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Creator of the modern detective story, innovative architect of the horror genre, and a poet of extraordinary musicality, Edgar Allan Poe remains one of America’s most popular and influential writers. His tales and poems brim with psychological depth, almost painful intensity, and unexpected—and surprisingly modern—flashes of dark humor and irony.
This anthology offers an exceptionally generous selection of Poe’s short stories. It includes his famed masterpieces, such as "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" and "The Purloined Letter," featuring Poe’s great detective, Dupin; his insightful studies of madness "The Black Cat" and "The Tell-Tale Heart"; "The Gold-Bug," his delightful exercise in "code-breaking"; and important but lesser-known tales, such as "Bon-Bon," "The Assignation," and "King Pest." Also included are some of Poe’s most beloved poems, haunting lyrics of love and loss, such as "Annabel Lee," nightmare phantasmagories such as "The Raven," and his grand experiment in translating sound into words, "The Bells."
Benjamin F. Fisher, Professor of English, University of Mississippi, is a longtime enthusiast of the works of Poe. He has published books, articles, and notes about Poe, and in American, Victorian, and Gothic studies, and serves on editorial boards for several professional journals. He has also been acclaimed for outstanding teaching.
Poe’s tales continue to be the most admired part of his literary legacy, however much he wished to be a poet. One may legitimately ask what were his reasons for resorting to prose fiction as a mainstay, most notably to the short story or, as he preferred, the "tale"? The answer is simple: money. Poe received no profits from his early poems, so he turned to a form that was likely to sell better, the short story, and specifically to short fiction in the Gothic vein. Tales featuring a single character (or at least one who stood out from any others), beset by oppressive and mysterious forces, often amid fantastic settings, existed long before Poe found in this paradigm a suitable creative medium. Terror tales had become staples in periodicals, chiefly in a renowned literary magazine in the Anglo-American literary world during the 1820s, 1830s, and 1840s, the house organ for the well-established Scottish publishing firm of Blackwood: Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine, colloquially called Blackwood’s or Blackwood. It is evident from his writings that Poe’s knowledge of this periodical was extensive. His satiric tale "How to Write a Blackwood Article" and its sequel, "A Predicament," lampoon not just recurrent themes, motifs, and stylistic techniques of stories from Blackwood’s, but indeed ridicule Poe’s own hallmark methods and themes in fiction. Compelling satire and parody require expert comprehension of what one wishes to treat comically, and so we might examine Poe’s own fiction to discover what he understood of the production of intriguing Gothic tales.
Apparently, from the time he left West Point in 1831 for his grandmother Poe’s home in Baltimore, until his name appeared in connection with a literary contest in that city late in 1833, he thoughtfully considered what should constitute effective tales of terror. He gave himself an independent study course in content and methodology in popular Gothic fiction as groundwork for his own. He submitted five tales to a prize contest sponsored by a Philadelphia newspaper, the Saturday Courier, near the end of 1831. Although none won the prize, they all circulated in the paper, perhaps without Poe’s consent or knowledge, during 1832. The first to appear, "Metzengerstein," seems all too customarily horrific in its "German" setting and its feuding families, connected by supernatural occurrences, who suffer stupendous catastrophes. Horror is evident in young Frederick Metzengerstein’s lips, lacerated in fright during his sensational final journey mounted on a giant supernatural horse, an ominous, repulsive creature. This tale may devolve from the folk motif of the devil riding a giant black horse to claim his victims. Poe alters the traditional black coloring of the horse to fiery shades. The other Courier tales were spoofs on what were then best-selling fictions and their authors, and one was not even Gothic.
In 1833 the Baltimore Saturday Visiter, a weekly newspaper, sponsored a competition with cash prizes for the best poem and tale. Poe’s tale "MS. Found in a Bottle" and his poem "The Coliseum" were ranked the winners until the evaluators discovered that both were written by the same person. They decided that the poetry prize would go elsewhere, although Poe asked that they give the other writer the money for the poem but announce that both of his own works had originally been named first’s. Poe’s wish was ignored, the poetry prize going to "Song of the Winds," by John Hill Hewitt, editor of the Visiter, leaving Poe outraged. The prize selections appeared on October 19, 1833, and Poe’s poem on October 26. Those publications, which were reprinted elsewhere in the United States, brought the young writer his first literary recognition.
Looming, too, was another experimental venture of Poe’s, generally known as "Tales of the Folio Club," a book of interlocking frame narratives.4 In this scheme, never actualized, a group of writers, the Folio Club, meet monthly for literary reading and critiques. Preceding the readings are substantial suppers accompanied by plenty of alcohol. After each member reads his original "brief prose tale" (a hit at some best-selling author’s typical theme and form), critiques follow. Poe once wrote that these critical interchanges were meant to enliven comedy in the project: Voiced by pretentious would-be authors, each tale is delivered by a first-person narrator, a caricature of an actual popular author represented. Because the author-reader of the worst tale hosts the next meeting, and because one of the group has his works successively targeted, in Poe’s scheme, someone in the group eventually becomes enraged, flees to a publisher with the manuscripts, and hurries them into print as an exposé, for revenge.
What doubtless enlivened the overall scheme was that the club members, from the effects of either eating or/and drinking too much, would have articulated corresponding bizarre situations and repetitious language patterns within their tales, imparting zesty humor to those fictions, such mirth given point by the critiques. Had "Tales of the Folio Club" been published, a far different conception of Poe might have emerged early in his career—with what future we may only conjecture. Publishers rejected his manuscript, however, on grounds that the content was far too sophisticated for average readers and sales would not warrant the financial risk. Poe eventually dismantled the collection, brought out individual stories in periodicals, and thereby paved the way for readers’ disagreements that continue to be dynamic even today.
TheQuillPen
Posted April 25, 2009
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I have found that many, if not most, readers like to dismiss Poe as a shallow, simplistic, and even disturbed horror writer whose work possesses little or no merit for the sophisticated reader beyond that of Poe's literary status. Unfortunately, this conception has gained widespread acceptance (thanks in no part to the Vincent Price "remakes" of several of Poe's most famous stories), but, fortunately, this conception is simply untrue.
Poe's poetry demonstrates his mastery of form, technique, language, and the use of classical themes, besides thrilling the reader. Recurring themes include the nature of death and the afterlife, fear, beauty, truth/reality, and even love. This volume provides readers with a decent overview of Poe's poetic work and includes such classics as "Ulalume: A Ballad," "The Raven," "To Helen," and "The Bells."
Although Poe desired first to be known as a poet, his prose constitutes his best work. This volume includes an excellent sampling of Poe's short stories, which range from Gothic tales of terror to psychological thrillers to mysteries to tales of insanity and obsession to biting parodies and comical works. Beyond his skillful use of terror in his stories, Poe delves into his characters' minds, revealing the worst in Man and demonstrating how depraved we truly are. More specifically, his stories address troubling questions concerning human thought, emotion, and condition, and the consequences of overwhelming fear, obsession, and the thirst for revenge, among other things.
This volume also includes Poe's single novella, The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym.
Overall, this is excellent, thought-provoking material that provides for a thrilling, enjoyable, and occasionally hilarious read.
7 out of 7 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.This book contains every poem and tale written by the great Edgar Allan Poe...tales are positively chilling to the bone...poetry written about death and pain, but it touches the soul...Sing praises to the work of Edgar Allan Poe FOREVER!!!!!!!!!!
3 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.A great compilation book with the best works of Poe. Convenient and practical.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Over all, i recommend reading this book, i have read about half of it when i'm in between books or want to ready a short story at night. but i recommend all to read a bit of poe !!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.This is an awesome collection to have in one's own library.
Everyone should own Poe works, along with Ohio Blue Tips by Jeanne E. Clark, The Photos In The Closet by Daniel E. Lopez, and works by Alison Townsend.
1 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.His poems give you thrills, but his short stories provoke intense thought. This book is by no means a casual or lighthearted read; I consider it a must-have for the bookshelf of any writer who wants to gain some literary perspective and learn by example how to put real depth and density into his writing. Poe is the standard those kinds of authors must live up to.
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted July 4, 2005
an outstanding book for young adults and others including the classics such as The Raven,Hop-Frog,The Black Cat ,The Pit and the Pendulum, and the Tell-Tale Heart.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted April 1, 2013
Great read evey time
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Posted January 24, 2012
I like this because my sis has told me about this and i have herd good stories from this book
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted January 9, 2012
It is informational about Poe and has a ton of his writings. I love it!
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Posted December 30, 2011
Why would you post that over and over again people actually look at these good book love poe
0 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
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Posted October 17, 2011
reivew text
0 out of 5 people found this review helpful.
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Posted October 7, 2011
I am happy to keep it in my Nook!
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted August 30, 2011
An amazing compilation of Poe's works.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted June 19, 2011
I love all the storys!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.sbJerseygirl
Posted October 1, 2010
Hey! It is Poe - what isn't to love?!! It has all my favorites... The Raven, Masque of the Red Death, Pit & Pendulum... and some I had all but forgotten and find enjoyable all over again.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Besides that this book has every Poe must read, there is nothing else to say. Poe's work speaks for itself. I can, however, tell you which are my favorite stories:
The Gold Bug
The Black Cat
The Murders in the Rue Morgue
The Pit and the Pendulum
The Cask of Amontillado
POEMS:
The Raven (of course)
A Dream Within A Dream
Like the previous Barnes and Noble publications on Poe, this is a wonderful addition for enthusiasts of this author's work. Right from the start there is a brief, two page summary of Poe and his life followed by an intriguing, more thorough examination of the world he lived in. In the final pages of this volume there are informative endnotes regarding various texts along with sections about different media inspired by Poe's works, comments and questions, and suggested further readings. The one detraction is the introduction by Benjamin F. Fisher which attempts to be scholarly in its examination of Poe and his works but, unfortunately, fails miserably in such efforts, being little more than a long winded diatribe. Had it not been for Fisher's awkward attempts at erudation I would have given a full five stars to this otherwise fine offering. This is still a worthy tome to add to one's collection. (liquidgee@comcast.net)
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted April 29, 2008
I first started reading Poe when I was about 12. His stories and poems are unforgettable. My absolute favorite is Annabell Lee. This is required reading for any and all!
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Posted April 24, 2007
Poe is the greatest of american(brits are good)poets. This collection is masterful, it even includes poe's only novel. B and N have done it again with brilliant intro's and exquisite notes. Keep up the good work and keep low the price!
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