The Gold-Bug and Other Tales PDF Book
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Penguin Readers Level 5: Tales of Mystery and Imagination
PENGUIN READERS Teacher’s notes LEVEL 5 Teacher Support Programme Tales of Mystery and Imagination Edgar Allan Poe namesake who has been following him everywhere since his schooldays. Wherever he goes, he cannot escape his unwanted double: he is always there to foil his plans and snatch success away from him. In the story’s tragic conclusion the main character loses control and reacts in a terrible and violent manner. In The Gold-Bug we follow a man’s obsessive search for buried treasure. After finding a bug of real gold, the man is convinced that it will lead him to the treasure and make his fortune. Despite the scepticism of his friend, the man persists with his search, uncovering clues and breaking a secret code until finally, with the help of his servant and of his friend; he sets off on a journey into the hills that About the author ultimately leads them to an amazing discovery. Edgar Allan Poe was born to a Scots-Irish family in Boston The Fall of the House of Usher tells of some very strange on 19 January 1809. He was the second child of actress happenings. A man goes to visit an old friend who appears Elizabeth Arnold Hopkins Poe and actor David Poe, to be suffering from some strange mental disorder. His Jr. Tragedy struck Edgar Allan Poe very early in life – sister is very ill and he has been very badly affected by his father abandoned the family when he was just one this. He has lost his taste for life and is extremely afraid of year old and his mother died of consumption a year later. -
Trauma and the Uncanny in Edgar Allan Poe's “Ligeia” and “The Fall Of
Trauma and the Uncanny in Edgar Allan Poe’s “Ligeia” and “The Fall of the House of Usher” Marita Nadal, Universidad de Zaragoza Abstract As a disorder of memory and time, trauma implies a crisis of representation, of history and truth. It remains in the mind like an intruder or a ghost, foregrounding the disjunction between the present and a primary experience of the past that can never be captured. Like trauma, the uncanny implies haunting, uncertainty, repe- tition, a tension between the known and the unknown, and the intrusive return of the past. Taking the characteristics of these concepts as the point of departure, this paper analyzes Poe’s Gothic tales “Ligeia” and “The Fall of the House of Usher,” and explores the close relationship between trauma and the uncanny in both of them. Thus the protagonists of these tales experience the desire to know and the fear of doing so—the basic dilemma at the heart of traumatic experience—and are haunted by memories of a remote and repressed past not recoverable by con- scious means but which determines their life in the present. The paper discusses trauma and the uncanny in the light of trauma theory, psychoanalysis, and Gothic criticism, pointing out the centrality of memory and the notion of origins. Keywords trauma, uncanny, Gothic, memory, origins What was it . which lay far within the pupils of my beloved? What was it? I was possessed with a passion to discover. —Edgar Allan Poe, “Ligeia” What was it that so unnerved me in the contemplation of the House of Usher? It was a mystery all insoluble. -
ANALYSIS “Ligeia” (1838) Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849) “With Her Name Drawn Equally out of Ivanhoe and “Christabel,'
ANALYSIS “Ligeia” (1838) Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849) “With her name drawn equally out of Ivanhoe and “Christabel,’ Rowena we may fairly assume, is the living incarnation of English Romanticism…or English Transcendental thought cloaked in allegorical trappings. Yet in the narrator’s view, the lady of Tremaine was as destitute of Ligeia’s miraculous insights as of her stupendous learning and oracular gibberish. Conventional and dull, the blonde was simply another of those golden objects overcast by the leaden-grey window. Only in a moment ‘of his mental alienation’ did she seem to the narrator to be a fit ‘successor of the unforgotten Ligeia’; soon he came to loathe her ‘with a hatred belonging more to demon than to man.’ Rowena, in short, symbolizes an impoverished English Romanticism, as yet ‘unspiritualized’ by German cant. Consequently, she represents but a shallow pretense of Romanticism; and—on this point the text is admirably plain—it is a part of Poe’s joke to make her Romantic in nothing save her borrowed name.” Clark Griffith “Poe’s ‘Ligeia’ and the English Romantics” University of Toronto Quarterly 24 (1954) An introductory quotation asserts, contrary to Christianity, that God is “but a great will pervading all things” and that Man can resist death if his will is strong enough. Poe emphasizes this theme by repeating it twice in the story. A narrator not differentiated from Poe meets Ligeia in Germany, where gothic romanticism appealing to Poe’s sensibility was popular. He compares her to a “shadow.” Like other writers, Poe discovered through metaphor the psychological concept defined later by Carl Jung: the shadow represents the repressed self. -
2017 Educational Performances
2017 EDUCATIONAL PERFORMANCES A Production of the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire Inside the imposing Mount Hope Mansion, visitors enter the world of Edgar Allan Poe, experiencing his tales recounted by those who have lived the stories, spinning tales of mystery, horror and suspense that guests to the Mansion will long remember. 2017 Theme Stories, and Poems— In this, the year of our Lord 1848, we here at Mount Hope Penitentiary are proud to be at the very forefront of the modern wave of prison reform and criminal rehabilitation. We pride ourselves on taking the worst, most horribly depraved felons of our age, and through a number of revolutionary techniques, reconditioning them to be mild, submissive, truly penitent individuals. For a very limited time, Mrs. Evangeline Mallard, President of the Prison Board of Inspectors, invites you to join us at Mount Hope for a demonstration of rehabilitation through the beauty of poetry! And we are especially pleased to be joined – at least until his court date – by the very famous Mr. Edgar Allan Poe! So witness the power of true criminal reclamation here at Mount Hope Penitentiary! And remember: for the worst of sinners, there’s always Hope. • The Raven • The Cask of Amontillado • Dream Within a Dream • To—Violet Vane • The Conqueror Worm • To Fanny • Romance • Sonnet to My Mother There may be other poems from but those shall be a surprise. Tremble and enjoy. Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849): Timeline– 1809 Edgar Poe was born in Boston to itinerant actors on January 19. 1810 Edgar’s father died (may well have deserted the family before this point), leaving mother to care for Edgar and his brother and sister alone. -
Immolation of the Self, Fall Into the Abyss in Edgar Allan Poe's Tales
Immolation of the Self, Fall into the Abyss in Edgar Allan Poe’s Tales Andreea Popescu University of Bucharest [email protected] Abstract Edgar Allan Poe’s tales offer a variety of instances linked to the analysis of human nature and the processes it goes through during the stories. Most of them treat about the destruction of the self as the narrator finds himself confronted with the darkness that gradually will come to annihilate reason and any sensible thinking. The protagonist witnesses not only the darkness inside, but also the crumbling of the world in a deliberate way of destroying all attempts at reasoning. In these tales the reader faces a transvaluation of values which leads to the description of a world without mercy and compassion. Thus, the article will explore the psychological connotations in some of the tales focussing on symbols like the mask, the fall into the abyss, the dark side of human nature. Keywords : divided self, self-immolation, space, time, transcendentalism In his essay “The Philosophy of Composition” Edgar Allan Poe states that the artist’s primary duty is not to exorcise despair, but rather to present it as the primary psychological response to reality and to render it as faithfully as possible. In a poem like “Ulalume,” the imagery alternates between hope and despair. Poe’s final resolute vision is that hope deludes and destroys. In the general picture he makes of human psychology Poe sees despair as a correct response to the hopelessness of human life, considering that hope has been driven away once and for all. -
The Oedipus Myth in Edgar A. Poe's "Ligeia" and "The Fall of the House of Usher"
Iowa State University Capstones, Theses and Retrospective Theses and Dissertations Dissertations 1996 The ediO pus myth in Edgar A. Poe's "Ligeia" and "The alF l of the House of Usher" David Glen Tungesvik Iowa State University Follow this and additional works at: https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/rtd Part of the English Language and Literature Commons Recommended Citation Tungesvik, David Glen, "The eO dipus myth in Edgar A. Poe's "Ligeia" and "The alF l of the House of Usher"" (1996). Retrospective Theses and Dissertations. 16198. https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/rtd/16198 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Iowa State University Capstones, Theses and Dissertations at Iowa State University Digital Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Retrospective Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Iowa State University Digital Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The Oedipus myth in Edgar A. Poe's "Ligeia" and "The Fall of the House of Usher" by David Glen Tungesvik A thesis submitted to the graduate faculty in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS Major: English (Literature) Major Professor: T. D. Nostwich Iowa State University Ames, Iowa 1996 Copyright © David Glen Tungesvik, 1996. All rights reserved. ii Graduate College Iowa State University This is to certify that the Masters thesis of David Glen Tungesvik has met the thesis requirements of Iowa State University Signatures have been redacted for privacy iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ... .................................................................................................... iv INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................ 1 "LlGEIA" UNDISCOVERED ............................................................................... 9 THE LAST OF THE USHERS ......................................................................... -
The Representation of Women in the Works of Edgar Allan Poe
Faculteit Letteren & Wijsbegeerte Elien Martens The Representation of Women in the Works of Edgar Allan Poe Masterproef voorgelegd tot het behalen van de graad van Master in de Taal- en Letterkunde Engels - Spaans Academiejaar 2012-2013 Promotor Prof. Dr. Gert Buelens Vakgroep Letterkunde 2 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Prof. Dr. Gert Buelens, without whom this dissertation would not have been possible. His insightful remarks, useful advice and continuous guidance and support helped me in writing and completing this work. I could not have imagined a better mentor. I would also like to thank my friends, family and partner for supporting me these past months and for enduring my numerous references to Poe and his works – which I made in every possible situation. Thank you for being there and for offering much-needed breaks with talk, coffee, cake and laughter. Last but not least, I am indebted to one more person: Edgar Allan Poe. His amazing – although admittedly sometimes rather macabre – stories have fascinated me for years and have sparked my desire to investigate them more profoundly. To all of you: thank you. 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter 1: Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 6 1. The number of women in Poe’s poems and prose ..................................................................... 7 2. The categorization of Poe’s women ................................................................................................ 9 2.1 The classification of Poe’s real women – BBC’s Edgar Allan Poe: Love, Death and Women......................................................................................................................................................... 9 2.2 The classification of Poe’s fictional women – Floyd Stovall’s “The Women of Poe’s Poems and Tales” ................................................................................................................................. 11 3. -
The Pit and the Pendulum
Text Pages 26 –43 The Pit and the Pendulum BY EDGAR ALLAN POE Before Reading During Reading Use the Study Guide on the next page as a way Summary to work through the selection and improve your ’ “ ” Like many of Poe s stories, The Pit and the Pendulum comprehension. (1842) is told through the eyes of one person, the narra- tor. In this case, the narrator has been sentenced to die by the Spanish Inquisition. After Reading Answer the questions below as a way to deepen Vocabulary your interpretation of the selection. Inquisition—a court appointed by the Roman Catholic 1. What does the narrator fear most? What is your Church in Spain. reaction to his harrowing plight? Explain. dungeon—underground room or cell in which prisoners 2. Which of Poe’s storytelling techniques do you were held. captors—people who have captured a person or thing. consider most effective in creating a sense of fear tomb—grave or other burial place. and desperation? Why? — torture giving of severe pain as punishment or as 3. What do the dungeon and the events of the story a way of forcing people to do something against suggest about the purpose and motivation of the their will. torturers and of the Inquisition itself? staggered—walked unsteadily. clammy vapor—damp, cold air. 4. How do you rationalize the narrator’s feelings of decaying—rotting. hope while facing certain death? If you had been — doom fate or death. tied below the huge swinging blade, do you — monks men who give up all worldly things and lead think you would have had the same reaction? lives of religious duty. -
Myth and the Finite Sublime: a Study of Edgar Allan Poe's Mythological
Myth and the Finite Sublime: A Study of Edgar Allan Poe’s Mythological Works Senior Paper Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For a Degree Bachelor of Arts with A Major in Literature at The University of North Carolina at Asheville Fall 2009 By VIRGINIA EUDY ____________________ Thesis Director Dr. Blake Hobby ____________________ Thesis Advisor Dr. Erica Abrams Locklear Eudy 2 Haunting, dark, and sublime, Edgar Allan Poe’s works have fascinated generations for almost two centuries. One of his most renowned works, “The Raven,” epitomizes Poe’s use of the finite sublime, a term that describes the transcendent experience of mortality. “The Raven” describes the inner turmoil of a man grieving the death of his lover, Lenore, culminating in the narrator’s realization of his own mortality: “And the lamp-light o'er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor / And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor / Shall be lifted - nevermore!” (106-108). This quote epitomizes Poe’s use of the finite sublime. He uses electrifying imagery to remind the reader of the brevity of life. The discussion of the bird’s shadow, in particular, creates for the reader a sublime experience. The ethereal shadow traps the narrator to the point of incapacitation, which instills in the reader a sense of foreboding and negative transcendence. In addition to “The Raven,” in “Ligeia” and “The Fall of the House of Usher,” Poe confronts issues of mortality. Poe uses the allusions of a siren, the House of Atreus, and Hades to remind the reader of the unavoidable commonality in humanity, the inevitability of death. -
The Will and Poe
Sonnefeld 1 Bethanie Sonnefeld English 495 Esplin 15 November 2014 The Will and Poe Much of the critical conversation surrounding Edgar Allan Poe’s “Ligeia” and “William Wilson” deals with whether the tales should be read literally, with the inclusion of the supernatural; or psychologically, as manifestations of mental illness. Daryl E. Jones and Yaohua Shi, both incorporate either a literal or psychological reading of “Ligeia” as the basis for their arguments. Jones, in his piece “Poe’s Siren: Character and Meaning in ‘Ligeia,’” argues for a literal reading, suggesting that Poe portrays Ligeia as a siren, neglecting the psychological aspects of “Ligeia.” Shi, in contrast, states that “Ligeia’s resurrection might have happened only in the narrator’s hallucination: ‘Wild visions, opium-engendered, flitted, shadow-like, before me,” which suggests a psychological reading of the narrator’s mental state and ignores any implication that the literal interpretations offer (493). However, it seems that Poe meant for both psychological and literal meanings to work together, a point suggested by several critics. Speaking of “Ligeia,” D. Ramakrishna stated that “the reader is left in an uneasy state of indecision whether to react to the conclusion as that of a horror tale or as a final culminating vision of a delightful fantasy," where the tale of horror refers to a literal reading and the delightful fantasy a psychological reading (70). Similarly, Tracy Ware, speaking of “William Wilson,” stated that “If there are ‘two stories’ in ‘William Wilson,’ one literal and one allegorical, then it is as difficult for the reader as it is for the narrator, ‘at any given time to say with certainty upon which of its two stories one happens to be’” (48). -
Poe's Challenge to Sentimental Literature Through Themes of Obsession, Paranoia, and Alienation
St. Cloud State University theRepository at St. Cloud State Culminating Projects in English 5-2020 Poe's Challenge to Sentimental Literature through Themes of Obsession, Paranoia, and Alienation Michelle Winters Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.stcloudstate.edu/engl_etds Recommended Citation Winters, Michelle, "Poe's Challenge to Sentimental Literature through Themes of Obsession, Paranoia, and Alienation" (2020). Culminating Projects in English. 162. https://repository.stcloudstate.edu/engl_etds/162 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by theRepository at St. Cloud State. It has been accepted for inclusion in Culminating Projects in English by an authorized administrator of theRepository at St. Cloud State. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Poe’s Challenge to Sentimental Literature through Themes of Obsession, Paranoia, and Alienation by Michelle Winters A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of St. Cloud State University in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in English Studies May, 2020 Thesis Committee: Monica Pelaez, Chairperson Judith Dorn Maria Mikolchak 2 Abstract Edgar Allan Poe’s works have withstood the test of time. Converse to the popular sentimental literature of the time, Poe’s works offer a more intimate and psychological approach. It is through the inner dialogue of his speakers and narrators that Poe challenges the emotional appeal of sentimental literature. By looking at Poe’s poetry and short stories, the common themes of obsession, paranoia, and alienation emerge. Through these themes, Poe’s works serve as cautionary tales to the incomplete nature of sentimental literature towards the full human condition. -
For More Than Seventy Years the Horror Film Has
WE BELONG DEAD FEARBOOK Covers by David Brooks Inside Back Cover ‘Bride of McNaughtonstein’ starring Eric McNaughton & Oxana Timanovskaya! by Woody Welch Published by Buzzy-Krotik Productions All artwork and articles are copyright their authors. Articles and artwork always welcome on horror fi lms from the silents to the 1970’s. Editor Eric McNaughton Design and Layout Steve Kirkham - Tree Frog Communication 01245 445377 Typeset by Oxana Timanovskaya Printed by Sussex Print Services, Seaford We Belong Dead 28 Rugby Road, Brighton. BN1 6EB. East Sussex. UK [email protected] https://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/106038226186628/ We are such stuff as dreams are made of. Contributors to the Fearbook: Darrell Buxton * Darren Allison * Daniel Auty * Gary Sherratt Neil Ogley * Garry McKenzie * Tim Greaves * Dan Gale * David Whitehead Andy Giblin * David Brooks * Gary Holmes * Neil Barrow Artwork by Dave Brooks * Woody Welch * Richard Williams Photos/Illustrations Courtesy of Steve Kirkham This issue is dedicated to all the wonderful artists and writers, past and present, that make We Belong Dead the fantastic magazine it now is. As I started to trawl through those back issues to chose the articles I soon realised that even with 120 pages there wasn’t going to be enough room to include everything. I have Welcome... tried to select an ecleectic mix of articles, some in depth, some short capsules; some serious, some silly. am delighted to welcome all you fans of the classic age of horror It was a hard decision as to what to include and inevitably some wonderful to this first ever We Belong Dead Fearbook! Since its return pieces had to be left out - Neil I from the dead in March 2013, after an absence of some Ogley’s look at the career 16 years, WBD has proved very popular with fans.