Morella is vivid for me because it is simpler and more compact than Ber. and Lig.--the theme, a child grows to perfectly reproduce its parent, is enshrined in the very repetition of the 'name,' Morella, which is also the last word in the story. It gives me shivers just to think of it.
Of course I get a similar shiver from Lig. at this moment (I'm paraphrasing) "Is it possible she had grown taller since her malady?"
I'd love to hear more about why you like "Morella". I don't mean to, but it always falls out of my memory. I'm not sure if I'm saying it's a forgettable story but if you asked me to recite a list of all of Poe's stories from memory, "Morella" would be one of the ones I'd miss.
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It was night in the lonesome October, of my most immemorial year.
Oval Portrait must have influenced Wilde's "Dorian Gray."
Garth wrote:
Good choices. I recently re-read The Oval Portrait and found it intriguing because it was as if Poe was talking about his life with Virginia.
Like the artist in the story who tries to capture his wife's beauty in the painting but ingnores her in the process until she finally dies, I think Poe's guilt about how his writing consumed his time and took him away from Virginia may have inspired this story.
My favorite has to be Masque of the Red Death. My father gave me an old beaten up American Writers text book that belonged to my grandfather when I was a kid. It had both the Raven and the Masque of the Red Death. Over the years, I couldn't tell you how many times I've read it and it seems like each time I do, I take something new away. That and it's such a tactile story. I feel like I'm at that deathly party.
A sensationalized view of Poe?? I've never heard of such a thing!!
Seriously though, it is always worth taking a look at anything dedicated to Poe, no matter how questionable it is. Those of us that like to make sure the real story of Poe is told have to know what the enemy is saying!
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It was night in the lonesome October, of my most immemorial year.
The title of the VHS was "Edgar Allan Poe: A light and enlightening look." Light, though, it was anything but. A Mr. Elliot Engel begins his lecture by stating that the viewer's interest in Poe is purly out of "morbid curiosity." He goes into some information about Poe's childhood and his relationship with his mother and what effects her acting career had over his young, impressionable mind. There is another interesting tidbit about Poe's meeting with Charles Dickens, too. Much of the information is really facinating but I found a lot of what he said suspect, honestly. I think maybe he sensationalized some things but I'm uncertain, and have been trying to find other sources to verify some of his claims. I at least know for sure that he took some major liberties when discussing the subject of Poe's death. He kept with the cooping theory and seemed a little married to it in my oppinion. Check it out, though, if you can. It's certainly worth a look.
That's an interesting video you mention, Isobel. Any chance you remember the title?
As for a favorite story, right now I lean towards "Never Bet the Devil Your Head" - I still can't help but chuckle at the end. Of course, "Berenice" is always my mainstay. I could re-read it every day and never get bored with it.
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It was night in the lonesome October, of my most immemorial year.
I think my favorite is "Ligeia" as well. Though I've heard from some sources that Poe may have intended this story as a parody? I know that he claimed once that he considered Ligeia his best work. I recently read William Wilson, though and I love this story. It is a very close second. My favorite part is when the double whispers "Wiliam Wilson!" Gives me the chills. I think a lot of the inspiration from this story came from his own experiences at the University of Virginia. I think of this mostly due to the theme of gambling/drinking in the story. Also, Poe attended a boarding school in England when he was younger, I think. He even names a character in William Wilson after an instructor her had there. By the way, I watched a video biography that claimed that, at this boarding school, they would have a "P.E." type class, in which the students would dig graves at a local cemetery. There were other facts on this DVD which were incorrect. Does anyone know if this is true?
Good choices. I recently re-read The Oval Portrait and found it intriguing because it was as if Poe was talking about his life with Virginia.
Like the artist in the story who tries to capture his wife's beauty in the painting but ingnores her in the process until she finally dies, I think Poe's guilt about how his writing consumed his time and took him away from Virginia may have inspired this story.
Mine is "Ligeia", because I think it is the best of his haunted love stories titled with a single womans name, and it incorporates the entire poem "The Conqueror Worm" into the text of the story. I think it is a great spooky, gothic tale. My runner up would be "A Cask of Amonitillado." It was the first Poe story I ever read, and I like the cold calculated way he walls up his enemy.
