T H E S I S On THE L I ' Al WORKS OF EDGAR ALLAH POE . Submitted to the

of the

0 R E G 0 N A G R I C U L T U R A L C 0 L L E G E. For the Deeree of Bachelor of Science. By

PP OilED BY : A'\\ Redacted for Privacy

Redacted for Privacy DEPA T _.iNT OF OUTLINE. Introduction. Discussion. 1. Biographical Sketch. 2 . Works. 1. Poems. 1. 2. 3. . 4. Lines to He l en 5. Israfel 2. Tales. 1. The Oblong Box . 2 . Arthur Gordon Pym . 3. Thou Art the Uan . 4. The Gold Bug. 5. The Bl ack Cat. 6 . The Murders in the Rue Aorgue. Conclusion. nt..roJuction .

Sla v ly J.nl hJ.lf - ~eartedly the :r:o o:rle of Aneri.:n. h ..... ve

Jome t o atone for ast neglect of root ho , under -ain­ ful circu stances , pro,.Juc:;d the r1')St ...tistinctive ~n ori.:;­ inu. l contributions to American literature . They reu.lize that the fclli 3s of his unfortunate life c n be put .... s::.de

nd tll(; .ei ght of c:citici sm l et to reGt on his r.1agnifioent literary rt .

Edgar Allan oo is t he most tr_gic figur ; in the hi~ - tory of our American litor.:.ture . n-.1 has .roved to be 1­

so th~ ..oot int'"'l' . e is -ce rh..:ti t> Lore 1.idely kno .. n an r:tore ppreciated by the intelligent men of fore i n

n:1tions th .n any other Ameri can ~. ri ter . Ee .io.S a great

~en ius ith u life ~u ll of s orro~s and Jes~air . He 1~ s

a rroiigal of 1 o ted pohc rs , the victim of c1ue l cir­

our.1stances, of inherent evil pro en i t iea, .d th a cert i n rc.:: 2es ty of. nJ. ture in a li en~ ble in his r:o r a l squ..1lor.

Poe's early b iogra:r;:hers have rn isrepresvnteJ. hiP~ be­

cause th ,y dicl not 1.mJe:::s ta;h. hir.-. . Host of ~L> critics

have Jec-.J.t ith orl~r "'uhe ovil .., iJe oi his life . His

e vi1 habits ~luTing the latter years ol' his life we ro ue

~"'' ore to cruel ate than to a faulty ch ,racter . The man '.ri t ing under such adverse conditions , \, i th starv tion

stu.ring him in the face , ~~d his · ffections d~i ly blunt­ ed J.nd betr ayel could not have endured the strcin if he h·1J had a constitution of iron . Under such a str in, i t

i·3 no wonJ.er that his he· 1 th g;.1. ve -,:._q ::.nd t at he inllu1g­

&d in th~ 1 ngerous he lr o~ s ti: ultnts .

--'\Vri ters huve bali-:Jved. ths.t his strange stories cc. a

·. from :1. Jister.. ;ered imacination in th: intsrv·Ll s 0.1. Je­

·.'"?.S entirel y honest •iith his re Jers 2.nd n o poer1s and romances . ere e ver p rod1.1 0eu. at greater exr: ense of orain an sririt than his . gi s f ~tasLio creations were ~ ro - luoe-1 by o.ref1~ l o .l oul3.tion , step b·r ste , to a rre­ arra~ged erJ . ue carefully planneJ ~ i a Jeeire effec t ,. hioh was a l ays t o impre ss the soul 11 ith horro 2: , myst­

e ry and .:ear . In his '•1ri tings he seer~ed to feel the terror of the 1 nk no ~· n, the d .;trk , the r.ysterious, the inex licabl e ; ~~ these ~e r e the the~es in .hich he Je­

It is said that he was i r.nora l; but hit:. i:.lr:.or· l ity has brou~ht no d i sgr~oe upon the ~or ld since ~ i b ritincs , which represent him , ..:~.re uns taineJ. by a s i ngl e i rrunora. l so::1timen t .

Edgar Allan Po e is held i n hi~h·esteem i n Europe , especially in Fr anc e ~here he is counted among the ex­ ceedingly rare foreigners who have become naturalize cit­ izon s of t~e •rench epublic of letters . is .orks a re almost as fami l iar to a ll generations of Prencru~en since

1856 as t ho se of any native writer . One "'r encruran has cal led him "the most beau t iful thing ( l a ; lus belle) wh ich America has p ro uoed . 11 His work i s in three g1·our,s : oetry , short stories, a::1J criticisms . His p oetry is of undeni able qu ality an l of a c ha r acter unlike t hat rroduc '3d by any othe r ·;o; riter. -3­

His short stories are r emarkab le works of art and i mag ination; his criticisms intelligent, discriminating and free from prejudice . -4­ The Life of . J anuary 19, 1809 , is the date of the b irth of the po­ et who has the name of be ing t~ 3 most gifted and most un­ happy of American men of letters. Edgar Allan Poe des­ cended from a noble and honorable ancestry. His father was the son of General David Poe, the Revolutionary patri­ ot whose name he bore. General Poe was a strong, decisive man. His strength came natural since his descent is traced through his father John Poe, who emigrated ab out 1745 from the northern part of Ireland and settled in Pennsylvania', to one of Cromwell's officers who received grants of land. On his mother's side, he is said to have been nephew to John MacBride wh o fought under Nelson at Co penhagen and became an Admiral of the Blue. He used his own scanty funds to help in the Revolution, and although no repayment wa s ever made , he was not the less devote1 t o his c ountry. Eve n in 1814, when he was seventy-two years- old, the old spirit was rekindled in. active service as a volunteer in the battle of North Po int against his old enei!lies, the British. He was an honest , vigorous, sensible man 0apable of wo rldly sacrifice. Young David Poe had · een known as a promising student of law but abandoned the law books and went upon the stage. Poe's record of lineage on his mothe r's side is mo re obscure and belongs to the gleet ing memor ies of the stage. His grru:-dmother, Mr s . Arnold, was a beautiful English act­ ress of admirable power. Miss Elizabeth Arnold, her daugh­ ter and the mother of the poe t ·, spent her ;·:hole life on -5­

th8 stage , no ~ kno .. ing .n~ comf_rt o: ~ ho2e or mother' s

tenler c are . It .. ~t> ,.hen ~: it:;._ Arnoll :.;.s r L ..:ring i th

the Virc;inia Com1 any 2.t J

·.. ith _m _l r;:P.rrie:i ": r . ,_. . D. ~-optir....; ho ha...L ~oine..1 the Coq tiny .

In ~he f

-_ e.fore . 'l~l'in g th.; -.·linter season .:.1t .. :;..- . Gr een's tnect.tn·

PLi L:.le l r hia , .Hii. :-e :. ::· o rk , : :r . c.1IJJ. ~ .rs . Poe r:.aJ.e , :. h..ct t r i Jht be o :.ll::d, t:1e ir r,snu:...nont hor.1e in Boston for three

Davi~ Po e oo~n s~n L to inailnificance as ~n actor

•.(' but t.:.s ~·. l.l.. e , to t"~-e tiCu.ge , becar:1e a

in ro1u l ~ rity ~n i ~eri t . Jrs . F oe ~ s Jn in t~rebt ing

r::.:.t}B r t:·~ n __ 'urilli:wt c tres .. • She :. a.s r:.ore J.e aervint:.,

th~n fortun .to ~rj i n18btcJ for her su~C3SS 1ai nstaking

care r 2ther t han n~:ive talents .

At tL3 end o ~h~ season in Josten duri ng Jhich

Edgct. r , tho s :: con~ .Jon , ..ls bo r n , th..., f..:..~:. ily l r::f t -::' aston

never t:o r .3t"U.ln . ~-o fur t h.::: 1· Ii1G:.:~ Lion io r.. J..do cf th! hus­

1xtna. ho )roiJably J.ie ..J. of ooy:sunj1- t ion . :.: rG . Poe con tinur-;J

to rL-.y till af ter tl1·:: bixt1-:.. of her t~li rJ. ;hil..l r.on ulle

·.ent .l.nto __ ::.-....:.r~ iJ lecline . ·:::-::-10 ~· .._.r.. ily o::JCJ.L3 JeGti tute

Ec:J-1 o Te ~h'"' ::_,jject o£ th"" :::h~ri ty o £ Piohl2"Lvl1d Lalies .

On recerr:be r c , loll , .:xs Poe .lic:..l , 'nin0:inG ..,o _L c lose a - 6­

c~1reer y·hlch, though hone rable , r:.u s t have been full of

l auor, :m.dety an poverty . The 0:1iltren .er e taken in- t o tte h omes of fri en s . E gar took t h:; fami ly n arr.e of his ,)_,nef..,a toT, J ohn

Allan, .n~: ~ s ~:h ey hu. -..1 n o chil ' en , he •. a pette n

~ond l ed in the em · ty horre . Hi a fes t e r parents ~ llo ~ed

ll1 0 or tunity to o .·i thout sho·.. ing hi m 0 -~,..- - . In this e l eg&n t hor..e he ·:.. s flattered and in ' ulge in eV'C.iY )ay .

hey use t o p l a c 1 bi m on t he t ble after d i nne T t o · rink to the health of t he gu ests '"lnd t o recite f or he ·.as tal ­ :mt3d 1in :.h.:lt ,-.....y . This v.as in leeJ a ·. icke ;ray to bri ng

up ~'.. child; and. is it a ...-onder t!lat he cultivateJ a t s t e

for strong drink , ~h ich b ec ame tho fate of his af er lif e ? He ,.-:-.s a· beautiful and precocious child being able t o read,

' _·a •.. an -lanc e at t!J.J a ge of si·.:: .

He r ;. cei ved tha fudirnentt. of kno 'l edge at u.. · riVet e

school in :R iclm.ond . About June 17 , 1 · 15, Lr . Allan, hi s

.. ife , her s i ste r ~'.n1 r.d_:c.T suil e f o r E. glan t o rer.ai n

for fi -e years ~~ 3hortly ~f t e r a rriving p l ace r :ur

at the ::,nor ::rouse 8chool, c:ttake f e ,.ington , ..1 suburo of

T·on-..i.on . I n the se..::: lus i on of ':hooe rounds , .. hi J h :r. ·ve

J inoe een u ft llo .ed u in the ~ro~th of th1 great me.

~ro p olie, Po e spJn t h i s sJhoo l days fro :.is seventh to his

t .1e1 f th yecU' . ••e re he l ea.rncl Lo r oa~ La tin 1.nJ o spsak

Fren..::h . InJ.eeJ he must h.:tVJ ;.o.sscJ 1.r.ny d lonel:• hour

a nJ. it n.i ght be th.1 J. in this stre tc i1 of '1is lif - .:1 e~rs th'3 .L i rst .o r ings of the sinistnr i '1f luence olh i ::h after­ - 7­

.'ar ... s s t .ru.JL &O ir:: assaoly thv c ircle 0.1. isolation about the . · n .

In June l 2 , he l eft tLi s school ')ehinJ. c,n h:... s brou ht back to Acerioa t o live ·ith the Al} ns -t Pi ch­

~ond . Ie1'e he rene· ed hi s studies in. the English <.: nJ.

Cl assical School of J oseph H. Cl arke fro ~ Trini ty Coll ege ,

Du blin . A~ ;::. tudent , Poe 1•1as l ack i ng i n d i lisence and accuracy but has quick and. brilliant o.nd hu.d but one ri v...t l in schol~rsh i p . He w~s es~eci~lly ac tive i ~ athletics , a s .. ift runner, bol s 'Iimmer, far l eaper md sl. ill0J. in b o xinG • He evi dently cut a consi erabl e f igure in the school. 5e w:s ch ..mJ:: ion in th" simpl e tournament s , promi­ \ nent in Jebati n3 society an~ kno~ n a s a versifier i n both a galla t anl o. satiric vein . Re '.. ...ts a h \ars Yeserve :md. YJ.eve r fol"l.!ed the habit of Y!ldk i ng i nti ma.te friends . He . was a Jrea. er o.r;d .: ,:; l t hi.:. solit ::tri .ness . After the de t h of a f riend's mother, ,,ho had been very kind t o h im _'..nd for ho_ he .:elt rrtcttern 1 love , he haunted the g r a ve l:Jy night broo ing over the mystery of deat h . Th ere his young he""rt caught th·~ f i rst faint notes of that a­ l a n of assionate reeret and self- S! rung terror hhich

·after;var, bec ar1e t h e Io Triomphe of des~::.. ir . . The direct experienc a of deat h in her loss •;,as the ground on :.;hich h i s imagin:1t i on long Yi o rk'J"'l and determi ne the early bent o his mind t o ·iard a sombre sur,enrcturalism . Februa r y 14 , 1826 he matricul a ted a t th9 Un iversi t y of Vi rgin i a ·_nd ent 0 red the s c ho ols of .lnc i ent c.nJ. modern ,... - :: ­ l angu..... ges . 'Ie .,.as :, t ~h i s tin1G seventeen ye.._ rs oLl, hort in stclture , Lhi ck set , comt:aot , bow-le_;ged ;\ith tha rapiJ. nJ jerky gait of an pn,;lish boy . Fe h1.d. d::.trk cuTly hai r

::tnd usually wore .: ::;r ve and r"e l :::mc holy exr ression . Be d ividad ~ i 8 tice betreen the reoi t ion roo rr , the unch­ bo\'l, the c rd. ta'J le , athl etic sports , --.nl pede&t riani ':lm . He took LQtin, Gr eek , French, Jnd Spanish but being f cile r ther than stud.ious , diG. not av uire a cri t::_ cal kno .·:le ge of t hese l angu ages . '!'hough he at ten ed his classes qui t e ret:;ularly , he noved in a jolly set ani W3.S very fond of drinl:ing and c.J.rd _l ayin • '1an')lin;3 ,,as t~cn hi s vice and h "' often ra~ :'~ nt o _1eb t . V'hat r::ve r may h ...~.v e been his r;ri vate history h0 11 evJr, he did not come UY~de r the ::J.ot i ce of the Faculty .,hi ch is stc..ted. t o h·,ve been u,..,usually strict at that tir.Je . -~one of h i s clas ._Altes kne~·· him intir..ate l y

-Jut he ,, as described u.S a s irited youth, who led a self­ absorbed life but 'as easily divel'ted into the leusures o f the faGhi on b l e set . At the c lose of the sessi on , necelli­ ber 15 , 1e 2c , Poe c re off with the hi~hcst honors in Latin and French . Instead of a llowing hi m to return to the Un i­ versity , l.~ r . Allan p L1ced ~ i m in his o\'in counting'-room from ·.. hich- confinement Poe soon esc2. ed and ~-en t out into the vorld t o seek his fortune . He went at once to Boston .. here he tried to make start in the .. orld by publishing his y outhful verses . T h~ result was a small , thin book entitl e'- , "Ianerl ane anJ o ther

Po ems . 11 His amb i tious fee lings -.,;ere disappointed because fioient l y knovm to find Gention in thJ first ~omrre - honsive ., o Tk on Alrteric ...,~ Poetry . A fav, mon ths :--xhv..us t oJ. h i o r:;sourc.es ,trLL :-:.G ..:v.' L l1 i rt>elf fri enJ1css ._m~.l hi thou t

L~eans o f sel f - surpo rt . T::ere seel~ieJ. onl y one v.ay out of th3 Ji.::'icul t i cs . On :~a y 28 , 1827 , he e:1 l isteJ as a i-:d­ vat3 so l Jier in th"' TJni ted r'tates Army unJ.er the :un,e of E . A. Perry .

On ac:J01J.nt of T!leri t , l~e .vas rror.ot'31. John Allan , h,tvi n.::;

1e 1.1'1181 of ....,d ~~'.:l i' 1 S . '8l'G.:l1Jouts , :u:J. his n ture ~J·3i ,_s soft­

• t:.' 1 '- e , ~10 loved '"::J~ r :evotcJ.l :·

1?oe · .s fon,, o.: ~~ouks .. s

rri ,, - ~ ... lo,.) tJr.:rar '·,,-.:lo him at t i mes utterl y ob l ivi ous o r· i:";•..iii'fer ­ ent to th·J ordinary routine of r. ilitay ~luties . On l y six months after ~3ntarin:-j tl'le _;Gr ::.ce '-.e 1. s trieJ by court- r.:cLrtial , :ou:-.1 Jl..

~a l tir·ore .:.here 'r;c 8ontinu8d t o .. l·ice r o etry ht1t fai l ecl

I n a co::t0st for the best short stor': , '?oe won t 1:.0 'Jy his

"J. '~ • .....("' • ~ou~J in~ ~ottle . " e l .::o~.. e

six l;}onths , c oncrimti n, to thJ f,3.turJay Visito r . ~rom

the sumrn

port. e decide to ~o to Bichmond but ·efore go ing pro­

poseu to marry his cousin Virginia, ,,ho w s only thir­ teen year old •.

At Ric~monJ he became assistant editor of the South­ ern J,i terary ;'esseriger' rec ei vi'1g a salary of t"n 'ollars rer we ek. Soon after,;~~ .r ds , obstructions arisi '16 in his lov'l affairs , he returned t o Baltir ore nJ r:::a rrieJ Vir­ g inia, going back t o pichmond the next day . Hrs. Clemm

and Virginia follo wed hL in a few weeks and the three con­

t i nued t o l ive together . Poe no took entire ch~rge of

the rr ugazine an l continued to contribute p oems , tal es and.

reviews . With his excell ent criticism he L.::eJ his ne\l

Souttern r,:aJazi ne besi e the leading magazines of t:he d y .

He · as loud l y praised an~ lifo seemed to open to hi~ full

of J;:romise . It .'"LS here that ne began his .ork as cri tic

v.hi ch ruJ.e hir.. r:ietn ~r enenies. On account o f i :rr;_;.:,u.la.:i..·i ty

and J.i ssu ~isfac tion :.ni pe rh::. 's i n to. ica t ion he v;c-,s ted h i s

orportunit" of rrosperity :1nJ gave up hi s place and left Fic':lr..o:::.d . With his far'1ily he u:1.d e his ·;ay slo,:l y through

Baltimore ::...nd P-hiladel phia to Ne-v. York , where he m.de h i s

hor:e. · He spent th9 .:;rca te1 part 9f the . inter '\v riting his

••r7a rrative of Arthur Gor on Pym 11 • After some time he mo v­

ed to Philadel rhia 'Vhen he contri bu'ted to the 11 ALol'ican Hu seum of Literature and Ar-ts ." and \'1 rote a. text- book on

Concho logy . He contributed t o the Gent le ~an ' s ~:fagazine"

edi teJ by t'r:: . Burton, In 1840 he y.:ub l i shed a vo l ur.:e con­

taining twenty-fi ve ..tal es , two o f .. hich 11 11 and "The -11­

Fall of the House of Ushe·r, 11 1-:::.1 rked the highest reach of the Romantic element in Po e's geniu . He continued f or about

three yea s ,. riting for Burton's magazine uri'1 6 rvh ioh time and the few years f ollo ... i ng he .,rote some of his best productions . He shifted from one r:agazine to nother an

even tried t o start a new one of his a wn •. 'hatevor r:.isfa rtunes _nJ p riva tions ca.we to his lot i '?ae ad :uch ro.:il har,piness ,,·i t. ::is f amily in their lit-

t le home . He \1:cs r rou(L of hisheautif'l.ll. y oung ~v ife and

b rought many vis i t ors to see he r . S e i oli:Ged hi .1 and

,:o rshippe his genius . ~.i rs. Clemm 1.as a : rue mother to Poe

an~ through all his t. ayw..i rdness an folly she clung to him :; i th evatian . Vi rginia was a very .. eet s inger 8.n in

their nare p rosperous ays she ha c. har p :.n 1 r i ano . One e\rening, •. hile s i nt;ing, she ruptured 'o looJ. vessel J.n a lthough she p .rti a lly recovere.J., she !as never •,;ell dgain.

Poe went through · 11 t h e agonies of her death and clung to her ;i th 9Gpe rdtJ pe rtinacity . He . auld become altost h e in s~1.n e at ir.es '- uring wh ich, in ulge in rink . T- ey ,-,.,re re no ·;, at all tit'1es reduc e' to extrerw rovarty , <1 l thouGh Poe

continued. '.~ ri ting those immortd.l tales ;,hi ch no·xdays ,1 oul ·

at once ake ony uan ' s f or ~ une . The pr i nc i ~~ l income u~

i ng these t2~y ing months \'VJ.. o a ' u nJ.red olla r prize r e ­

o eivod far hi b story, "The Go 1 Bug . 11

In 1844 he movec to New York 1, here he had .:;redl· Jiifi­

culty in selling hi s r o uc t ions and \~.s very poorl y a il.

His ·.ife continued to f il and he 1\J.S ill at t imes hiLLl8elf . - 12­

::e l ee vU I'0 U Go ... d Gi .. es on An.ericdn Poetr y u.r,J. J on tri uuted

to ~.,l1 e "::i rro r " , "E a t urv~.ay I:venir,~ Pus "t , 11 "BroaJ.way

t~.--t ',e 1 Ll t en ti:-.e.:; rr.ore I'YOl'k thJ.n

but ha-rint:; no c -I i t.-1 1, _;,lv3 it ur ..1..ft 1. .t fe·.~ r.on trw . Ht:l

the .:>e a son . This .. ...ts d s e ries o f critL}iSI'1S on tLt) .J.nLh:JI'l2

r.i -::h enerdas but .....~.a

i n 'Jri r1 ..·in r - ..J

hi 0he r li ter.uy :;; _..l "·,.LJ..rcu3 •

Poe' s hor:lc .\.to no~v .:1 r:1o:.m littl3 '.ti.'Ve llinG in :;he Guo­ uros o.f "e, York , t>Oc.tnt ily furn i sheJ out aL·uys Gl ean ..1n J.

Virg inia 1vas f:.i iling r _,_p iJl ~r ; Poe h i J.se l f oec .,r.. e ill ,:-J...L tha househo lJ. · _,;;;; reiuce~..l ~llrr:o..., ~ to ~ ...; Co.-i.TV3.tion l- oint . J.'iley ·.. ere relL3veJ. oy .1 f riend , ..rs . She 'I , ,, h o o J t dina~ ~ 0~0sJ ri ~t io n anJ ~atahe d over t hem during the r e s~ of · ~rg i nia's life . Toucned o~ her kin.J.liness , Foe

, as rous e l to ne 1 v·, orL . J..f. Le1· ··i r ._, inia' s .1.03. th, he be­

On recovering f r orr; t hi s trolonged illness ~ e confine J himse lf t o his hon. e .:alking much ,n~i r:; l ~nnin0 sto r i e s ,~,:h ich

o l ank u.n~t mo,m i nz J.esr a ir . In 1846 ~ revie Vv of h i s t:J.les

Franc e .. here ::_ t hc,o Jestined ~~~ be '.. i J..e - ::o:r:re ..ll J.n...1. enduring -13­

During Poe's life in Ne~ York he was often in s ociety, an in spi te of his enemies was al~ays a .v-elcome guest . After his public tion of the "The

Raven", he became the talk of the nation and vv as sought in the most culture circles which Nev York could then boast . Even his enemies a i t that he poesesse 11 the qualifications that m e a man shine in society . He had graceful and refined man­ ners , a voice low, musical and exquisitely modulated large , a_·k eyes 1 luminous an wonderfully expres&ive . here was about him that air of unmist kable istinction which ordinary men cannot assume and whi ch fevv men ever have . He had won ie rful con versational powers the charm of ;:hi ch was i n its genui neneGs -its v. onderful direct­ mess and sinJerity . His proud reserve , refound me lan­ choly and entire unworldliness , his simple , natural, unconventional courtesy and the perfectly s incere gr ce of his manne r , a , e to the fascination of his ersonal presence i n society . During the latter part of his life he fell in love

\1 i th several Jifferent uomen and <1l thou~h i lliu.rria e

i th :irs . !:"hi 'timan an after, rJ.s ~~ i th I. rs. Shelton ere expected, he never married again . Virginia's death was the crisis o his life an he never completely rallie frorr. her lo s . He ;, s so er an industrious for a time but gave up comp letely to drinking an taking opium . He ied in Baltimore in October 1849 , ~ er · -14­ circumstances of extreme misery and pity . On ly a very mo est stone Larks his gr ave in Baltimore an in Ne v; York., Poe Park ., op os i te the Poe co t tage i n vhich h ve been placed a bust an a table t , has been erect ed to his memo ry•

• > .. -15­

The Raven. At the reary hour of r.du.ni h t, s u ent sat in

Presently ~ib couraGe strengthens an be8ging ~dr­

on , he opone~ the oor, but oun no visi or there .

;or a lon6 time he stoo· the e in .onder nil fea.r but coul hear no hing. Presently , s i drea ing, he

hispereJ. her nilllle an thought he hear the ~ur ..ur of un evho.

~e closed the Joor , hio soul burning with terror. Agai n he hear a lou er taping at his win oJ and re­ s olved to explore the n·,ystery. He flung open the shutter an in fluttered a R von ich instantly terched on a bust above his oor. Its tern an gr ve countenc.nce made hh. smile. He

1 aske.:i it n me anJ the raven ans\ere , "neverrr,ore' • -16­

This ans \;er SU!'frieed the student; f or he thou ht this mu st oe some unedrt:ly being.

11 he raven spoke out the one \. ord "nevermore • l\ 0 VI that his fri enJ. s hau. all left hild , he s a iJ. he exr,eotetl the raven . oulu go Loo but the b ird ans .. e red "nevern.ore".

St rtled. t hearint:; the sar e .oru. oft repe...1teu., tl1e s tud. en t c :1r.1e t o the conolusion that it -.u.s the only · .ord t e bird ooul say an~ that it had learneQ it fro~ burdenetl und Eelancholy master.

'ihe raven's ..::ominc, reliaveJ his su.d soul , anJ. lao­ ing hin•self in a seat i n fxont of cne bil\1 , e be6an to f uncy , t hinL i OJ; .hat it me:m t by the voru. never .ore. On the comfortable , ousnionea seat he sa ponuerin6 not only of the b i rd. but of her ho . ould never sit in that chair ag in .

her.. in fancy he he<.<.r vof t .footf~lls on the c r:r;ot

1 "irctoh ' , he oried to the raven, "thy God hath le,,t you" , then he murmure-1 t o hi mself that Go had ent this essea­ ger to soothe and quiet hi s ffiemories f or nu that he should drink wu ch of this soothing nepenthe an..l forget ,. the dea Lenore . .ne raven .lnshere d ," neverr.wre ." Y..he ther bird. or ..ievil or .• hether Satan sent you, or you ~a re a1ive~ here oy the atorm all a lone but orave , to my home haunteJ. by hor1ible memories , still ~rou ust oe a prophet. Tell u,o ·cruly i:s here anythi ng to soothe n1y J;ri ef . Again the 1·aven a_tt;; .J re.i, r:ove rr.ore. -17­

"0 prophet" , "oh thing of evilt" ag in he cried, "by the heaven above us by the God .. e ooth love, tell my soul s o full of uorro'n if wi thi n t h t di t n t h ven I ah 11 see an clasp the blesse LenoreL But he raven said, nevermore . Su denly ri ing he cried aloud for the bi rd tQ re­ turn i nto he tempest the evil land f rom which it h d coffie and to leave not ·even a feather to remind hi m of

~ the lie it ha spoken . 11 Fly from t he bust bove my loor'~

he cried, "an leave me in my sorro . " Take \ ay the 'wv oun in my heart and take your form from out my :r:resence. But in his fancy the raven i s still sit ing on the bust above the aoor an its eyes h· un t like a emon's . Its sha....tovv still gli m ers on the floor and his soul o n never rest from the horror of the memory . -18­ As you listen to the sleigh bells what a token of mirth there is in the sound. How clearly you can hear each faint tinkle in the still , cold night . The stars oversprea ing the whole heavens seem to shine with gladness keeping time with their twinkl­ ing to the tinkling that with such harmony seems to flow from the bells.

What a token of hap ~ iness and bliss there is in the sound of thv golden we ding bells . Through the refreshing night a i r they seem to cry out for very pleasure . From the clear, tuneful notes the s ound seems to float to the turtle-dave as she listens, gazing on the moon . What a burst of pleasant sound comes from the resounding cells . How i t tells of the great delight that is cauaed by the rhythm of the bells . Hear the fire bells t The loud razen bells . Their deafening commoti on tell s of terror . How they disturb the peaceful n i ght with the i r screams of fri ght . They peal f orth regardl ess of t une and call for mercy with thei r clamor, madl y urg i ng the wil d unheedi ng flames leaping higher and h i gher as i f they were fur i ous to reach the moon. What a feeling of terror and of despair the i r sound signi­ f i es as they clash and roar 1 What horror rings through the d i sturbed a ir t The ear understands by the harshness and loudness how the -19­

J.an6er sL.ivLenB _tnJ. then t;ro .3 i r:.r i n.cn t ~g;.;~.in , .:mu. ho w i:J.

the i u.le s ounJ.i n:..., an....l the s u da en bra·.·, lin2 the d.ru1JG r falls a nd. rises .

Hear the tollinJ iron bells , the funer~l ~ ellsL

7hei r n.ournful 0oun-...lci urge t; r::.. ve and. ~~J raJ. th u __,hto . In

the &il:mt n::.,)-... t .. e ~ ·anJ.,J l c itll 1'0 ...~1· o..lt.. t:H3 ~..hre_.t::; of

... heir s..1l toned . Every sounJ. th.. t con1eo frou the i r Luf­

flea. throats i .J liL 0 d moa.nint.:> in Jist.L'eos . 1he -...len:ons . IlO J:,r:J ll in vhe stee1-1 e , -A ll Uno..;Cll ,

take great J.eli ght i r. ured.kir... 0 the hu rL ...tn he""rto 1v i th

thsir t o llint;; in that rr e lu.n.choly , muf.Cle-i 8oun . J.'hey

dre nJi ther brute no.t hur.....m , they .::-a evil beinzs v. ho f oeJ. upor lluru;:e~ ·.Jc ...~ies . It i s their k i n6 hho pours ou t

his triur:1p h a.nj dcli,_)lt dS he tollo the bells . Dancing

~r.u ye ~lin-: hc:q. 1-i ly he }_ ee1- s t i r:_e co the meLmcho ly

otrokes of the belJa .ith ar.;.jrsterious r hyrue , t o the

. a.ili n~.;; .-t..'1J the gri evin,_, of the bells . -20­

Annabel J.~ee .

A greu nurr.ber o.l ye rb u. o there live,J. beside tl e sea a maiden by the name of Ann~be l Lee . ~he loved me and trusted th t s or..e day ive m i ~ht be united . e ,, ere only chil ren, but our love i,as true ..1n everlasting. : ven the angels coveted our love and th:tt is the reason they aent the '.. ind that ohille and kille my Annabel I,ee . They took her fror• me buried her in a tomb by the sea. We ,ere h p ier than they , that is the re son the an els decree that the \win shoul J. kill my S\veetheart.

Our love •,a far stronger tho.n that o ~ olJ.er and

~ iser people; i t was so s trong that , even i n death, no po \~e r can ever eparate our s ouls from e ch o ther.

~ach n i ght s I l ook at the moon , it brings men~ ­ ries of her . I s~e her eyes in the sta~s an all throu6 h the night I rean that I am be side her in her tomb by the dashing se • Lines . ( .1rs . Etan r ) . He len, by thy beauty anJ tenlernesB , you h ve soothed my heart and rai ed 1:.1e out of my sadness and despair to realizv that there is some hope in the wo rld. Having lived oo long in , esp ir and forlorn hopes, your kindness an beauty have led me to genius and honor .

In the starry heavens afar I can see your st tely fo rm 1 oh goddeso, holdine; a shining star in your h nd. Thou art · n angel from the regions of the Holy L.1nd. -2s3 -

Israfel.

In He- ven there d wells an angel b:r the n· e of Israfel ,hose heart strings are a lute. He sings , the s ~ee test of all Go 1 s creatures . The be\ildere 8tQrs (so the myths relate) stop their bongs to listen silent­ ly to the charm of his voice.

Wavering on hi3h t he r highest p oi nt ~ the ca tivat­ ed moon is in love and the lightni ng and even the seven Pleiads pause to listen. The stars and other heavenly bodies say that Israfel' s splen or is ue to the trembling an living lyre by which he sits an sings.

But in the skies there is a land ~ here angels well 1 1here thinking is a uty, '\', here Love rules and whe re the nymphs are tinged with a ll th:; beauty of the stars. It is not rong to hate songs that have no ardent passion, Israfel. You are the best sin er oecause you are the wisest, and to you belongs the highest honor . Lo ng may you live. The leasures above join in v,i th thy rhythm. Thy grief, joy, hate , or love agrees wi th the passion of thy l1;.te . It is no :. onder that the st r·s are silent. You ar e i n Hea ven but our orl d is one of both sorro~.s anJ. joys in .hich your r-ain v, ould seem a pleasure to us.

If I should change laces ~ith I s rafel, erha she could not s ing as ell while I might sin mo re swe -; tly even than he . -23­

'he Oblong Box •. 11 he Oblong Box" is a tale of mystery and horror vd th n o reference to oharao~er •.

Ilr . V. yat t and arty enga e ~ as sage on a steamer an he takes vd th him an ob long box •. The eouliar n- ner and otions 0.1. i!r •.t yatt t o wa rd thio box keep a friend on boar mystified and arouseJ ~d th ouriosity . During a storm the ·shi springs a leak and all esoa e in the boats . The oblon.g box is left behinJ. anJ {r •.Wyatt 1 to the ho rror of all, jum:,s overboard and securing it , t ies hi :r::.self to it and they sink t ogether into the sea •.

After v~~ rJ the mystery is expl ained .: ho .. h i ;:;, a ored wife had d ied and i n or er to take the corpse he had acke it in t h is oblong box. Descri ption is of no conse uence in this tale , the im ortance is given to the lot hich leads to a start­ l in:.., cli max . The rincipal charao ters in the story are r r •.\liyatt and his friend . They are decidedl y im ginative •. The Ob long 2ox is a tale i n ·.hich the lot Jre­ dominates . It is skillfully constructed an1 hol s the i nterest to the very end , holding the reader i n won er to ,hat can be the reason for the stran e things which

~ap em. An i nter0sting part of the story is where the friend tells what he sa, on two different niJhts ~h ile he lay a .v ke and could look into !ir . Vry- tt ' s stc.,teroom; a lso an other event , hen he tries to jest ~· i th :.:r . ~y- tt about -24­ tp.e contents of the box an l'f r •.W yat t acts very str~gely and sud~e n ly turns ill. A ve1~ horrible event i n the story i s when i r •.•yatt emands that he box ba saved from the ship , and u on eing refuse jum s overboard and sinks in the sea Yi th it t ie to his body •. Everyone who redds this story is moved by the myste.ry an horror of it. It iB a story f or both old an young

nd one th t can be read aeveral t i mes ,ith interest . It i s a story that \'dll not soon -:ie or gro old-fctshioned, but ,~ ill be popular as a story of it clast: for ages to come . -25­

Arthur Gordon Pym . This is tale of blood-curdling auventures on the sea . The story relates the adventures of Arthur Go rdon Pym on the American Brig Grampus on her way to the South Seas. It gives in J.etail the mutiny and atrocious butchery on

board vd th an account of the recapture of the vessel by the survivors . It tells of their shi:p.recl an horrible sufferings from st rvation, their f inal rescue by a British Schooner an the brief cruise of this vessel in

the Antarctic Ocean ; her ca~ture and the massacre of the crew by the natives; some i ncreJible adventures and dis­ coveries farther outh by Pym and another r1an the only ones who escaped fro ;, the massacre . Some brief description is founJ. in thi s tale, an character aboun s much nore than in any of Poe's other stori es. The startling scenery, as t hey go farther soutl. , forms one of his most original and powerful landscapes . The s t ory is constructed s o as to Nin credence by c ircumstant iali J. etail and an affectel air of plainness .

It i s perhaps the closest ap roach ~ 0 reality of any of Poe's tales . The book is peculiar for its accumulation of blood­ curdling i nci dents . Deat!: is exr e rienc ed i n every horribl.e

:form.. Arthur1's imprisonment in the hold .•\here lle suffers­

stat~vation and horrible suspense , the butchery and riot of t he mutineers , the shipwreck, poiaon, staryation and cannibalism, are some of the horrible s i t u tions . Another peculiar thing about the book is its inco1nplete ending . Some ortions of the book , such a8 the ship of carrion men ' i th t he feeding gul l, the accoun t of Augustus's death,

and Arthu:r 1's dis·guise as the putrid corr)se , are almost too no i some t o be endured•. hou Art the lan •. The ·lot of this tale which i constructed very skillfully, shows it to be a tale of mystery anu crime. r.- Shuttle.vorthy , a wealthy aJld. respected an h sud enly disappeared.. His nephe , , }.:r . Pennifeather ha.J.

been accused of having ""'urdere hini ml \v s i :f.ri soned .

One d y Ch rles Goodfellow receive box of ~ine ~hich haJ been r:romised him by Mr •. Shu ttle\wrthy i th v1ho1.. he

had been very intim te . U on o~e n i ng the box in the mi ·t of or o ~ of friends , the corpse of the murdere man rose up and looking at :tfr . Go odfello-..1 cried out , "Thou art the man t" After giving a clean confession of the orime , he s taggereJ. and fell dead . 1.:r. Pennifeather, having suspected Old Charley , searcheJ and f ound the body and l anneJ an carried out the horrible scene . Thi s short tale is not criven t o character s etching or descri tion but is one i n which the plot redominateo . ­ It is a story of terror highly ori inal and very unreal but captivating. It shofls the author's great imaginative and concentra­ t i ve po ~ rs. The characters re pectre i agined hi th almost magical skill• .one feature bout the story is that it lea s the re er stray and makes him mistaken in the cha racter of Ol d

. Charley Goodfe llo ~ , thus preserving the secret more closely. The Gold. Bug •.

The plot of this tale sho a it to be a study of de­ tection an my tery.

A gold bug, found by a Mr . ~m . Legrand, is the ..,ource of much excitement an fina.lly leaJ.s to stn.rtlin results. A i eee of J:;archr.:1ent paper acciJ.ent lly picked ur, on the beach, and on ~ hich LegranJ ha drawn a picture of the bug , v·.as iscovered. to be a mysterious Chart ,hioh UJ:On being olve maJe clear a spot where pirates had burie vast treasure •. The descri tion is plain and very interesting anJ. is f ounJ. rr.os tly in the art of the t ·le ·:v hich deals ·i th the location of the tre sure . The characters are imaginative.

The main ones are 'r;; . J..~ egrand , the .ohi. negro , Jupiter, and

the friend ~ho relates the story~ "The plot· is .vell constructed and holds the reader's interest. ~Tothing is explaine till near the end , and the reader cannot possibly un ersta~d the sto~; till the end is re - ched. An astonishing situation in the story is ~;here the friend Jiacover the dr a~ ing of the death's heaJ on t ~e scrap of a er and Legran-1 1 s actions on the iscovery. · _The .ost excitin situation throughout the story is '¥\hen the treasure is d iscovered after such strange circumstances .

he story of the Gold Bug is very vague and m:l~erious ou hol s the reader' close ttention. This tale sho.d:3 evidence of the author's great a rt and i n tellectual activi~ ; an it, together .ith the ''Murders in the r~e rorgue" , is the p rogenitor of the great brood of modern detective stories . -29­

The Black Cat . I n this the lot is tule of extreme terror. A man 'havin been very fond of a blaok oa t , finally grew to hate and abhor it. The oat follovwed him about continually though he did everything to try to destroy its ' affection for him. One day a sudd en impulse caused him to seize an ax and strike at the cat .. In so doing, his wife, having stepped up to revent him, ~ as struck in the he d and killed . In order to hide his crime he concealed her b ody within the wall of the cell~ . · While searching for the body , the . olice heard the meo v of a cat in the 1all an tea ring away t he wall, iccovered the bo y. The c a t had gone . in there .• hile he ... as c oncealing the body. In "The Black Cat" the main charao te r i very i magin­ ative and could not ossibly be true to life.

The plot is well oonstruct eJ ~n inspire the reader 1ith intense dread and fear .

Inoi en ts in the tale , as ~ hen t he man cuts the eat's eye out, when he strikes at the oat and outs his ~ ife'a head open, an also . hen the cat i s foun wi t h the. corpse, are loathsome and full of terror. -3 ­

he :J.urders in the Rue .Jorgue •. This is t le of murder an c r ime invo.lving very sly detective .vorl,{ •. A lady and her daughter had been very cruelly an mysteriously murdered . Strange voices had been heard but no one had seen any sign of the murderer. The strange condition of the bonies and the faot that a l a rge su of money and other valuables had not be en molested, led a detective to think that no human hand haJ done the Jeed. Ee very s illfully unravelled the

~ystery and came to the conclusion that the .murderer

~ a a strong and f erocious orang-outang. By a ill­ ful adverti ement he got the o ~n er of·the beast to call on ~im , and made him confess and explain all.

he descri tion ~ expecially where it describes the con ition of the mangle bodies and the disor ered room , is very plain and complete . There i no character stu y , the intere t all centers i n the lot . 11 he ::urJ.erB i!l the Pue I.Iorgue" is a very puz ling and ho1·rible account of murder. It is the result of very intense i magination and graphic skill. Its peouliarity lies i n its trange mu rderer and sly detective Nork. It is a story wh ich c an be rea and reread vithout losing its oh3.rm ·· -.51­

Conclusion .

Edgar Allan Poe stan alone not only in our liter­ ature but in all liter ture. He i he father of the short tory , the oet of "Love in Fear'', of "Love in

~a nes " , of"Love in Death", who painted the grates ue not to our eyes but to our souls . In indivi~uality and di~ tine tion of norkrr.an hi 1 in po .te r of visu lizing un­ real thing an t ing pos ebsion of the rea er' im­ gination, in rin fantasy , an in ingeniou invention, hi wri ting hold laoe by themselves . The masterly combination of lo ioal luciJity, keenness of i ntellect , p sion for pro ortion, for climax for cri is , L> the ecret of his art and its effect •

Poe •as beautiful, gifte 1 ensitive, rouJ, mbitiou,

arin 1 en o"eu ith subtle charms of manner and er on, and -:renerous anJ J.evote~ to hi family. He ,·as hi hly endowed , ell-bred an~ hi ghly e ucateJ and more than once had fair op~ortunitie 1 brilli~nt pros ect , and any benevolent and considerate friend . 7hatever may have bJen the c use , -he drank liquor and ate opium which .ere the ins-truments of his broken an ruine nanho o . If he could h ve exerted greater elf di oipline, it nay read­ ily be conjectured ho , much lliore he mivht have accomplished for himself nd others .

Howevar, in s ite of his dis~p-ointing 1u litie 1

oe' s i . u life that pro i es to be long . He left u. -32­ fame de tined to lon5 memory. On the roll of our liter­ ature his name is i nscribed ith the f oremost ; and in the world at l arge his genius i establishe as valid among all men.