepota nije kvalitet, ve膰 efekat.
Poove pri膷e su dobre pri膷e. Upravo zato 拧to su prevazi拧la pravila koja je ustanovio u 鈥濬ilozofiji kompozicije鈥�. Kako Vinaver prime膰uje 鈥� u njima kao da ima neke neo膷ekivane, zapravo nedostupne zakonomernosti, one su: 鈥瀞lo啪en i 膷udan organizam, sa osetljivim nervnim sistemom, koji je po ponegde 膷udno istanjen, a drugde opet, bog zna za拧to: ogrubeo, prevu膷en ro啪nja膷ama, odbranjen oklopima鈥�. Izuzetan je taj ukr拧taj ro啪natog i iskre magi膷eske! Izuzetan, jer je to 啪ivot sam 鈥� meso i misao u me膽uzavisnosti. Vinaver je insistirao i na zvu膷nosti, koju je prime膰ivao kod pisaca i kad drugi ne prime膰uju. I tu je posredi jedna okeanska pri膷a, misterioznija od svih Poovih duhova, dvojnika i m葝ra 鈥� kad 膷ovek ne misli, misli zvuk.
U Malstermskom vrtlogu 鈥� Ako dovoljno dugo gleda拧 u dubinu, dubina 膰e gledati u tebe. Ako u膽e拧 u dubinu, gubi拧 svaku nadu. Izgubiv拧i svaku nadu, dobija拧 pravu nadu.
Bes orkana, barka, 膷eljust vira, strahotna veli膷anstvenost, debela, te拧ka magla, Norve拧ka.
Skaz i (pseudo)nau膷na obja拧njenja 鈥� tuma膷enja tuma膷enja.
Sve pri膷e jesu pri膷e o putovanjima. Poneke su o vi拧im silama.
Kud vi拧e?
Kud vi拧im!
Fakta o slu膷aju g. Valdemara 鈥� Ne hipnoti拧e se samo umiru膰i, ve膰 i 膷itaoci. Obratiti pa啪nju na Valdemarove o膷i. (Valdemar 鈫� Voldemor?)
Viljem Vilson 鈥� Svaka pri膷a o dvojniku na ovaj ili onaj na膷in komunicira sa Vilijamom Vilsonom. Neverovatna je Poova poetika prostora 鈥� raspame膰uju膰i goti膷ki lavirinti soba.
Horor je uvek u svesti. Van svesti, ni拧ta nije stra拧no.
Morela 鈥� Morela 膷ita Loka, Fihtea, 艩elinga, pitagorejce. Ako je identitet istovetnost jednog umnog bi膰a, 拧ta se de拧ava kada bi膰e umire?
Da li je metempsihoza nasledna?
Opet, dvojnice.
Ligeja 鈥� Kako u re膷i uobli膷iti lepo bi膰e? Preko drevnih opisa? Da bi lepota bila jasna, treba predmet lepote predo膷iti kao umetni膷ki objekat. Tra啪ena izve拧ta膷enost dovodi do (efekta) verodostojnosti.
A Ligeja kao tobo啪nje opredme膰enje lepote, ima kratku gornju usnu kao Liza Bolkonska i jevrejski nos.
Sve je kod Poa, ina膷e, puno egzoti膷nog enterijera 鈥� isto膷nja膷ki sve膰njaci, sarkofazi, bra膷na postelja od abonosa, 膰ilimi, zlatne tkanine.
Pad ku膰e U拧era 鈥� Ku膰e imaju se膰anja. Svetlost ima pukotine. Opijum i 啪ivi zakopani.
Volim likove-膷itaoce.
膯耻迟补苍箩别 鈥� Gnosticizam 鈥� kako sam 膽avo pripoveda. A ton mu biblijski. 沤dralovi kri膷ahu. Na kamenu ni拧ta. I bi pri膷a.
Senka 鈥� Poneke senke se 拧vercuju iz Hada i prepadaju 啪ive stvorove, naro膷ito one pripite, 拧to pevahu anakreontske pesme.
I senka ima svoju senku.
P. S. U啪ivao sam u prevodu Svetislava Stefanovi膰a 鈥� kako starom pravopisu, koji name膰e druk膷iji ritam u 膷itanju, tako i arhai膷noj leksici koja odli膷no stoji samom Pou. Umesto levog i desnog plu膰nog krila 鈥� levo i desno plu膰e.
Dobre pri膷e, veli Po, treba da budu napisane za 膷itanje 鈥瀒z jednog sedenja鈥�.
Dobre pri膷e jesu kratke da bi se odr啪alo jedinstvo utis(a)ka 鈥� njihov kraj je vrhunac svih elemenata pripovedanja.
Dobre pri膷e nisu rezultat namigivanja muze, ve膰 preciznog vrenja razuma.
Lepota nije kvalitet, ve膰 efekat.
Poove pri膷e su dobre pri膷e. Upravo zato 拧to su prevazi拧la pravila koja je ustanovio u 鈥濬ilozofiji kompozicije鈥�. Kako Vinaver prime膰uje 鈥� u njima kao da ima neke neo膷ekivane, zapravo nedostupne zakonomernosti, one su: 鈥瀞lo啪en i 膷udan organizam, sa osetljivim nervnim sistemom, koji je po ponegde 膷udno istanjen, a drugde opet, bog zna za拧to: ogrubeo, prevu膷en ro啪nja膷ama, odbranjen oklopima鈥�. Izuzetan je taj ukr拧taj ro啪natog i iskre magi膷eske! Izuzetan, jer je to 啪ivot sam 鈥� meso i misao u me膽uzavisnosti. Vinaver je insistirao i na zvu膷nosti, koju je prime膰ivao kod pisaca i kad drugi ne prime膰uju. I tu je posredi jedna okeanska pri膷a, misterioznija od svih Poovih duhova, dvojnika i m葝ra 鈥� kad 膷ovek ne misli, misli zvuk.
U Malstermskom vrtlogu 鈥� Ako dovoljno dugo gleda拧 u dubinu, dubina 膰e gledati u tebe. Ako u膽e拧 u dubinu, gubi拧 svaku nadu. Izgubiv拧i svaku nadu, dobija拧 pravu nadu.
Bes orkana, barka, 膷eljust vira, strahotna veli膷anstvenost, debela, te拧ka magla, Norve拧ka.
Skaz i (pseudo)nau膷na obja拧njenja 鈥� tuma膷enja tuma膷enja.
Sve pri膷e jesu pri膷e o putovanjima. Poneke su o vi拧im silama.
Kud vi拧e?
Kud vi拧im!
Fakta o slu膷aju g. Valdemara 鈥� Ne hipnoti拧e se samo umiru膰i, ve膰 i 膷itaoci. Obratiti pa啪nju na Valdemarove o膷i. (Valdemar 鈫� Voldemor?)
Viljem Vilson 鈥� Svaka pri膷a o dvojniku na ovaj ili onaj na膷in komunicira sa Vilijamom Vilsonom. Neverovatna je Poova poetika prostora 鈥� raspame膰uju膰i goti膷ki lavirinti soba.
Horor je uvek u svesti. Van svesti, ni拧ta nije stra拧no.
Morela 鈥� Morela 膷ita Loka, Fihtea, 艩elinga, pitagorejce. Ako je identitet istovetnost jednog umnog bi膰a, 拧ta se de拧ava kada bi膰e umire?
Da li je metempsihoza nasledna?
Opet, dvojnice.
Ligeja 鈥� Kako u re膷i uobli膷iti lepo bi膰e? Preko drevnih opisa? Da bi lepota bila jasna, treba predmet lepote predo膷iti kao umetni膷ki objekat. Tra啪ena izve拧ta膷enost dovodi do (efekta) verodostojnosti.
A Ligeja kao tobo啪nje opredme膰enje lepote, ima kratku gornju usnu kao Liza Bolkonska i jevrejski nos.
Sve je kod Poa, ina膷e, puno egzoti膷nog enterijera 鈥� isto膷nja膷ki sve膰njaci, sarkofazi, bra膷na postelja od abonosa, 膰ilimi, zlatne tkanine.
Pad ku膰e U拧era 鈥� Ku膰e imaju se膰anja. Svetlost ima pukotine. Opijum i 啪ivi zakopani.
Volim likove-膷itaoce.
膯耻迟补苍箩别 鈥� Gnosticizam 鈥� kako sam 膽avo pripoveda. A ton mu biblijski. 沤dralovi kri膷ahu. Na kamenu ni拧ta. I bi pri膷a.
Senka 鈥� Poneke senke se 拧vercuju iz Hada i prepadaju 啪ive stvorove, naro膷ito one pripite, 拧to pevahu anakreontske pesme.
I senka ima svoju senku.
P. S. U啪ivao sam u prevodu Svetislava Stefanovi膰a 鈥� kako starom pravopisu, koji name膰e druk膷iji ritam u 膷itanju, tako i arhai膷noj leksici koja odli膷no stoji samom Pou. Umesto levog i desnog plu膰nog krila 鈥� levo i desno plu膰e.
January 10, 2020
Poe is the pioneer of American literature in several genres. Detective fiction, Gothic horror, perhaps even science fiction? Included in this collection are some of Poe鈥檚 best stories, including 鈥淭he Cask of Amontillado,鈥� 鈥淭he Fall of the House of Usher,鈥� The Gold Bug,鈥� 鈥淭he Mystery of Marie Rog锚t,鈥� 鈥淭he Purloined Letter,鈥� and 鈥淭he Murders in the Rue Morgue.鈥� I enjoyed them all. As a freshman at Penn State, Poe鈥檚 stories were required reading the second semester and I enjoyed them just as much then as now.
The Mystery of Marie Rog锚t is a fictionalized version of an actual murder that occurred in the New York City area, but Poe sets the scene in the Paris of Inspector Dupin. It is a critique of contemporary newspaper accounts of Mary Cecelia Rogers鈥� disappearance and the possible discovery of her body floating in the river. As such it is also a discourse on early 19th century forensic analysis of the materials appearing in the newspapers. It is thought to be 鈥渢he first murder mystery based on the details of a real crime鈥� according to the Wikipedia article. I will guess it is also of little interest to any but those fascinated by murder or the details of forensic analysis.
鈥淭he Murders in the Rue Morgue鈥� is the first 鈥渄etective鈥� story by Poe and the one most often read and mentioned. C. Auguste Dupin is introduced in this story, the first of three appearances; given his deductive methods, Dupin has to be an early version of Britain鈥檚 own Sherlock Holmes. Aside the surprise ending, could this be the first, or an early, version of a 鈥渓ocked room mystery?鈥�
As a biological anthropologist I was also interested in several other stories for strictly professional reasons. 鈥淭he Fall of the House of Usher鈥� seems to feature a family cursed either by tuberculosis or, because of the intergenerational description, perhaps a genetic disorder such as phenylketonuria (PKU), although in the long run, it is just a curse meant to horrify a gothic-loving audience.
Last, Poe鈥檚 contribution to literary humor 鈥� or sarcasm 鈥� is seen in such stories as 鈥淭he Devil in the Belfry,鈥� and an early version of 鈥�1066 and All That,鈥� in his interpretation of Scheherazade鈥檚 very last story. The horrible 鈥淢asque of the Red Death鈥� might have been written after reading Boccaccio鈥檚 鈥淭he Decameron.鈥�
So much has been written about Poe that I will not duplicate the already abundant literature. I will note that Poe richly describes the settings and the characters so that you feel to be a part of the scene and almost interacting with the characters. Thus, he is also a master of the gothic novel very early on. The book is a classic and a grand compendium of Poe鈥檚 best stories although some elements are certainly dated and an annotated version would occasionally help with some minutae. Be sure to have this on your MUST READ list soon!
The Mystery of Marie Rog锚t is a fictionalized version of an actual murder that occurred in the New York City area, but Poe sets the scene in the Paris of Inspector Dupin. It is a critique of contemporary newspaper accounts of Mary Cecelia Rogers鈥� disappearance and the possible discovery of her body floating in the river. As such it is also a discourse on early 19th century forensic analysis of the materials appearing in the newspapers. It is thought to be 鈥渢he first murder mystery based on the details of a real crime鈥� according to the Wikipedia article. I will guess it is also of little interest to any but those fascinated by murder or the details of forensic analysis.
鈥淭he Murders in the Rue Morgue鈥� is the first 鈥渄etective鈥� story by Poe and the one most often read and mentioned. C. Auguste Dupin is introduced in this story, the first of three appearances; given his deductive methods, Dupin has to be an early version of Britain鈥檚 own Sherlock Holmes. Aside the surprise ending, could this be the first, or an early, version of a 鈥渓ocked room mystery?鈥�
As a biological anthropologist I was also interested in several other stories for strictly professional reasons. 鈥淭he Fall of the House of Usher鈥� seems to feature a family cursed either by tuberculosis or, because of the intergenerational description, perhaps a genetic disorder such as phenylketonuria (PKU), although in the long run, it is just a curse meant to horrify a gothic-loving audience.
Last, Poe鈥檚 contribution to literary humor 鈥� or sarcasm 鈥� is seen in such stories as 鈥淭he Devil in the Belfry,鈥� and an early version of 鈥�1066 and All That,鈥� in his interpretation of Scheherazade鈥檚 very last story. The horrible 鈥淢asque of the Red Death鈥� might have been written after reading Boccaccio鈥檚 鈥淭he Decameron.鈥�
So much has been written about Poe that I will not duplicate the already abundant literature. I will note that Poe richly describes the settings and the characters so that you feel to be a part of the scene and almost interacting with the characters. Thus, he is also a master of the gothic novel very early on. The book is a classic and a grand compendium of Poe鈥檚 best stories although some elements are certainly dated and an annotated version would occasionally help with some minutae. Be sure to have this on your MUST READ list soon!
January 26, 2013
Poe is now a household name. An American institution. Everyone knows Poe, though few have really delved into more than one or two of his short stories. I'm also pretty sure he was completely insane. Which means he was brilliant, and everyone should read his work.
As the title of the book says, there are many different stories in here, and admittedly, they are not all of the same caliber. It seems that Poe generally became a better writer as he wrote more and more stuff, and I think his later work is (in general!) superior to his earlier work. Some stories in this compendium are 3-star stories, and some are 5-star stories, with the remainder taking 4-stars. All of Poe's popular and well-known shorts are in here, The Cask of Amontillado, The Tell-Tale Heart, The Fall of The House of Usher all make their respective appearances. Some of my favorites ones however, were his lesser known works William Wilson, Morella, and A Descent Into the Malestrom were all fantastic surprises to me. There was even a delightful comedy stowed away in here in the form of Some Passages in the Life of A Lion (Lionizing). Imagine that; an actual comedy from Poe!
Though Poe chose the short story as his main body of work, there is a common theme about Poe's work. Poe is, ultimately, a blender. A boundary weakener. A line eraser. The boundaries between life and death, good and evil, one world and another. The line between soundness and insanity. None of these are sacred to Edgar Allan Poe's tinkering, and you can't help but admire Poe for the artful way he manipulates the reader's preconceptions.
His methods inspired hosts of other writers to explore the same themes (H.P. Lovecraft obviously, and some of Robert Louis Stevenson's work can all be traced to Poe's influence), yet Poe remains an independent, unique, and terrifyingly brilliant voice.
In short: Read Poe! You might hate him and go insane (ah well, can't get them all), you might love him and still go crazy (face it, you were probably crazy to begin with), OR you could become entranced by Poe's stories and start a "Poe Boy's" fan club. Whichever way, you should never be forgiven for not reading as much Poe as you can.
As the title of the book says, there are many different stories in here, and admittedly, they are not all of the same caliber. It seems that Poe generally became a better writer as he wrote more and more stuff, and I think his later work is (in general!) superior to his earlier work. Some stories in this compendium are 3-star stories, and some are 5-star stories, with the remainder taking 4-stars. All of Poe's popular and well-known shorts are in here, The Cask of Amontillado, The Tell-Tale Heart, The Fall of The House of Usher all make their respective appearances. Some of my favorites ones however, were his lesser known works William Wilson, Morella, and A Descent Into the Malestrom were all fantastic surprises to me. There was even a delightful comedy stowed away in here in the form of Some Passages in the Life of A Lion (Lionizing). Imagine that; an actual comedy from Poe!
Though Poe chose the short story as his main body of work, there is a common theme about Poe's work. Poe is, ultimately, a blender. A boundary weakener. A line eraser. The boundaries between life and death, good and evil, one world and another. The line between soundness and insanity. None of these are sacred to Edgar Allan Poe's tinkering, and you can't help but admire Poe for the artful way he manipulates the reader's preconceptions.
His methods inspired hosts of other writers to explore the same themes (H.P. Lovecraft obviously, and some of Robert Louis Stevenson's work can all be traced to Poe's influence), yet Poe remains an independent, unique, and terrifyingly brilliant voice.
In short: Read Poe! You might hate him and go insane (ah well, can't get them all), you might love him and still go crazy (face it, you were probably crazy to begin with), OR you could become entranced by Poe's stories and start a "Poe Boy's" fan club. Whichever way, you should never be forgiven for not reading as much Poe as you can.
November 14, 2015
I have to open with a confession, for those of you who do not know I am a self-confessed Poe obsessive so there is every possibility that this review is a tad biased. Having said that this collection of 10 tales and poems shows his genius at capturing the darker side of humanity, from the ability to torment and torture to the sometimes unbelievable determination to survive, even when pounding on death's door. This collection includes some of my absolute favourites from Poe including The Raven, which for me is one of the darkest and most heartbreaking poems ever, and The Tell-Tale Heart, which is more than disturbing with it's glimpse into the mind of the guilty. Each tale/poem is illustrated by a different artist so the styles vary with each but they all manage to capture the essence of the associated story and I'm sure Edgar would be rather happy with them too. An excellent collection and a good introduction to one of the masters of the macabre should you need it.
The full contents is:
MS. Found in a Bottle
The Raven
Hop-Frog
The Tell-Tale Heart
The Black Cat
The Conqueror Worm
The Oval Portrait
The Bells
The Pit and the Pendulum
The Thousand-and-Second Tale of Scheherazade
The Masque of the Red Death
The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar
A Descent into the Maelstrom
The full contents is:
MS. Found in a Bottle
The Raven
Hop-Frog
The Tell-Tale Heart
The Black Cat
The Conqueror Worm
The Oval Portrait
The Bells
The Pit and the Pendulum
The Thousand-and-Second Tale of Scheherazade
The Masque of the Red Death
The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar
A Descent into the Maelstrom
August 16, 2016
螝维胃蔚 喂蟽蟿慰蟻委伪 蟿慰蠀 蟽蔚 魏伪胃畏位蠋谓蔚喂 蟽蔚 伪谓伪蟽蟿伪蟿蠋谓蔚喂 魏伪喂 蟽蔚 伪谓伪蟿蟻喂蠂喂维味蔚喂!
螣喂 喂蟽蟿慰蟻委蔚蟼 蠁伪谓蟿伪蟽委伪蟼 蔚委蠂伪谓 蠈位蔚蟼 蟿畏谓 未喂魏萎 蟿慰蠀蟼 蟽魏慰蟿蔚喂谓萎 伪蟿渭蠈蟽蠁伪喂蟻伪 魏伪喂 未蠉蟽魏慰位伪 未蔚谓 胃伪 蟽慰魏维蟻慰蠀谓 渭蔚 蟿畏谓 蔚尉苇位喂尉畏 魏伪喂 魏伪蟿维位畏尉畏 蟿慰蠀蟼.
螣喂 喂蟽蟿慰蟻委蔚蟼 渭蠀蟽蟿畏蟻委慰蠀 蠈渭蠅蟼 尉蔚蟺苇蟻伪蟽伪谓 魏维胃蔚 蟺蟻慰蟽未慰魏委伪 渭慰蠀 魏伪胃蠋蟼 未喂伪蟺委蟽蟿蠅蟽伪 蟿蔚位喂魏维 蠈蟿喂 慰 Doyle 蔚渭蟺谓蔚蠉蟽蟿畏魏蔚 魏伪喂 尾伪蟽委蟽蟿畏魏蔚 纬喂伪 蟿畏谓 未畏渭喂慰蠀蟻纬委伪 蟿慰蠀 Sherlock Holmes, 蟽蟿慰谓 C. Auguste Dupin 蟿慰蠀 Poe. 螚 未慰渭萎, 畏 伪蠁萎纬畏蟽畏 魏伪喂 蟿慰 蠉蠁慰蟼 魏维胃蔚 蟺蔚蟻喂蟺苇蟿蔚喂伪蟼 伪位位维 魏伪喂 畏 伪谓维位蠀蟽畏 蟿蠅谓 蟽蟿慰喂蠂蔚委蠅谓 蟿蠅谓 未蠉慰 谓蟿蔚蟿苇魏蟿喂尾 蔚委谓伪喂 蟺伪谓慰渭慰喂蠈蟿蠀蟺蔚蟼!
螘魏蟺位畏魏蟿喂魏蠈蟼 慰 Poe 纬喂伪 维位位畏 渭喂伪 蠁慰蟻维!
螣喂 喂蟽蟿慰蟻委蔚蟼 蠁伪谓蟿伪蟽委伪蟼 蔚委蠂伪谓 蠈位蔚蟼 蟿畏谓 未喂魏萎 蟿慰蠀蟼 蟽魏慰蟿蔚喂谓萎 伪蟿渭蠈蟽蠁伪喂蟻伪 魏伪喂 未蠉蟽魏慰位伪 未蔚谓 胃伪 蟽慰魏维蟻慰蠀谓 渭蔚 蟿畏谓 蔚尉苇位喂尉畏 魏伪喂 魏伪蟿维位畏尉畏 蟿慰蠀蟼.
螣喂 喂蟽蟿慰蟻委蔚蟼 渭蠀蟽蟿畏蟻委慰蠀 蠈渭蠅蟼 尉蔚蟺苇蟻伪蟽伪谓 魏维胃蔚 蟺蟻慰蟽未慰魏委伪 渭慰蠀 魏伪胃蠋蟼 未喂伪蟺委蟽蟿蠅蟽伪 蟿蔚位喂魏维 蠈蟿喂 慰 Doyle 蔚渭蟺谓蔚蠉蟽蟿畏魏蔚 魏伪喂 尾伪蟽委蟽蟿畏魏蔚 纬喂伪 蟿畏谓 未畏渭喂慰蠀蟻纬委伪 蟿慰蠀 Sherlock Holmes, 蟽蟿慰谓 C. Auguste Dupin 蟿慰蠀 Poe. 螚 未慰渭萎, 畏 伪蠁萎纬畏蟽畏 魏伪喂 蟿慰 蠉蠁慰蟼 魏维胃蔚 蟺蔚蟻喂蟺苇蟿蔚喂伪蟼 伪位位维 魏伪喂 畏 伪谓维位蠀蟽畏 蟿蠅谓 蟽蟿慰喂蠂蔚委蠅谓 蟿蠅谓 未蠉慰 谓蟿蔚蟿苇魏蟿喂尾 蔚委谓伪喂 蟺伪谓慰渭慰喂蠈蟿蠀蟺蔚蟼!
螘魏蟺位畏魏蟿喂魏蠈蟼 慰 Poe 纬喂伪 维位位畏 渭喂伪 蠁慰蟻维!
October 31, 2024
4鈽� because it鈥檚 Poe (-1 star for formatting issues in my edition)
鈹� 饾暎饾晼饾晵饾晻饾暁饾暉饾晿 饾暋饾暆饾晵饾暘饾暆饾暁饾暏饾暐:
锔蛾挦陹封櫋陹逢挦锔�
鈹娾攰 鉁� 嗉夆€р倞 饾暐饾暀饾暊饾暒饾晿饾暀饾暐饾暏 + 饾晻饾暁饾暏饾晹饾暒饾暏饾暏饾暁饾暊饾暉: Since this is a short story collection, I鈥檒l just give a brief overview of my thoughts on each story that I read with little to no explanation (or spoilers) because there really isn鈥檛 a way to discuss the book as a whole:
鈥淭he Gold Bug:鈥� Woah I did not see that coming鈥� wait there are cryptograms? This is actually so cool
鈥淭he Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar:鈥� I didn鈥檛 know what I was expecting but it sure wasn鈥檛 THAT ending
鈥淢S. Found in a Bottle:鈥� I鈥檓 sorry but no. I felt like I was reading Moby Dick with all that sailing terminology
鈥淎 Descent into the Maelstr枚m:鈥� Okay鈥� more sailing terminology, but this time it鈥檚 interesting
鈥淭he Murders in the Rue Morgue:鈥� One of my favorites!
鈥淭he Pit and the Pendulum:鈥� Heart-pounding suspense that only Poe could write.
鈥淭he Premature Burial:鈥� Reminiscent of Frankenstein. I like the message that Poe conveys about letting go of your fears.
鈥淭he Black Cat:鈥� I feel so bad for the cat 鈽� This is equally as well-written as it is terrifying.
鈥淭he Masque of the Red Death:鈥� Literally founded the dark royalcore aesthetic. Absolute perfection.
鈥淭he Cask of Amontillado:鈥� I knew it!!
鈥淭he Oval Portrait:鈥� I thought of The Girl with a Pearl Earring as the painting described鈥�
鈥淭he Oblong Box:鈥� I love how he brought a 6 foot long box on a cruise ship and no one was suspicious
鈥淭he Tell-Tale Heart:鈥� Talented, brilliant, incredible, amazing, show stopping, spectacular, never the same
鈥淟igeia:鈥� Perfect ghost story for Halloween
鈥淟oss of Breath:鈥� Very unique
鈥淪hadow- A Parable:鈥� Who are these people?
鈥淪ilence- A Fable:鈥� Yes. Just yes.
鈥淭he Man of the Crowd:鈥� It had an interesting message but I kind of found the ending to be anticlimactic鈥�
锔蛾挦陹封櫋陹逢挦锔�
鈹� 鈹� 鈹� 饾暔饾暀饾暊 饾暏饾暀饾暊饾暒饾暆饾晻 饾暎饾晼饾晵饾晻 饾暁饾暐: For any fan of classic literature, this is a must. Many of the stories have an autumn atmosphere, so seasonal readers would also like this book for September 鈥� November.
鈹� 饾暎饾晼饾晵饾晻饾暁饾暉饾晿 饾暋饾暆饾晵饾暘饾暆饾暁饾暏饾暐:
锔蛾挦陹封櫋陹逢挦锔�
鈹娾攰 鉁� 嗉夆€р倞 饾暐饾暀饾暊饾暒饾晿饾暀饾暐饾暏 + 饾晻饾暁饾暏饾晹饾暒饾暏饾暏饾暁饾暊饾暉: Since this is a short story collection, I鈥檒l just give a brief overview of my thoughts on each story that I read with little to no explanation (or spoilers) because there really isn鈥檛 a way to discuss the book as a whole:
鈥淭he Gold Bug:鈥� Woah I did not see that coming鈥� wait there are cryptograms? This is actually so cool
鈥淭he Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar:鈥� I didn鈥檛 know what I was expecting but it sure wasn鈥檛 THAT ending
鈥淢S. Found in a Bottle:鈥� I鈥檓 sorry but no. I felt like I was reading Moby Dick with all that sailing terminology
鈥淎 Descent into the Maelstr枚m:鈥� Okay鈥� more sailing terminology, but this time it鈥檚 interesting
鈥淭he Murders in the Rue Morgue:鈥� One of my favorites!
鈥淭he Pit and the Pendulum:鈥� Heart-pounding suspense that only Poe could write.
鈥淭he Premature Burial:鈥� Reminiscent of Frankenstein. I like the message that Poe conveys about letting go of your fears.
鈥淭he Black Cat:鈥� I feel so bad for the cat 鈽� This is equally as well-written as it is terrifying.
鈥淭he Masque of the Red Death:鈥� Literally founded the dark royalcore aesthetic. Absolute perfection.
鈥淭he Cask of Amontillado:鈥� I knew it!!
鈥淭he Oval Portrait:鈥� I thought of The Girl with a Pearl Earring as the painting described鈥�
鈥淭he Oblong Box:鈥� I love how he brought a 6 foot long box on a cruise ship and no one was suspicious
鈥淭he Tell-Tale Heart:鈥� Talented, brilliant, incredible, amazing, show stopping, spectacular, never the same
鈥淟igeia:鈥� Perfect ghost story for Halloween
鈥淟oss of Breath:鈥� Very unique
鈥淪hadow- A Parable:鈥� Who are these people?
鈥淪ilence- A Fable:鈥� Yes. Just yes.
鈥淭he Man of the Crowd:鈥� It had an interesting message but I kind of found the ending to be anticlimactic鈥�
锔蛾挦陹封櫋陹逢挦锔�
鈹� 鈹� 鈹� 饾暔饾暀饾暊 饾暏饾暀饾暊饾暒饾暆饾晻 饾暎饾晼饾晵饾晻 饾暁饾暐: For any fan of classic literature, this is a must. Many of the stories have an autumn atmosphere, so seasonal readers would also like this book for September 鈥� November.
May 21, 2025
As with all anthologies, some stories were better than others. They ranged from the absolutely classic Poe masterpieces to stories that I skimmed just to get through. Overall I鈥檒l give this a solid 4 stars.
April 15, 2020
螠慰蠀 维蟻蔚蟽伪谓 蟺蔚蟻喂蟽蟽蠈蟿蔚蟻慰 慰喂 喂蟽蟿慰蟻委蔚蟼 渭蠀蟽蟿畏蟻委慰蠀 蟺慰蠀 蟽蠀渭蟺蔚蟻喂位伪渭尾伪谓伪谓 魏伪喂 苇谓伪 蠄蠀蠂慰纬蟻伪蠁畏渭伪 蟿畏蟼 蟽蠀谓伪喂蟽胃畏渭伪蟿喂魏畏蟼 魏伪蟿维蟽蟿伪蟽畏蟼 蟿慰蠀 螤蠈蔚, 蟺伪蟻维 慰喂 喂蟽蟿慰蟻委蔚蟼 蠁伪谓蟿伪蟽委伪蟼. 螌蟽慰 纬喂伪 蟿慰 蠉蠁慰蟼 蟿慰蠀, 蟿慰 蟺蔚蟻委渭蔚谓伪 蟺蔚蟻喂蟽蟽蠈蟿蔚蟻慰 渭伪魏维尾蟻喂慰, 蟺喂慰 蔚位蔚蠉胃蔚蟻慰, 蟺伪蟻伪未慰渭蔚谓慰 蟽蟿慰 未蟻维渭伪 蟿慰蠀 伪蠁畏纬畏蟿萎 伪蟺慰未蔚蟽渭蔚蠀渭蔚谓慰 伪蟺蠈 蟿慰蠀蟼 蠁慰蟻渭伪位喂蟽渭慰蠀蟼 蟿畏蟼 谓蔚慰伪渭蔚蟻喂魏伪谓喂魏畏蟼 尾慰蟽蟿慰谓蔚味喂魏畏蟼 纬位蠋蟽蟽伪蟼 蟺慰蠀 魏蠀蟻喂伪蟻蠂慰蠉蟽蔚 蟽蟿畏谓 魏伪位萎 魏慰喂谓蠅谓委伪- 魏伪喂 魏慰蠀尾伪位慰蠉蟽蔚 蟿伪 魏伪蟿维位慰喂蟺伪 蟿畏蟼 位慰谓未蟻苇味喂魏畏蟼 蔚蠀纬苇谓蔚喂伪蟼. 螣 蠁蠅魏谓蔚蟻 伪蟼 蟺慰蠉渭蔚 苇蠂蔚喂 苇谓伪 慰位慰魏位畏蟻蠅蟿喂魏维 未喂魏蠈 蟿慰蠀 蟽蟿蠀位, 魏伪喂 畏 纬位蠋蟽蟽伪 蟿慰蠀 伪喂蟽胃畏蟿喂魏维 蟽蔚 尾维味蔚喂 蟽蟿慰 蟺蔚蟿蟽委 蟿慰蠀 魏维胃蔚 蠂伪蟻伪魏蟿萎蟻伪 蟽蔚 蟺蟻蠋蟿慰 蟺蟻蠈蟽蠅蟺慰, 魏伪喂 尾位苇蟺蔚喂蟼 渭苇蟽伪 伪蟺蠈 蟿伪 渭维蟿喂伪 蟿慰蠀, 蔚委蟿蔚 蔚委谓伪喂 苇谓伪蟼 纬蔚位伪未伪蟻畏蟼, 蔚委蟿蔚 慰 未喂魏畏纬蠈蟻慰蟼 蟿畏蟼 魏慰渭畏蟿蔚委伪蟼. 危蟿慰谓 螤蠈蔚 萎蟿伪谓 蟽伪 谓伪 未喂伪尾伪蟽蠅 渭喂伪 蔚蟺委蟽畏渭畏 伪蠁萎纬畏蟽畏 蔚谓蠈蟼 纬蟻维渭渭伪蟿慰蟼, 魏伪喂 未蔚谓 蠀蟺萎蟻蠂蔚 渭蔚纬维位畏 未喂伪魏蠉渭伪谓蟽畏 伪谓维渭蔚蟽伪 蟽蟿慰谓 魏伪胃蔚 蠂伪蟻伪魏蟿萎蟻伪. . 螉蟽蠅蟼 萎蟿伪谓 魏伪喂 畏 渭蔚蟿维蠁蟻伪蟽畏. Rather than that, 蟽魏慰蟿蠋谓蔚蟿伪喂 蔚蠀蠂维蟻喂蟽蟿伪 畏 蠋蟻伪 蟽慰蠀.
March 22, 2020
Some stories in this collection are better than others. For example, Edgar Allan Poe's detective stories such as "The Murders in Rue Morgue" or "The Mystery of Marie Rog锚t" were inferior in quality in comparison with "The Fall of the House of Usher", "The Pit and the Pendulum", and my absolute favorite, "The Black Cat". This story is, to my mind, the pinnacle of Poe's macabre genius (as far as his prose goes), as it shows vividly the gradual mental breakdown from first person perspective. Not to mention it really pushed me to the limit in regard to my disgust of animal torture! The idea of a slow, but impending doom is also the theme of his second best story "The Pit and the Pendulum".
As said previously, Poe is a genius, and a master of macabre, but his talent is even better expressed in his poetry, which this book sadly lacks, so I had to acquire his poetry collection separately.
As said previously, Poe is a genius, and a master of macabre, but his talent is even better expressed in his poetry, which this book sadly lacks, so I had to acquire his poetry collection separately.
March 26, 2023
my first edgar allan poe!
six brilliantly written tales with the perfect amount of intrigue and suspense - if you love a good detective story with riddles & secrets, this is just the book for you!
i highly recommend this, it was very fun to read!
six brilliantly written tales with the perfect amount of intrigue and suspense - if you love a good detective story with riddles & secrets, this is just the book for you!
i highly recommend this, it was very fun to read!
September 9, 2017
First who reads Poe to their kiddies though I suppose it's no worse than some of the fairy stories the kids like. Speaking of fairy tales, though I know it's not his best, I couldn't help wishing 'The Island of the Fay' was included not because it's his best story but because I think it would make for an evocative illustration. Obviously not all of Poe's stories are included in this volume though probably two-thirds are. I think every story has a picture though not all have a color illustration. Some of the black and and white pictures are as good as the color ones. Oddly the color illustrations aren't with the story they depict but scattered throughout the book. None have more than four or five colors and I believe I counted ten color illustrations in all. The black and white pictures are with thei proper text and two that stood out are of 'The Pit and the Pendulum' and 'The Muders in the Rue Morgue'. The Pit pic is notable for the horrified expression and the Rue Morgue because the shadowed figures trail lacelike tendrils from he ladies gowns and some of th gents clothes and hair and even the dogs fur which helps depict their made race to find the killer. The pictures are evocative of the 19th century though per the back of the title pages it states that Arthur Rackham's Poe work was first shown in 1935.
A word about the volume itself; it has no dust jacket to lose in the nursery but it's sturdy and has a small set in color illustration on the cover. There's also a slate gray silk cord to mark your place in the book.
A word about the volume itself; it has no dust jacket to lose in the nursery but it's sturdy and has a small set in color illustration on the cover. There's also a slate gray silk cord to mark your place in the book.
November 14, 2022
It's official. I'm a Poehead. I just know know that Poe could hang.
1 The Tell Tale Heart
2 Berenice
3 The Raven
4 A Descent into the Maelstrom
5 The Bells
6 Fall of the House of Usher
7 Silence
8 The Cask of Amontillado
9 The Goldbug
10 The Masque of the Red Death
11 The Imp of the Perverse
12 The Premature Burial
13 Hop-Frog
14 William Wilson
15 Annabel Lee
16 The Mystery of Marie Roget
17 The Colloquy of Monos and Una
18 Ms. Found in a bottle
19 Ligeia
20 The Murders of the Rue Morgue
21 Morella
22 Bon Bon
23 Metzengerstein
24 The Black Cat
25 The Conversation of Eiros and Charmion
26 The Assignation
27 The Oval Portrait
28 The Pit and the Pendulum
29 The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar
30 The Oblong Box
31 The Man of the Crowd
32 The Purloined Letter
33 The Spectacles
34 Landor's Cottage
35 King Pest
40 Lionizing
If I wrote a Poe story, this would be the scaffold:
- A man in the afterlife having a conversation with a deceased lover.
- Following his wife's passing he develops a misunderstood medical condition that causes him to black out.
- He figures out he dresses up as an orangutan and kills people, solely for the reason that it's the wrong thing to do.
- He is confident no one will find out (maybe only Dupin could), but he confesses to the police.
- Runs away into a wine cellar, hidden under the floorboards.
- Townsfolk get mad and set his gothic house on fire -- the smoke takes the form of an orangutan (kino).
- Cellar collapses on him, burying him alive.
Yeah, I'm a bit of a Poehead.
1 The Tell Tale Heart
2 Berenice
3 The Raven
4 A Descent into the Maelstrom
5 The Bells
6 Fall of the House of Usher
7 Silence
8 The Cask of Amontillado
9 The Goldbug
10 The Masque of the Red Death
11 The Imp of the Perverse
12 The Premature Burial
13 Hop-Frog
14 William Wilson
15 Annabel Lee
16 The Mystery of Marie Roget
17 The Colloquy of Monos and Una
18 Ms. Found in a bottle
19 Ligeia
20 The Murders of the Rue Morgue
21 Morella
22 Bon Bon
23 Metzengerstein
24 The Black Cat
25 The Conversation of Eiros and Charmion
26 The Assignation
27 The Oval Portrait
28 The Pit and the Pendulum
29 The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar
30 The Oblong Box
31 The Man of the Crowd
32 The Purloined Letter
33 The Spectacles
34 Landor's Cottage
35 King Pest
40 Lionizing
If I wrote a Poe story, this would be the scaffold:
- A man in the afterlife having a conversation with a deceased lover.
- Following his wife's passing he develops a misunderstood medical condition that causes him to black out.
- He figures out he dresses up as an orangutan and kills people, solely for the reason that it's the wrong thing to do.
- He is confident no one will find out (maybe only Dupin could), but he confesses to the police.
- Runs away into a wine cellar, hidden under the floorboards.
- Townsfolk get mad and set his gothic house on fire -- the smoke takes the form of an orangutan (kino).
- Cellar collapses on him, burying him alive.
Yeah, I'm a bit of a Poehead.
December 13, 2017
I read this compendium of Poe's stories while still at high-school.
Loved it then and love it now.
Poe was a trailblazer in the mystery, suspense and horror genres and his writing has been hugely influential, changing the world of literature.
"The Murders in the Rue Morgue", considered the first modern detective story, is a short masterpiece. Grisly and gory by the standards of its day, this tale is well worth a read today, as are all the other wonderful tales in this collection of Poe's works. In particular, "The Tell-Tale Heart" and "The Pit and the Pendulum".
Loved it then and love it now.
Poe was a trailblazer in the mystery, suspense and horror genres and his writing has been hugely influential, changing the world of literature.
"The Murders in the Rue Morgue", considered the first modern detective story, is a short masterpiece. Grisly and gory by the standards of its day, this tale is well worth a read today, as are all the other wonderful tales in this collection of Poe's works. In particular, "The Tell-Tale Heart" and "The Pit and the Pendulum".
January 23, 2015
Tales of Mystery and Imagination is a great compilation of short stories by Egdar Allan Poe, including some of his most appraised works, like "The Tell-Tale Heart", "The Black Cat", and "The Murders in the Rue Morgue"; and quite a few of lesser known - and also great - works, such as "The Colloquy of Monos and Una" and "Berenice". This collection was a good mixture of horror and mystery, and I highly recommend checking out Poe's works if you haven't already!
December 17, 2014
亘賴鬲乇 丕夭 亘賵乇禺爻 賳亘賵丿貙 賵賱蹖 亘丕 鬲賯乇蹖亘賽 禺蹖賱蹖 禺賵亘蹖 禺賵亘 亘賵丿.
乇锟斤拷夭丌賱賵丿蹖賽 讴鬲丕亘卮 丕夭 噩賳爻 賮乇蹖讴 賱蹖鬲乇蹖趩乇 蹖丕 丕丿亘蹖丕鬲賽 睾乇蹖亘 賳亘賵丿 賲爻賱賲丕賸貙 蹖賴 胤賵乇蹖 亘賵丿 讴賴 丌禺乇賽 丿丕爻鬲丕賳鈥屬囏� 賲爻丕賱賴 丨賱 賲蹖鈥屫簇�
丕賱亘鬲賴 賲賳馗賵乇賲 丕蹖賳 賳蹖爻鬲 讴賴 讴丕乇丕诏丕賴蹖鈥屫焚堌� 亘賵丿貙 丕賲丕 禺亘 亘賴 爻亘讴賽 亘賵乇禺爻 賴賲 賳亘賵丿 讴賴 賲孬賱丕賸 亘丕 蹖賴 趩蹖夭賽 禺蹖賱蹖 毓噩蹖亘 賲賵丕噩賴 卮蹖 賵 鬲賵卮 诏蹖乇 讴賳蹖 賵 賴蹖趩 賵賯鬲 賳鬲賵賳蹖 丕夭卮 禺賱丕氐 卮蹖.
卮丕蹖丿 亘賯蹖賴鈥� 丿丕爻鬲丕賳鈥屬囏ж� 乇賵 賴賲 亘禺賵賳賲.
乇锟斤拷夭丌賱賵丿蹖賽 讴鬲丕亘卮 丕夭 噩賳爻 賮乇蹖讴 賱蹖鬲乇蹖趩乇 蹖丕 丕丿亘蹖丕鬲賽 睾乇蹖亘 賳亘賵丿 賲爻賱賲丕賸貙 蹖賴 胤賵乇蹖 亘賵丿 讴賴 丌禺乇賽 丿丕爻鬲丕賳鈥屬囏� 賲爻丕賱賴 丨賱 賲蹖鈥屫簇�
丕賱亘鬲賴 賲賳馗賵乇賲 丕蹖賳 賳蹖爻鬲 讴賴 讴丕乇丕诏丕賴蹖鈥屫焚堌� 亘賵丿貙 丕賲丕 禺亘 亘賴 爻亘讴賽 亘賵乇禺爻 賴賲 賳亘賵丿 讴賴 賲孬賱丕賸 亘丕 蹖賴 趩蹖夭賽 禺蹖賱蹖 毓噩蹖亘 賲賵丕噩賴 卮蹖 賵 鬲賵卮 诏蹖乇 讴賳蹖 賵 賴蹖趩 賵賯鬲 賳鬲賵賳蹖 丕夭卮 禺賱丕氐 卮蹖.
卮丕蹖丿 亘賯蹖賴鈥� 丿丕爻鬲丕賳鈥屬囏ж� 乇賵 賴賲 亘禺賵賳賲.
July 30, 2015
韦蟻蔚委蟼 喂蟽蟿慰蟻委蔚蟼 渭蠀锟斤拷蟿畏蟻委慰蠀 蟿慰蠀 螤蠈蔚, 蟽蔚 渭喂伪 蠀蟺苇蟻慰蠂畏 苇魏未慰蟽畏. 危魏位畏蟻蠈 蔚尉蠋蠁蠀位位慰 魏伪喂 喂位慰蠀蟽蟿蟻伪蟽喂蠈谓 蟽蔚位委未蔚蟼 渭蔚 蠀蟺苇蟻慰蠂畏 魏伪喂 伪蟺蠈位蠀蟿伪 蟿伪喂蟻喂伪蟽蟿萎 蔚喂魏慰谓慰纬蟻维蠁畏蟽畏.
螤苇蟻伪蟽伪 蠈渭慰蟻蠁伪 未喂伪尾维味慰谓蟿维蟼 蟿慰 魏伪喂 蟺委谓慰谓蟿伪蟼 蟿慰谓 魏伪蠁苇 渭慰蠀.
螤苇蟻伪蟽伪 蠈渭慰蟻蠁伪 未喂伪尾维味慰谓蟿维蟼 蟿慰 魏伪喂 蟺委谓慰谓蟿伪蟼 蟿慰谓 魏伪蠁苇 渭慰蠀.
June 9, 2021
4鈥�5. Ante este, mi primer acercamiento a la obra de Poe, no me queda otra que sentirme muy gratamente sorprendido. No todos los cuentos de esta selecci贸n me han gustado por igual, 隆ojal谩!, pero los he encontrado todos sumamente diferentes y, a la vez, con una atrayente e ins贸lita esencia com煤n.
No se c贸mo ser谩 la experiencia lectora sin la brillante traducci贸n de Cort谩zar o sin la compa帽铆a de las precios铆simas ilustraciones de Clarke, pero lo que s铆 s茅 es que esta recopilaci贸n en concreto vale la pena aunque solo sea por ello.
驴Mis cuentos preferidos? William Wilson (soberbio), El gato negro (sobresaliente), La verdad sobre el caso del se帽or Valdemar (sublime), La m谩scara de la muerte roja (perfecto), Morella (贸ptimo), La ca铆da de la casa Usher (fenomenal), El escarabajo de oro (magistral) y Los cr铆menes de la fue Morgue (ligeramente rid铆culo, si se me permite, pero fascinante). Los releer茅 sin duda.
No se c贸mo ser谩 la experiencia lectora sin la brillante traducci贸n de Cort谩zar o sin la compa帽铆a de las precios铆simas ilustraciones de Clarke, pero lo que s铆 s茅 es que esta recopilaci贸n en concreto vale la pena aunque solo sea por ello.
驴Mis cuentos preferidos? William Wilson (soberbio), El gato negro (sobresaliente), La verdad sobre el caso del se帽or Valdemar (sublime), La m谩scara de la muerte roja (perfecto), Morella (贸ptimo), La ca铆da de la casa Usher (fenomenal), El escarabajo de oro (magistral) y Los cr铆menes de la fue Morgue (ligeramente rid铆culo, si se me permite, pero fascinante). Los releer茅 sin duda.
March 26, 2019
I came to understand, while reading this collection, that Poe is remembered for his ideas, rather than his writing. He is often credited as the origin of such innovations as the unreliable narrator and the modern detective story, and such inventiveness is amply on display in these stories. But it鈥檚 blended with object lessons for any beginning writer struggling with such technical matters as the importance of selecting the right point of view for a story, or the value of showing over telling.
In short, Poe鈥檚 ability to invent a story is magnificent. His ability to tell one, however, is middling. Too often he provides a first-person narrator at a remove from the story, so that the narrator is being told a summary of the actual story by another character who is more central to it. The detective stories featuring C. Auguste Dupin, for instance, are related by a first-person narrator to whom Dupin tells the actual story, in summary masquerading as dialogue. (Other 19th-century writers suffered from this same contorted POV problem; Mary W Shelley鈥檚 Frankenstein and Emily Bronte鈥檚 Wuthering Heights leap to mind.) Or a narrative that begins inside the story will then take a leap away from it, as does 鈥淭he Gold Bug,鈥� which begins with a first-person narrator trying to make sense out of his friend's apparent madness, appears to climax with the friend鈥檚 vindication as they dig up a pirate鈥檚 massive treasure, and then disintegrates with a coda longer than the story itself in which the friend explains to the narrator how he came to discover the treasure map, how he deciphered the encoded message it contained, and so on.
The trouble with this kind of narrative distance is that it sucks the energy out a story. There is no suspense at all in the decipherment of the treasure map, because the reader has already seen the treasure discovered. There鈥檚 likewise diminished suspense in 鈥淒escent into the Maelstrom,鈥� for the man who experienced the harrowing ride on a ship sucked down into a huge ocean vortex is sitting on a rock, relating that experience to the story鈥檚 narrator. And it鈥檚 a terrible waste of some of Poe鈥檚 excellent ideas.
All that technical complaining aside, there are some superb stories in this volume, and the ones that are best known are generally also the best executed. 鈥淭he Cask of Amontillado鈥� is everything for which one reads Poe, with its demented unreliable narrator, rationalizing a particularly cruel murder while never telling the reader exactly what wrong was done to him that justifies it in his mind. In 鈥淭he Tell-Tale Heart,鈥� a murderer鈥檚 conscience famously gets the better of him. And 鈥淲illiam Wilson,鈥� my overall favorite, shows a dissolute man with a splintered identity, at war with his own conscience, which he perceives as a separately incarnated man. I read that Patricia Highsmith was particularly influenced by Poe, and I believe it; one can see quite distinctly in these stories the embryos of men like Charlie Bruno, Guy Haines, and Tom Ripley.
In short, Poe鈥檚 ability to invent a story is magnificent. His ability to tell one, however, is middling. Too often he provides a first-person narrator at a remove from the story, so that the narrator is being told a summary of the actual story by another character who is more central to it. The detective stories featuring C. Auguste Dupin, for instance, are related by a first-person narrator to whom Dupin tells the actual story, in summary masquerading as dialogue. (Other 19th-century writers suffered from this same contorted POV problem; Mary W Shelley鈥檚 Frankenstein and Emily Bronte鈥檚 Wuthering Heights leap to mind.) Or a narrative that begins inside the story will then take a leap away from it, as does 鈥淭he Gold Bug,鈥� which begins with a first-person narrator trying to make sense out of his friend's apparent madness, appears to climax with the friend鈥檚 vindication as they dig up a pirate鈥檚 massive treasure, and then disintegrates with a coda longer than the story itself in which the friend explains to the narrator how he came to discover the treasure map, how he deciphered the encoded message it contained, and so on.
The trouble with this kind of narrative distance is that it sucks the energy out a story. There is no suspense at all in the decipherment of the treasure map, because the reader has already seen the treasure discovered. There鈥檚 likewise diminished suspense in 鈥淒escent into the Maelstrom,鈥� for the man who experienced the harrowing ride on a ship sucked down into a huge ocean vortex is sitting on a rock, relating that experience to the story鈥檚 narrator. And it鈥檚 a terrible waste of some of Poe鈥檚 excellent ideas.
All that technical complaining aside, there are some superb stories in this volume, and the ones that are best known are generally also the best executed. 鈥淭he Cask of Amontillado鈥� is everything for which one reads Poe, with its demented unreliable narrator, rationalizing a particularly cruel murder while never telling the reader exactly what wrong was done to him that justifies it in his mind. In 鈥淭he Tell-Tale Heart,鈥� a murderer鈥檚 conscience famously gets the better of him. And 鈥淲illiam Wilson,鈥� my overall favorite, shows a dissolute man with a splintered identity, at war with his own conscience, which he perceives as a separately incarnated man. I read that Patricia Highsmith was particularly influenced by Poe, and I believe it; one can see quite distinctly in these stories the embryos of men like Charlie Bruno, Guy Haines, and Tom Ripley.
November 18, 2019
丿賳蹖丕蹖 倬賵 丿賳蹖丕蹖 噩丿蹖丿蹖 賳蹖爻鬲. 亘卮乇 趩卮賲 讴賴 亘丕夭 讴乇丿賴 乇賵蹖 丕蹖賳 讴乇賴 禺丕讴蹖貙 噩賴丕賳 賲毓賲丕蹖蹖 乇丕 丿蹖丿賴. 噩賴丕賳 亘蹖卮 丕夭 丨丿 诏卮丕丿賴 賵 賲噩賴賵賱 賵 爻乇趩卮賲賴 丕賳賵丕毓 鬲賴丿蹖丿. 丿乇 丕蹖賳 噩賴丕賳 丕囟胤乇丕亘鈥屫①勝堌� 丕爻鬲 讴賴 賯賴乇賲丕賳鈥屬囏й� 讴賳噩讴丕賵 倬賵貙 丕蹖賳 倬丿乇 丿丕爻鬲丕賳鈥屬嗁堐屫驰� 讴丕乇丕诏丕賴蹖貙 亘賴 賲蹖丿丕賳 賲蹖鈥屫③屬嗀�. 亘丕 禺賵卮亘蹖賳蹖 賵 丕胤賲蹖賳丕賳 亘爻蹖丕乇 亘賴 鬲賵丕賳丕蹖蹖 匕賴賳蹖 丕賳爻丕賳 亘賴 丨賱 賲噩賴賵賱 賵 讴爻亘 丌诏丕賴蹖 讴賴 胤賳蹖賳蹖 丕夭 禺賵卮亘蹖賳蹖 賮賱爻賮蹖 丕賳爻丕賳 毓氐乇 賲丿乇賳 丿丕乇丿. 賲毓賲丕賴丕蹖蹖 讴賴 亘賴 丌爻丕賳蹖 丨賱 賲蹖鈥屫促堎嗀� 賵 卮诏賮鬲蹖鈥屬囏й屰� 讴賴 蹖讴蹖 倬爻 丕夭 丿蹖诏乇蹖 卮诏賮鬲蹖鈥屫藏й屰� 賲蹖鈥屫促堎嗀� 賵 亘賴 氐賵乇鬲 蹖讴 爻乇蹖 毓賱鬲 賵 賲毓賱賵賱 賲賳胤賯蹖 丿乇 賲蹖鈥屫③屬嗀�. 賵賱蹖 亘賴鬲乇蹖賳 丿丕爻鬲丕賳鈥屬囏й� 倬賵貙 丿丕爻鬲丕賳鈥屬囏й� 丿蹖诏乇蹖鈥� 賴爻鬲賳丿. 丿丕爻鬲丕賳鈥屬囏й屰� 亘丕夭 賴賲 賲毓賲丕蹖蹖 賵賱蹖 丕蹖賳 亘丕乇 丿丕爻鬲丕賳 爻禺鬲鈥屫臂屬� 賲毓賲丕賴丕. 賲乇诏. 丕蹖賳 丕丨鬲賲丕賱丕 賴賲丕賳 噩賴丕賳蹖鈥屫池� 讴賴 丕夭 倬賵 賲蹖鈥屫促嗀ж驰屬� 丿乇 氐丕丿賯丕賳賴鈥屫臂屬� 丨丕賱鬲卮. 噩賴丕賳蹖 鬲丕乇蹖讴貙 賲噩賴賵賱 賵 亘蹖 乇丕賴鈥屫�.
*
丕诏乇 丌賳 胤賵賮丕賳 讴賴 賲丕 乇丕 鬲丕 丕蹖賳噩丕 丿賳亘丕賱 讴乇丿貙 亘丕毓孬 卮丿 讴賴 丕夭 鬲乇爻 亘賴 賱乇夭賴 丿乇丌蹖賲貙 丕蹖賳 鬲乇爻 賲賳 亘賴 噩丕 亘賵丿. 賲诏乇 丨賯 賳丿丕卮鬲賲 丿乇 亘乇丕亘乇 倬蹖讴丕乇 亘丕丿 賵 丕賯蹖丕賳賵爻貙 讴賴 讴賱賲丕鬲 賲亘鬲匕賱 賵 毓丕丿蹖 诏乇丿亘丕丿 賵 胤賵賮丕賳 讴賲鬲乇蹖賳 鬲氐賵乇蹖 丕夭 賲禺丕賮鬲 賵 毓馗賲鬲 丌賳 乇丕 亘賴 匕賴賳 丌丿賲蹖 乇丕賴 賳賲蹖鈥屫堌з嗁嗀� 丿丕丿貙 亘賴 賵丨卮鬲 丿乇丌蹖賲責 丕讴賳賵賳 讴卮鬲蹖 賲丕 夭賳丿丕賳蹖 馗賱賲鬲 毓賲蹖賯 卮亘蹖 噩丕賵丿丕賳蹖 賵 丌亘 爻蹖丕賴蹖 丕爻鬲 讴賴 丿蹖诏乇 讴賮 亘乇 賱亘 賳賲蹖鈥屫①堌必�. 賵賱蹖 丿乇 賮丕氐賱賴 蹖讴 賲蹖丿丕賳貙 丕夭 賴乇 胤乇賮 讴卮鬲蹖貙 亘賴 胤賵乇 賲亘賴賲 賵 賮丕氐賱賴 亘賴 賮丕氐賱賴貙 丿賵 丿蹖賵丕乇賴鈥屰� 毓馗蹖賲 蹖禺 賲蹖鈥屫ㄛ屬嗁� 讴賴 亘賴 爻賵蹖 丌爻賲丕賳 禺丕賲賵卮 亘丕 乇賮鬲賴 丕賳丿 賵 诏賵蹖蹖 丿賵 丿蹖賵丕乇蹖 賴爻鬲賳丿 讴賴 亘乇 诏乇丿 丿賳蹖丕 讴卮蹖丿賴 卮丿賴鈥屫з嗀�.
* "丕夭 丿丕爻鬲丕賳 "賳賵卮鬲賴鈥屫й� 讴賴 丿乇 亘胤乇蹖 倬蹖丿丕 卮丿
*
丕诏乇 丌賳 胤賵賮丕賳 讴賴 賲丕 乇丕 鬲丕 丕蹖賳噩丕 丿賳亘丕賱 讴乇丿貙 亘丕毓孬 卮丿 讴賴 丕夭 鬲乇爻 亘賴 賱乇夭賴 丿乇丌蹖賲貙 丕蹖賳 鬲乇爻 賲賳 亘賴 噩丕 亘賵丿. 賲诏乇 丨賯 賳丿丕卮鬲賲 丿乇 亘乇丕亘乇 倬蹖讴丕乇 亘丕丿 賵 丕賯蹖丕賳賵爻貙 讴賴 讴賱賲丕鬲 賲亘鬲匕賱 賵 毓丕丿蹖 诏乇丿亘丕丿 賵 胤賵賮丕賳 讴賲鬲乇蹖賳 鬲氐賵乇蹖 丕夭 賲禺丕賮鬲 賵 毓馗賲鬲 丌賳 乇丕 亘賴 匕賴賳 丌丿賲蹖 乇丕賴 賳賲蹖鈥屫堌з嗁嗀� 丿丕丿貙 亘賴 賵丨卮鬲 丿乇丌蹖賲責 丕讴賳賵賳 讴卮鬲蹖 賲丕 夭賳丿丕賳蹖 馗賱賲鬲 毓賲蹖賯 卮亘蹖 噩丕賵丿丕賳蹖 賵 丌亘 爻蹖丕賴蹖 丕爻鬲 讴賴 丿蹖诏乇 讴賮 亘乇 賱亘 賳賲蹖鈥屫①堌必�. 賵賱蹖 丿乇 賮丕氐賱賴 蹖讴 賲蹖丿丕賳貙 丕夭 賴乇 胤乇賮 讴卮鬲蹖貙 亘賴 胤賵乇 賲亘賴賲 賵 賮丕氐賱賴 亘賴 賮丕氐賱賴貙 丿賵 丿蹖賵丕乇賴鈥屰� 毓馗蹖賲 蹖禺 賲蹖鈥屫ㄛ屬嗁� 讴賴 亘賴 爻賵蹖 丌爻賲丕賳 禺丕賲賵卮 亘丕 乇賮鬲賴 丕賳丿 賵 诏賵蹖蹖 丿賵 丿蹖賵丕乇蹖 賴爻鬲賳丿 讴賴 亘乇 诏乇丿 丿賳蹖丕 讴卮蹖丿賴 卮丿賴鈥屫з嗀�.
* "丕夭 丿丕爻鬲丕賳 "賳賵卮鬲賴鈥屫й� 讴賴 丿乇 亘胤乇蹖 倬蹖丿丕 卮丿
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