Edgar Allen Poe...Stories Of Mystery And Macabre

1. First Encounter

Thinking back I can recall my first encounter with this author and I can sum it up in one word.....Awesome. I was in the third grade and my teacher stood in front of the class to read a poem called The Raven. I was so moved by the way this author drew me into his words. From the first introduction to his works til today I desired to be a writer. I was fascinated by the way that he expressed himself. Tho the language seemed foreign to my young ears, with patience I was able to understand the method to the madness. One example that I can extend is two lines from the poem called The Raven:
" Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore, "
I love the way that Poe spoke of a dark night as a student pouring himself over his books of study while he was fighting the depression before him. I loved the way that he put pen to paper in his attempts to capture the mind of man. My very first desires to read were given birth when I heard the Poem: The Raven.

Not only will you be pulled into his world with poems like The Raven or Annabel Lee but with stories that will amaze and shock you. Poe seems to be overwhelmed with the thoughts of death. A lot of his tales gained him the unwarranted reputation of being a morbid and sadistic writer. I would like to share a brief summary of three of his stories. The first of which a movie had been based on:

1. The Fall of the House of Usher

This is a story about a man named Roderick Usher who has fallen ill and sends a post for his friend because he needs his comfort. The name of this friend is never mentioned in the story, still he comes none the less. Roderick's sister Madeline is ill as well and falls into a death like coma. Roderick tells his friend that his sister died and he wants her entombed in the family vault for two weeks before her burial. Little dose the friend know that she is not dead and she will free herself from that vault.

2.The Unparalleled Adventures of Hans Pfaall

Hans Pfaall is a man who has a burning desire to reach the moon. He plans to go by way of a balloon that has been equipped with a device that will turn the breathless space into breathable air. This story is Sci-Fi at it's best and yes the murder of a few benefactors is involved.

3. Hop Frog

Is a tale about a dwarf who has been forcibly taken from his homeland and his friends and family killed. The king who abducted him desired to amuse himself by making the dwarf (Hop Frog) a court jester. Hop Frog decided to take revenge on the king and his cabinet. Mass murder is the direction this story takes.

Death and resurrection are found in stories like Ligeia and Morella, The Premature Burial is a tale about being buried alive. Poe had a Gothic way of telling a tale. I made a point of collecting all of his works not because of the horror of it but I liked the way he put pen to paper.

Poe lived from 1/19/1809 - 10/7/1849. Poe was ignored most of his life time. He was born in Boston, Mass. and was the second child of an actress named Elizabeth Hopkins who died in the early years of his life. Poe was adopted by a wealthy merchant whom he later severed all family ties to and became a destitute wanderer and his writings were his means of financial survival. He is said to have been lonely, neurotic, egotistical and often drunk. He was consumed with death as can be seen in his writings; and his imagination knew no bounds. He was the father of science fiction stories and to the surprise of many he wrote tales of humor and hoaxes as well. He is credited for being the fore-runner of psychological writing, detective stories as well as science fiction. During his lifetime he was also known as a literary critic. Tho he wrote over a century and a half ago, he still moves many and inspires films and movies.