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Edgar Allan Poe. 1809-1849. Edgar Allan Poe. Poe wrote GOTHIC fiction. This was a very popular genre. Virginia Clem. In 1835 Poe secretly married his cousin, Virginia Clem when she was 13 years old.
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Edgar Allan Poe 1809-1849
Edgar Allan Poe • Poe wrote GOTHIC fiction. • This was a very popular genre.
Virginia Clem • In 1835 Poe secretly married his cousin, Virginia Clem when she was 13 years old. • She began to show signs of illness in 1842 and eventually died of tuberculosis in 1847, aged 24. • Poe began to drink heavily when she became ill.
Poe’s life • It is very tempting to explain Poe’s reoccurring themes in Poe’s writing in reference to events in his own life. • For example, his wife died very young after a long illness, and the death of young women is a central theme in many Poe stories. • However, some of those stories were written before Virginia Poe became ill.
Poe’s Life • Many people assume Poe was an opium addict, and that this explains where the ideas for the stories came from. • However, it now seems that though he may have been an alcoholic, he was not addicted to opium.
The Raven (1845) • The Raven is Poe’s most famous poem. • It tells the story of a man sitting in his study trying to distract himself from thoughts of his dead lover. • A raven mysteriously appears at his window, the bird is let into the room and it sits on top of a statue.
The Raven • The raven speaks, but only says one word “nevermore” • The narrator questions the raven, believing he can give him answers about dead Lenore. • The raven’s answer never changes. • The narrator is drawn further into mourning and depression by the presence of the raven.
The Raven • As you are listening to the poem, follow the words in your textbook. • The black raven represents mourning and death.
Structure of the poem • The Raven is 16 STANZAS long. • Each stanza has 6 lines. • MOST lines have 16 syllables: Onceuponamidnightdreary, whileI ponderedweakand weary • And INERNAL RHYMES – for example “dreary” and “weary”
First Stanza Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary, Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore, While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping, As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door. `'Tis some visitor,' I muttered, `tapping at my chamber door - Only this, and nothing more.'
Questions • Why do you think there is so much repetition in this poem? • What effect does it have? • Do you think this is a poem which benefits from being read out loud? Why? • Is this poem frightening?
The Tell-Tale Heart (1843) • The Tell-Tale Heart is the story of a murder of an old man. • The narrator of the story is the murderer.
The Tell-Tale Heart • The only reason the narrator gives for the murder is the fact that he dislikes one of the old man’s eyes. • He buries the body beneath the floorboards. • When the police arrives he believes they can hear the old man’s heart beating and he rips up the floorboards and shows them the body.
The narrator • The narrator of The Tell-Tale Heart keeps repeating that he is not mad. • He assumes that the reader will think he is mad. • Does he convince you?
Ligeia (1838) • The narrator of Ligeia is Ligeia’s husband. • Ligeia is a beautiful, clever woman who dies after a long illness. • The narrator gets re-married to a woman named Rowena, though he never stops loving Ligeia.
Ligeia • Rowena becomes ill also and is close to death. • The narrator sits beside her bed, having taken a large dose of opium. • He watches as the dead body of Rowena appears to change into the living body of Ligeia.
Opium • Opium is a drug made from poppies, like heroin. • Many people took it medicinally in 19th century because it gives relief from pain, however many took it recreationally as well. It is very addictive and can cause hallucinations.
Themes in Poe • Dead women: Poe often wrote about beautiful, young women who had recently died. • Addiction: Poe often wrote about opium which heightens the senses, and alcoholism. • Madness: Many of his characters have been driven mad by addiction or circumstance, but are trying to convince the reader that they are sane.
Dead Women: • Ligeia (1838): Beautiful Ligeia, clever, mysterious Ligeia dies. Her husband re-marries and his second wife falls ill. • The Raven (1845): The narrator of the poem has lost his love, Lenore. He is visited by a raven late at night.
Addiction • Ligeia (1838): The narrator of Ligeia is addicted to opium. It could be his addiction that cause his visions of Ligeia. • The Black Cat (1843): The narrator of the Black Cat is an alcoholic. It is the violent mood swings created by his addiction that lead him to torture and kill his cat.
Madness • The Black Cat(1843): The alcoholic narrator’s desire to kill an animal “because it loved him” is evidence of a slip into madness. • The Tell-Tale Heart(1843): The narrator decides to murder an old man, for no reason. He constantly tries to reassure the reader he is not mad. In the end, in both stories, guilt and madness gets the narrator caught.
An Unreliable Narrator • Because addiction and madness are such prevalent themes in Poe’s stories, often the reader cannot rely on the accuracy of what the narrator is telling us. • For example, does Ligeia really return in the dying body of Regina or is it an opium induced dream?
The line between life and death • Illness: - Many characters (usually women) have long illnesses during which they physically waste away. • Buried alive: - The terrifying notion of being buried alive is a theme in a number of Poe stories.
The Fall of the House of Usher (1839) • The Fall of the House of Usher is Poe’s most famous story. • It combines ALL of his favourite themes: madness, obsession, illness and the death of a young woman, incest and being buried alive!!
The Fall of the House of Usher • Roderick and Madeline Usher are twins living alone together in their family home. • The narrator who is Roderick’s friend arrives to stay.
The Fall of the House of Usher • Margaret is dying, and Roderick will be the last of the Usher line. • He suffers from a strange nervous condition and deep depression, which he says all Ushers have suffered from.
The Ushers • There seems to be a history of family members marrying in the Usher family, which Roderick believes is the cause of his nervous condition. • This may have been a matter of interest or concern to Poe, who had married his first cousin.
The Fall of the House of Usher • Margaret dies and the narrator and Roderick lay her to rest in a tomb. • She has been buried alive, she struggles out of her coffin and then dies at her brother’s feet. • Victor reveals he has known she was buried alive for days.
The House of Usher • The narrator runs from the house in horror, and as he leaves, it crumbles to the ground, burying the twins. • Roderick Usher believes that the house itself is somehow alive. • He has not left the building in 5 years, and ultimately it falls and kills him.
Transcendentalism • Poe disliked the transcendentalist movement. • He called its followers “frogpondians” • Obviously his stories are anything but optimistic.
Transcendentalism • Horror stories are most effective when the whole atmosphere of the story is filled with the potential for evil and horror. • This is in direct opposition to the transcendental belief in the goodness of everything.
