3.

From horror to ratiocination

Edgar Allan Poe 1809-49

Greatest American teller of mystery and suspense tales in the 19th century
Father of American detective stories, writer of fiction , poet, critic
His poetry is atypical for the American poetry
From horror to ratiocination : horror meaning his detective/gothic stories implying characters with many
fears, afraid of illness/death ,ratiocination ( to reason logically )
The Fall of the House of Usher Gothic story
Wiliam Wilson short fiction story
The Purloined Letter detective story
Annabel Lee poem, ballad
The Raven poem
The Philosophy of Composition - essay
His works carry traits of his own experiences, had a traumatic life ----- autobiographical projection upon
stories such as Annabel Lee, The Fall of The House of Usher ( ramane orfan de mic, iar mai tarziu la
varsta de 20 de ani se casatoreste cu verisoara lui de 30 de ani, care moare de tuberculoza. De-a lungul
vietii sale isi pierde mama,mama vitrega si sotia aceste experiente devin viitoare teme ale operelor
sale) :
Annabel Lee poem inspired by Poes dead wife -- the theme of beautiful and dying woman
The Fall of the House of Usher motif of incest between Roderick Usher ( personajul principal ) and
Lady Madeline ( his sister) based on Poes life experience ( he himself married his older cousin ), the
theme of beautiful and dying woman

Annabel Lee :

Melancholy muse - the theme of beautiful and dying woman

The poem's narrator describes his love for Annabel Lee, which began many years ago in a "kingdom by
the sea". Though they were young, their love for one another burned with such an intensity that angels
became envious. It is for that reason that the narrator believes the seraphim caused her death. Even so,
their love is strong enough that it extends beyond the grave and the narrator believes their two souls are
still entwined. Every night, he dreams of Annabel Lee and sees the brightness of her eyes in the stars.
Every night he lies down by her side in her tomb by the sea.
Death saves her forever, it freezes her in the poets memory at the peak of her perfection
Prosody : six stanzas, trochaic rythm, as in The Raven
Gothic elements :
- the setting - the kingdom by the sea undefined, mysterious location
- the general theme of death

The Philosophy of Composition :

the poet as a critic

a free lesson in creative writing, how the perfect poem may be achieved, poetrys function as an art form
an essay on poetics in which he discusses how he crafted his poem The Raven according to his
methods focusing on order and beauty (aestheticism)
3 central elements in this essay :
Length - Poe believed that all literary works should be short. He especially emphasized this "rule" with
regards to poetry, but also noted that the short story is superior to the novel for this reason.
Method - Poe dismissed the notion of artistic intuition and argued that writing is methodical and
analytical, not spontaneous.
"Unity of effect" - The essay states Poe's conviction that a work of fiction should be written only after
the author has decided how it is to end and which emotional response, or "effect," he wishes to create,
commonly known as the "unity of effect." Once this effect has been determined, the writer should decide
all other matters pertaining to the composition of the work (tone, theme, setting, characters, conflict,
and plot)

The Fall of The House of Usher :

Short horror/gothic story

Plot : The story begins with the unnamed narrator arriving at the house of his friend, Roderick Usher,
having received a letter from him in a distant part of the country complaining of an illness and asking for
his help. Although Poe wrote this short story before the invention of modern psychological science,
Roderick's condition can be described according to its terminology. It includes a form of sensory
overload known as hyperesthesia(hypersensitivity to textures, light, sounds, smells and
tastes), hypochondria (an excessive preoccupation or worry about having a serious illness) and
acute anxiety. It is revealed that Roderick's twin sister, Madeline, is also ill and falls into cataleptic,
deathlike trances. The narrator is impressed with Roderick's paintings, and attempts to cheer him by
reading with him and listening to his improvised musical compositions on the guitar. Roderick later
informs the narrator that his sister has died and insists that she be entombed for two weeks in the family
tomb located in the house before being permanently buried. The narrator helps Roderick put the body in
the tomb, and he notes that Madeline has rosy cheeks, as some do after death. They inter her, but over
the next week both Roderick and the narrator find themselves becoming increasingly agitated for no
apparent reason. A storm begins. Roderick comes to the narrator's bedroom,agitated..The narrator
attempts to calm Roderick by reading aloud The Mad Tryst, which symbolically is a parallel between the
medieval story (with a hero, hermit and a dragon) and what was actually happening in the house.
Roderick becomes increasingly hysterical, and eventually exclaims that the sounds they were hearing are
being made by his sister, who was in fact alive when she was entombed. (Roderick somehow knew that

she was alive) The bedroom door is then blown open to reveal Madeline standing there. She falls on her
brother, and both land on the floor as corpses. The narrator then flees the house, and, as he does so,
notices a flash of moonlight behind him which causes him to turn back.As he watches, the House of
Usher splits in two and the fragments sink into the tarn.
Themes : the mental alienation of the main character Roderick. The motif of incest. The death of a
beautiful woman.
Only 3 characters: Roderick Usher, Lady Madeline (his sister), the narrator-Rodericks friend
The Southern Myth founded by E.A.Poe - includes gothic elements/major themes : a great house and
family falling into decay and ruin, a hero half in love with death, a pale heroine more dead than alive
Gothic elements :
- Rodericks mindset : retreats from the world, imprisoned spirit, terror, fear of time and death, lives in
a tragic loneliness
- The setting : mysterious,unknown location, time : autumn, the season of death
- The house : secret cellars and dungeons, old furniture, dim light, gothic arch and halls, black
curtains, high ceiling, coffins
- Themes : reanimation of the dead, premature burial, ghostly presence (Lady Madeline),
decomposition, a hero living in terror and mistery

The Raven :

Narrative poem
Plot : Late one night, he hears a tapping sound at his door. At first he thinks it is merely someone
coming to visit him. Instead of opening the door, he begins to reminisce on his lost love, Lenore, who
has recently died. Finally, the man begins to fear what is on the other side of the door. When he works
up the courage to open the door, all he sees is darkness.
The narrator continues to hear the tapping, so he checks the window. In flies a raven who lands on a
sculpture of Athena above his door. The narrator asks the raven what its name is. The raven answers,
"Nevermore" (line 48). He then muses that "on the morrow he will leave" like everyone else in his life
(line 59). Again, the raven answers with "Nevermore" (line 60). This is the only word the raven speaks
to the narrator.
Eventually, the narrator begins to ask the raven about Lenore. When he asks if Lenore is in Heaven,
the raven repeats, "Nevermore" (line 90). This angers the narrator who then yells "Be that word our sign
of parting, bird or fiend!" (line 97). The raven does not move. The narrator realizes that the bird will
never leave because it represents his memory of Lenore which will also never leave him.

Gothic elements : theme of death and grief, the black bird as a supernatural element, darkness and night,
the ravens arrival is a mistery, death of a woman, gloomy atmosphere
This story deals with the strange aspects of psychological process, madness and extreme emotion,
melancholy, a dark vision or imagery and his fantasy.
Setting : bleak December ,at night

William Wilson :

Short story fiction

Theme of doppelganger/ theme of the double (in William Wilson and The Fall of the House of Usher)
Autobiographic piece of fiction

Plot : The story follows a man of "a noble descent" who calls himself William Wilson.After several
paragraphs, the narration then segues into a description of Wilson's boyhood, which was spent in a
school "in a misty-looking village of England".( Gothic scenery ) William meets another boy in his
school who shared the same name, who had roughly the same appearance, and who was even born on
exactly the same date (January 19, Poe's own birthday). William's name (he asserts that his actual name
is only similar to "William Wilson") embarrasses him because it sounds "plebeian" or common, and he is
irked that he must hear the name twice as much on account of the other William.The boy also dresses
like William, walks like him, and even looks similar to him, but he could only speak in a whisper, he
imitates that whisper exactly. He begins to give advice to William of an unspecified nature, which he
refuses to obey, resenting the boy's "arrogance". One night he steals into the other William's bedroom
and recoils in horror at the boy's face-which now resembles his own. William then immediately leaves
the academy, and in the same week, the other boy follows suit. William eventually
attends Eton and Oxford, gradually becoming more debauched and performing what he terms
"mischief". For example, he steals from a man by cheating at cards. The other William appears, his face
covered, whispers a few words sufficient to alert others to William's behavior, and then leaves with no
others seeing his face. William is haunted by his double in subsequent years.In his latest caper, he
attempts to seduce a married woman at Carnival in Rome, but the other William stops him; the enraged
protagonist drags his "unresisting" double who wears identical clothes into an antechamber, and
stabs him fatally.After William does this, a large mirror suddenly seems to appear. Reflected at him, he
sees "mine own image, but with features all pale and dabbled in blood": apparently the dead double, "but
he spoke no longer in a whisper".

Theme : the obsessive double self, both William Wilson and The Fall of The House of Usher versions
of a reflection of the deeply ingrained sense of solitude
This second self haunts the protagonist and leads him to insanity and also represents his own insanity
The game of hiding and revealing of identities that a masquerade produces is appropriate to the story
because the narrator and his other self cease to hide their identities from each other, and upon the reveal,
the two bodies are symbolically reduced to one.

The Purloined Letter (Scrisoarea furata) :

Short detective story. Poe has three detective stories

Inspired other authors ( Caragiale- O scrisoare pierduta) he borrowed 2 themes : the sexual scandal
and the political blackmail as the main double motive line
Plot : the story consists of three logical parts :
1. The first dramatic movement introduces readers to the slightly Gothic atmosphere of a quiet autumn,
spent sitting in the dark by C.Auguste Dupin and the narrator, his faithful yet nameless friend, at
the detectives lodgings in Paris. Smoking their pipes,they silently meditate upon the incricacies of
former cases in their amateur career together. Monsieur G, Prefect of Paris police, arrives and asks
for assitance in the delicate business of the purloined letter (the letter belongs to an unnamed
femail used to blackmail her ). Dupin keeps the affair details in his mind,but does not commit
himself yet.
2. The 2nd movement of the plot occurs within a month, when the Prefect returns, still hopeless. He
tells the 2 friends about the fabulous reward set by the Queen for solving the problem. With no
further ceremony, Dupin demands the check with the Prefects signature,offering the particular letter
in exchange.Much to his friends and the Prefects astonishment,Dupin keeps up his deal and
produces the letter.The Prefect gives him the money and need nothing more to depart in bliss.
3. The 3rd movement consists in Dupins telling his friend a rather tall tale about how he got into the
possession of the letter. He says that the police underestimated Minister D-- because he writes
poetry. Dupin visited Minister D-- in his hotel room. Instead of having hid the letter, Minister D-left it out in the open.
The moral lesson here is simplicity Perhaps it is the very simplicity of the thing which puts you at
fault. (Dupin). According to Poe, all one had to do was simply rely on ones own judgement or
ratiocination. --- Poes message in this story is that of self-reliance and simplicity.