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The Oval Portrait
Online fiction.
Seeking shelter for the night, a wounded man breaks into a bizarre, abandoned chateau decorated by an unusually large number of paintings.
Seeking shelter for the night, a wounded man breaks into a bizarre, abandoned chateau decorated by an unusually large number of paintings.
2 pages, ebook
First published November 13, 1842
67 people are currently reading
1915 people want to read
About the author
Edgar Allan Poe
9,796 books28.7k followersThe name Poe brings to mind images of murderers and madmen, premature burials, and mysterious women who return from the dead. His works have been in print since 1827 and include such literary classics as The Tell-Tale Heart, The Raven, and The Fall of the House of Usher. This versatile writer’s oeuvre includes short stories, poetry, a novel, a textbook, a book of scientific theory, and hundreds of essays and book reviews. He is widely acknowledged as the inventor of the modern detective story and an innovator in the science fiction genre, but he made his living as America’s first great literary critic and theoretician. Poe’s reputation today rests primarily on his tales of terror as well as on his haunting lyric poetry.
Just as the bizarre characters in Poe’s stories have captured the public imagination so too has Poe himself. He is seen as a morbid, mysterious figure lurking in the shadows of moonlit cemeteries or crumbling castles. This is the Poe of legend. But much of what we know about Poe is wrong, the product of a biography written by one of his enemies in an attempt to defame the author’s name.
The real Poe was born to traveling actors in Boston on January 19, 1809. Edgar was the second of three children. His other brother William Henry Leonard Poe would also become a poet before his early death, and Poe’s sister Rosalie Poe would grow up to teach penmanship at a Richmond girls’ school. Within three years of Poe’s birth both of his parents had died, and he was taken in by the wealthy tobacco merchant John Allan and his wife Frances Valentine Allan in Richmond, Virginia while Poe’s siblings went to live with other families. Mr. Allan would rear Poe to be a businessman and a Virginia gentleman, but Poe had dreams of being a writer in emulation of his childhood hero the British poet Lord Byron. Early poetic verses found written in a young Poe’s handwriting on the backs of Allan’s ledger sheets reveal how little interest Poe had in the tobacco business.
For more information, please see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_al...
Just as the bizarre characters in Poe’s stories have captured the public imagination so too has Poe himself. He is seen as a morbid, mysterious figure lurking in the shadows of moonlit cemeteries or crumbling castles. This is the Poe of legend. But much of what we know about Poe is wrong, the product of a biography written by one of his enemies in an attempt to defame the author’s name.
The real Poe was born to traveling actors in Boston on January 19, 1809. Edgar was the second of three children. His other brother William Henry Leonard Poe would also become a poet before his early death, and Poe’s sister Rosalie Poe would grow up to teach penmanship at a Richmond girls’ school. Within three years of Poe’s birth both of his parents had died, and he was taken in by the wealthy tobacco merchant John Allan and his wife Frances Valentine Allan in Richmond, Virginia while Poe’s siblings went to live with other families. Mr. Allan would rear Poe to be a businessman and a Virginia gentleman, but Poe had dreams of being a writer in emulation of his childhood hero the British poet Lord Byron. Early poetic verses found written in a young Poe’s handwriting on the backs of Allan’s ledger sheets reveal how little interest Poe had in the tobacco business.
For more information, please see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_al...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 682 reviews
March 2, 2020
*3.5 stars *
This very short story written by Edgar Allan Poe in 1850, tells of a wounded man who forces entry into an abandoned chateau. He makes himself at home in one it’s bedrooms and becomes fascinated by the abundance of art decorating its walls. One portrait in particular, that of a young girl, seems to bewitch him, and he becomes obsessed, wondering who she is, and what happened to her. Read it and find out! Here is the link for this freebie. https://poestories.com/read/ovalportrait
This very short story written by Edgar Allan Poe in 1850, tells of a wounded man who forces entry into an abandoned chateau. He makes himself at home in one it’s bedrooms and becomes fascinated by the abundance of art decorating its walls. One portrait in particular, that of a young girl, seems to bewitch him, and he becomes obsessed, wondering who she is, and what happened to her. Read it and find out! Here is the link for this freebie. https://poestories.com/read/ovalportrait
June 30, 2023
Since there are dozens of reviews already posted here, in the spirit of freshness I will focus on how Edgar Allan Poe uses this tale to convey the power of art and aesthetic experience for both artist and viewer. Below are my observations along with several of the author’s quotes.
The narrator enters a room situated in a remote turret of a Italian mountain chateau, a room filled with tapestry and trophies “together with an unusually great number of very spirited modern paintings, in frames of rich golden arabesque.” This framing of works of art is no accident – by its very nature, art is a world apart; no matter how realistic, what is contained within the frame requires a viewer’s attention and imagination to be seen properly.
“Long – long I read – and devoutly, devoutly I gazed.” The act of devotion traditionally appertains to religion, but, for such art aficionados of the nineteenth century as the narrator, in a very real sense, art took the place of religion. And, similar to religious and mystical experience, his art gazing evaporates the everyday experience of time. He tells us, “Rapidly and gloriously the hours flew by and the deep midnight came.”
The narrator’s experience reflects what many eighteenth and nineteenth century philosophers such as Immanuel Kant, Frederick Schiller and Arthur Schopenhauer refer to as "the disinterested state," a mind-set whereby we transcend the muck and grime of our petty, self-preoccupied day-to-day concerns and soar to the crystal clear psychic sky of universal beauty.
Then the narrator’s attention turns more directly to the oval portrait and he spends an hour riveted on what he sees, such riveted attention moving him to intense emotional and psychological depths. We read, “I had found the spell of the picture in an absolute life-likeliness of expression, which, at first startling, finally confounded, subdued, and appalled me.”
This is the potency one encounters when totally committing to the art object; in his case being, in turn, startled, confounded, subdued and appalled, states made all the more vivid by the rarefied, ethereal air of aesthetic experience; indeed, his senses and neurological pathways are washed clean and opened like floodgates for the expressive force of the lifelike portrait of the artist’s young, beautiful wife. Additionally, the mood set by the candles of the candelabra and the dark night only adds to the piquancy of his astonishing experience.
When the narrator turns to the page discussing this painting and its history, we read along about a “passionate, wild and moody man" taking glory in his work, an artist who painted day and night over many weeks and who “took a fervid and burning pleasure in his task." However, the artist’s obsession in conferring life to his painting has a price: the more alive and vital his painting, the more life is drained from his tender, young wife, a process the artist, in his obsessive fervor, completely fails to register. This transference of energy crescendos with the final brush stroke - the painting springs fully to life at the exact moment of his young wife’s death.
So, what are we to make of this tale? Is the painter an evil man as some reviewers might suggest? Any reader who has been touched by the muse and participates in the creative life of art, music or literature knows there are sacrifices to be made, usually sacrifices made by the creative artist himself or herself but there are times when others are impacted, either willingly or unwillingly.
Where do we draw the line? We certainly don’t want to live in a flat, vapid, humdrum artless world but should such sacrifices be made as in Poe’s tale? How we answer this question is a telling sign of who we are as individuals and who we are collectively as a society.
June 12, 2019
A man seeks shelter for the night in an abandoned chateau. While he is in bed he notices a painting on the wall of a girl. He is captivated by it, and reads about it in a book, which tells the sad tale of the painting.
This was a short, gripping, and fascinating read. Another interesting story by Poe.
This was a short, gripping, and fascinating read. Another interesting story by Poe.
September 26, 2023
The Oval Portrait is a dark and delicious bite from Mr. Poe.
An injured traveler takes refuge for the night in an abandoned chateau. What he discovers when “… the deep midnight came.” will alter his perception of the enchanting beauty in the oval portrait.
“-- in these paintings my incipient delirium, perhaps, had caused me to take deep interest; so that I bade Pedro to close the heavy shutters of the room -- since it was already night -- to light the tongues of a tall candelabrum which stood by the head of my bed -- and to throw open far and wide the fringed curtains of black velvet which enveloped the bed itself.”
This short story can be read in the space of fifteen minutes and can be found for free HERE.
Thank you to Sandra for bringing this quick read to light!
An injured traveler takes refuge for the night in an abandoned chateau. What he discovers when “… the deep midnight came.” will alter his perception of the enchanting beauty in the oval portrait.
“-- in these paintings my incipient delirium, perhaps, had caused me to take deep interest; so that I bade Pedro to close the heavy shutters of the room -- since it was already night -- to light the tongues of a tall candelabrum which stood by the head of my bed -- and to throw open far and wide the fringed curtains of black velvet which enveloped the bed itself.”
This short story can be read in the space of fifteen minutes and can be found for free HERE.
Thank you to Sandra for bringing this quick read to light!
March 6, 2020
Injured, and fearful of spending a cold night outdoors, an unnamed man of means (our narrator) seeks shelter in an abandoned chateau where a turret room, dark and steeped in faded grandeur, presents itself. Our narrator has his valet light a candelabrum and throw open the fringed curtains surrounding his bed (I could easily imagine a resultant cloud of dust and moth husks, such was the flamboyance of Poe's imagery).
He retires to contemplate an array of gilt-framed paintings that hang from the bedroom walls. One, in particular, arrests his gaze; it is a portrait of a young woman ripening into womanhood.
If you are at all interested in a twisty story of life imitating art, then please read on... https://poestories.com/read/ovalportrait (it will take but fifteen minutes of your day).
My thanks to Kimber Silver for the intriguing review that brought me here!
He retires to contemplate an array of gilt-framed paintings that hang from the bedroom walls. One, in particular, arrests his gaze; it is a portrait of a young woman ripening into womanhood.
If you are at all interested in a twisty story of life imitating art, then please read on... https://poestories.com/read/ovalportrait (it will take but fifteen minutes of your day).
My thanks to Kimber Silver for the intriguing review that brought me here!
July 26, 2025
A pesar de su tan corta duración, El retrato ovalado se jacta de ofrecernos un interesantísimo trasfondo: el de un pintor que mientras más se acerca a la perfección retratando a su esposa, al mismo tiempo le va quitando su vitalidad. Y así como él indicó: «¡Esta obra es magnífica, tiene todo el espíritu y la vida misma!», es algo que, a la misma vez, calza y describe perfectamente al relato del que es participe, junto con su trama y/o temática; pero, no les puedo comentar más, ya que es una lectura extremadamente breve, y si digo algo extra o adicional —por muy menor o insignificante que sea—, sería como contarles todo, y créanme que ya se está percibiendo así.
Sin embargo, este es un relato muy atrapante, a pesar de su abismal simpleza y corta duración. Tiene lo justo y necesario. Todos los méritos para su autor, ya que, en tan pocas páginas, logró plasmar todo lo que quería. Y, si bien siento que no tengo quejas, sí que tengo alguna duda e inquietud que me perturba: y es que, al comienzo de la historia, el protagonista menciona que su criado lo dejó malherido y que así mismo fue cómo lo abandonó; pero después, juntos encuentran una vieja mansión para descansar y pasar la noche, pero allí, el personaje principal sólo está en un estado febril. Posteriormente, el criado se encuentra descansando y el protagonista no quiere perturbarle su sueño; mostrando una preocupación y quizá hasta cierto afecto por él, ya que no quiere que se despierte innecesariamente.
Honestamente, no sé si eso podría tratarse de un algún error de mi edición o de su misma traducción, o si en realidad dicha parte no fue muy trabajada por Poe. Digo esto último, porque, como indiqué, no hay una coherencia ni una lógica muy clara en eso: es como si el criado lo hubiese traicionado y lastimado, y después, el personaje principal se preocupe por él y por su buen dormir, como si nada malo o raro hubiese sucedido entre ellos. Sea como sea, es algo que descubriré cuando lea este cuento en otra edición.
No obstante, debo decir que me gustó muchísimo la presente narración y, aparte de la poca coherencia sobre lo que indiqué anteriormente —y que no sé si originalmente fue ideado así, o si es algo de mi edición y/o traducción—, no tengo más reparos que hacerle a este título.
Asimismo, me llama sobremanera la atención que se pueda escribir una historia tan buena y así de bien lograda y precisa en tan pocas páginas. Se acaba de convertir en uno de mis relatos favoritos de este autor. Además, plantea un concepto muy original y creativo, que aparentemente inspiró a El retrato de Dorian Gray, de Oscar Wilde, que aún no he leído, pero que tengo planeado hacerlo.
Mi calificación es de ★★★★☆. Esta obra está muy cerca del podio para el top 28 que estoy armando. Se la recomiendo a todos, sin hacer segmentación alguna de lectores.
Para no perder el hilo con las demás reseñas que he hecho sobre las obras de Edgar Allan Poe:
1) El gato negro, cuya reseña está bugueada en el feed de Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
2) El cuervo, el único poema que he reseñado de este autor: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
3) Narraciones extraordinarias, recopilatorio en donde reúno a los 28 relatos que he leído de Poe, además de incluir un top personal al respecto; junto con dar mi opinión en profundidad sobre él como autor: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Sin embargo, este es un relato muy atrapante, a pesar de su abismal simpleza y corta duración. Tiene lo justo y necesario. Todos los méritos para su autor, ya que, en tan pocas páginas, logró plasmar todo lo que quería. Y, si bien siento que no tengo quejas, sí que tengo alguna duda e inquietud que me perturba: y es que, al comienzo de la historia, el protagonista menciona que su criado lo dejó malherido y que así mismo fue cómo lo abandonó; pero después, juntos encuentran una vieja mansión para descansar y pasar la noche, pero allí, el personaje principal sólo está en un estado febril. Posteriormente, el criado se encuentra descansando y el protagonista no quiere perturbarle su sueño; mostrando una preocupación y quizá hasta cierto afecto por él, ya que no quiere que se despierte innecesariamente.
Honestamente, no sé si eso podría tratarse de un algún error de mi edición o de su misma traducción, o si en realidad dicha parte no fue muy trabajada por Poe. Digo esto último, porque, como indiqué, no hay una coherencia ni una lógica muy clara en eso: es como si el criado lo hubiese traicionado y lastimado, y después, el personaje principal se preocupe por él y por su buen dormir, como si nada malo o raro hubiese sucedido entre ellos. Sea como sea, es algo que descubriré cuando lea este cuento en otra edición.
No obstante, debo decir que me gustó muchísimo la presente narración y, aparte de la poca coherencia sobre lo que indiqué anteriormente —y que no sé si originalmente fue ideado así, o si es algo de mi edición y/o traducción—, no tengo más reparos que hacerle a este título.
Asimismo, me llama sobremanera la atención que se pueda escribir una historia tan buena y así de bien lograda y precisa en tan pocas páginas. Se acaba de convertir en uno de mis relatos favoritos de este autor. Además, plantea un concepto muy original y creativo, que aparentemente inspiró a El retrato de Dorian Gray, de Oscar Wilde, que aún no he leído, pero que tengo planeado hacerlo.
Mi calificación es de ★★★★☆. Esta obra está muy cerca del podio para el top 28 que estoy armando. Se la recomiendo a todos, sin hacer segmentación alguna de lectores.
Para no perder el hilo con las demás reseñas que he hecho sobre las obras de Edgar Allan Poe:
1) El gato negro, cuya reseña está bugueada en el feed de Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
2) El cuervo, el único poema que he reseñado de este autor: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
3) Narraciones extraordinarias, recopilatorio en donde reúno a los 28 relatos que he leído de Poe, además de incluir un top personal al respecto; junto con dar mi opinión en profundidad sobre él como autor: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
May 5, 2020
Poe packs a lot of symbolism into this short but engrossing allegorical tale of when passion turns into obsession. I recommend reading this short story at least twice as each re-read and reflection can show an alternate perspective and bring a different understanding of Poe’s underlying themes.
March 6, 2020
By the flickering flame of an ancient candelabrum, a dark tale of an artist who is truly married to his work comes to light.
April 14, 2023
So lifelike, that it astonished the viewer, The Oval Portrait, is a typical Poe story.
February 18, 2022
Intenso relato sobre la fugacidad de la vida. Con muy poco, Poe dice mucho.
An intense story of the transience of life. With very little, Poe says a lot.
An intense story of the transience of life. With very little, Poe says a lot.
November 2, 2016
In this haunting nineteenth century work by POE, a wounded man finds shelter in an abandoned room filled with portraits, and upon reading the nearby book of their history, THE OVAL PORTRAIT of a beautiful young woman seems to come alive and mesmerize the man as he learns the dark secret of her existence.
So tragic.
July 27, 2022
Este es un relato que cuenta la historia de un hombre que llega a un castillo y se encuentra con un retrato muy particular. Luego encuentra un libro con la historia de cada una de las obras exhibidas allí y, a medida que lee la de ese retrato oval, se da cuenta de la oscuridad y la tragedia que se esconde tras esa bella imagen.
Esta es una historia súper corta y que, en mi opinión, me queda debiendo un cierre más contundente.
July 29, 2019
I really liked this story on artistic obsession. A wounded man seeks shelter in an old castle. When lying in bed he becomes aware of an oval portrait of a young lady. What is so special about the portrait? How did the artist paint it and what happened to the lady depicted? Classic Poe with an eerie twist at the end. Recommended!
March 29, 2020
Poe is the king of writing spooky atmosphere and eerie tragedy. Get this short story free here: https://poestories.com/read/ovalportrait
November 2, 2023
- قصة تراجيدية قصيرة، ترتكز على التضحية بشكل عام، التضحية التي قدمها الفنان من اجل فنّه، والتضحية الني قدمتها الزوجة من اجل حبها... بالنتيجة الزوجة ماتت واللوحة قابعة في سرداب... الجميع قد خسروا!!
August 21, 2021
I wish this short story were a bit longer to show the narrator’s expression as to what he learned at the end of the story, however I love the message that with great art comes a great price. Nice little read!
October 24, 2018
La verdad me ha dejado más bien fría, no ha logrado transmitirme esa sensación de inquietud que debiera provocar la historia de este retrato maldito. Para mí, definitivamente, no es lo mejor de Poe.
July 12, 2020
The man who loved his wife's portrait which he had painted more than his wife her self
December 8, 2018
The second go around with this creeper was even better.
March 2, 2020
That was interesting! I've always loved Poe and this didn't disappoint as a very short story.
About the plot: A gentleman traveling stops at an aging home to stay the night and is treated to a room full of paintings and a book describing said paintings. He stays up reading about one in particular, the oval painting in the corner that looks remarkably realistic.
Take 15 minutes or so to read about this portrait. The story can be found free here.
About the plot: A gentleman traveling stops at an aging home to stay the night and is treated to a room full of paintings and a book describing said paintings. He stays up reading about one in particular, the oval painting in the corner that looks remarkably realistic.
Take 15 minutes or so to read about this portrait. The story can be found free here.
July 10, 2014
The narrator "takes refuge in an abandoned castle and discovers a room with a series of paintings accompanied by a small book describing them. His attention is attracted by an oval portrait depicting a young woman of rare beauty."
The story is eerie and tragic, and despite its shortness, fully captivates the reader.
The story is eerie and tragic, and despite its shortness, fully captivates the reader.
December 29, 2019
Siempre está el suspenso y esos finales tan increíbles en todos sus relatos. De mis favoritos.
June 20, 2020
⚠️ ¡Ojo! Pequeño spoiler ⚠️
Es una delicia ver como Poe maneja los tiempos en este breve cuento:
Una presentación gótica para situarnos en escena y recrear un ambiente de inquietud y desasosiego: el castillo abandonado, la torre, la decoración rica, ajada y vieja, la oscuridad de la noche, el candelabro, las cortinas de terciopelo negro que envuelven la cama.
Después de sumergirnos entre las sombras, viene la luz. Nos descubre algo misterioso que atrae nuestra atención: un retrato misterioso de una mujer.
En ese estado de duermevela, que bien podría ser un sueño o ser real, ya nos mantiene expectantes, solo queda resolver el misterio. Conocer con "temor" la historia del cuadro, donde incorpora los elementos fantásticos sobrenaturales.
Llegado a este punto, solo nos queda descubrir con "horror" esa impactante frase final, el porqué resultaba tan inquietante la visión de ese retrato.
El retrato oval se publicó en 1842, mientras que el retrato de Dorian Gray se publicó en 1890. Perfectamente pudo haberse inspirado en el cuento de Poe y el retrato que absorbió y devoró el alma (la vida) de la modelo.
En este retrato gótico ya se recoge ese vínculo entre la imagen retratada y la persona real, incluso entre la imagen y el alma. Es el amor de la esposa lo que capta el pintor. Un amor que entrega la esposa a su ser amado. Mientras que el pintor embelesado con su obra no es capaz de apreciar los cambios en la modelo, que está devorando su alma. El pintor no ama a su esposa, ama su belleza. La muerte de la esposa representaría el triunfo de esa obsesión por la belleza, de la esencia de la belleza sobre el amor - en las últimas fases, ni siquiera la mira- y del arte sobre la vida. El peligro de quedarse solo con lo superfluo, con la belleza.
En El retrato de Dorian Gray, el retrato purga y refleja los vicios y la perversión de Dorian, manteniéndolo inalterado a él. En este caso es al revés, es la mujer la que sufre, por la obsesión de su marido. Ella no tenía ni culpa ni pecado propio que expiar.
Dicen que Poe pudo haberse inspirado en un retrato de su madre fallecida cuando era niño, que siempre llevaba consigo.
Valoración: 8,5/10
Lectura: Junio 2020
Es una delicia ver como Poe maneja los tiempos en este breve cuento:
Una presentación gótica para situarnos en escena y recrear un ambiente de inquietud y desasosiego: el castillo abandonado, la torre, la decoración rica, ajada y vieja, la oscuridad de la noche, el candelabro, las cortinas de terciopelo negro que envuelven la cama.
Después de sumergirnos entre las sombras, viene la luz. Nos descubre algo misterioso que atrae nuestra atención: un retrato misterioso de una mujer.
En ese estado de duermevela, que bien podría ser un sueño o ser real, ya nos mantiene expectantes, solo queda resolver el misterio. Conocer con "temor" la historia del cuadro, donde incorpora los elementos fantásticos sobrenaturales.
Llegado a este punto, solo nos queda descubrir con "horror" esa impactante frase final, el porqué resultaba tan inquietante la visión de ese retrato.
El retrato oval se publicó en 1842, mientras que el retrato de Dorian Gray se publicó en 1890. Perfectamente pudo haberse inspirado en el cuento de Poe y el retrato que absorbió y devoró el alma (la vida) de la modelo.
En este retrato gótico ya se recoge ese vínculo entre la imagen retratada y la persona real, incluso entre la imagen y el alma. Es el amor de la esposa lo que capta el pintor. Un amor que entrega la esposa a su ser amado. Mientras que el pintor embelesado con su obra no es capaz de apreciar los cambios en la modelo, que está devorando su alma. El pintor no ama a su esposa, ama su belleza. La muerte de la esposa representaría el triunfo de esa obsesión por la belleza, de la esencia de la belleza sobre el amor - en las últimas fases, ni siquiera la mira- y del arte sobre la vida. El peligro de quedarse solo con lo superfluo, con la belleza.
En El retrato de Dorian Gray, el retrato purga y refleja los vicios y la perversión de Dorian, manteniéndolo inalterado a él. En este caso es al revés, es la mujer la que sufre, por la obsesión de su marido. Ella no tenía ni culpa ni pecado propio que expiar.
Dicen que Poe pudo haberse inspirado en un retrato de su madre fallecida cuando era niño, que siempre llevaba consigo.
Valoración: 8,5/10
Lectura: Junio 2020
November 3, 2019
I had never even heard of this story before. It has similarities to The Picture of Dorian Gray, but I'm not sure which author drew his influence from the other. This is a heart rending story of love, neglect, & death, very sad, but also sweet in a way...
April 30, 2020
The writer of the story is wounded and seeks refuge in an abandoned chateau which is described very vividly and makes the scenario easy to picture. As he reads long into the night when moving his candelabra so he can see better, the light strikes a portrait of a young woman. What does it disturb him so? It rivets him and holds his attention. The short but extremely good story is a tale of obsession which comes at a terrible price.
June 4, 2017
This is a good creeper from Poe.
December 19, 2022
A beautifully written yet morbid story about a painter’s power unbeknownst to him. It was somber at the end but gorgeous in its own way.
October 23, 2014
This is a short-short, only two pages, but manages to pack one story inside another &, unfortunately, left me unsatisfied. The ending was too obvious, too early, & lost its impact. It's a cool idea no matter how it is interpreted; They're not mutually exclusive, but could be.
I looked it up on Wikipedia because of something another reviewer mentioned, that it was an inspiration for The Picture of Dorian Gray. The Wiki article agrees & the dates seem to bear it out. Read the story first, though. The Wiki article is a major spoiler.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Oval...
You can read this story for free at Project Gutenberg. It's the very last story in Volume 1 of THE WORKS OF EDGAR ALLAN POE IN FIVE VOLUMES, The Raven Edition. If you just want the story itself, it's available here to read online:
http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Ova...
I looked it up on Wikipedia because of something another reviewer mentioned, that it was an inspiration for The Picture of Dorian Gray. The Wiki article agrees & the dates seem to bear it out. Read the story first, though. The Wiki article is a major spoiler.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Oval...
You can read this story for free at Project Gutenberg. It's the very last story in Volume 1 of THE WORKS OF EDGAR ALLAN POE IN FIVE VOLUMES, The Raven Edition. If you just want the story itself, it's available here to read online:
http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Ova...
October 9, 2020
Este es uno de los cuentos más aterradores y macabros de Poe, aunque no lo parezca.
Pero es que hacia el final, el cuento adquiere su momento más intenso y truculento.
Creo que Robert Louis Stevenson pudo haberse inspirado en este cuento para escribir "Olalla", ya que la primera parte de la mitad encaja con el de Poe, con la diferencia de que Stevenson lo orienta a la temática del doble.
Volviendo a Poe, es sencillamente brillante la manera en que mantiene el suspenso del relato. Qué difícil debe haber sido para sus imitadores llegar a este nivel de intriga sin caer en la fácil copia.
Pero es que hacia el final, el cuento adquiere su momento más intenso y truculento.
Creo que Robert Louis Stevenson pudo haberse inspirado en este cuento para escribir "Olalla", ya que la primera parte de la mitad encaja con el de Poe, con la diferencia de que Stevenson lo orienta a la temática del doble.
Volviendo a Poe, es sencillamente brillante la manera en que mantiene el suspenso del relato. Qué difícil debe haber sido para sus imitadores llegar a este nivel de intriga sin caer en la fácil copia.
April 11, 2016
A very short story ( 2 pages) which was my introduction into the work of Poe about the power of art for the viewer and the artist. Also, about woman submission.
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