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Great Short Works: Poems, Tales, Criticism
The classic poems and spine-tingling stories of a Gothic American master collected in one volume.
Of all the American masters, Edgar Allan Poe staked out perhaps the most unique and vivid reputation, as a master of the macabre. Even today, in the age of horror movies and high-tech haunted houses, Poe is the first choice of entertainment for many who want a spine-chilling thrill.
Born in Boston in 1809, and dead at the age of 40, Poe wrote across several fields during his life, noted for his poetry and short stories as well as his criticism. The best of each of these is collected here, including the classic poem The Raven, and timeless stories like The Tell-Tale Heart. In his introduction to this volume, G. R. Thompson argues that Poe was a great satirist and comedic craftsman, as well as a formidable Gothic writer. "All of Poe's fiction," Thompson writes, "and the poems as well, can be seen as one coherent piece—as the work of one of the greatest ironists of world literature."
Of all the American masters, Edgar Allan Poe staked out perhaps the most unique and vivid reputation, as a master of the macabre. Even today, in the age of horror movies and high-tech haunted houses, Poe is the first choice of entertainment for many who want a spine-chilling thrill.
Born in Boston in 1809, and dead at the age of 40, Poe wrote across several fields during his life, noted for his poetry and short stories as well as his criticism. The best of each of these is collected here, including the classic poem The Raven, and timeless stories like The Tell-Tale Heart. In his introduction to this volume, G. R. Thompson argues that Poe was a great satirist and comedic craftsman, as well as a formidable Gothic writer. "All of Poe's fiction," Thompson writes, "and the poems as well, can be seen as one coherent piece—as the work of one of the greatest ironists of world literature."
576 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1970
64 people are currently reading
463 people want to read
About the author
Edgar Allan Poe
9,878 books28.6k 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 - 25 of 25 reviews
October 15, 2012
This book has done nothing for me.
I repeat that this book has done nothing for me. Nothing but confirm my absolute respect for the brilliance of Edgar Allan Poe. Where in previous anthologies of the works of Poe I had read only gothic or adventure tales, here I found that his flair extended to a greater diversity of genres. I found that Poe was not only a master dramatist, poet, thriller writer and creator of haunting tales but also involved himself in writing comedic tales. Yes Edgar Allan Poe despite his obsession with the darkness of humanity and psychology knew how to write humorously. It is positively astounding.
I conclude this briefly because there is nothing more to write about the depth of Poe's literary genius. The man was so diverse in his styles and adept at each one of them. Not only that, but his grasp of language astounds me. He was a puppet master of the mellifluous words of English and the other Romantic languages of his time. But perhaps the most intriguing thing is that like his haunting tales Poe was himself an enigma. It is this air of mystery that most fascinates me with the very essence of all of Poe's work. The mystery of the man and the mystery of his emotionally captivating work.
I repeat that this book has done nothing for me. Nothing but confirm my absolute respect for the brilliance of Edgar Allan Poe. Where in previous anthologies of the works of Poe I had read only gothic or adventure tales, here I found that his flair extended to a greater diversity of genres. I found that Poe was not only a master dramatist, poet, thriller writer and creator of haunting tales but also involved himself in writing comedic tales. Yes Edgar Allan Poe despite his obsession with the darkness of humanity and psychology knew how to write humorously. It is positively astounding.
I conclude this briefly because there is nothing more to write about the depth of Poe's literary genius. The man was so diverse in his styles and adept at each one of them. Not only that, but his grasp of language astounds me. He was a puppet master of the mellifluous words of English and the other Romantic languages of his time. But perhaps the most intriguing thing is that like his haunting tales Poe was himself an enigma. It is this air of mystery that most fascinates me with the very essence of all of Poe's work. The mystery of the man and the mystery of his emotionally captivating work.
January 18, 2018
Back in the day, when I was a college student in the late 70's and early 80's, the works of Edgar Allan Poe were sort of discarded by the elite English department at the university I attended. Seldom was his name even mentioned, and when it was, it was just in passing. The works of Shakespeare, Dante, Byron, Keats, Shelly, Joyce, Proust, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy were deemed far more important to the works of Poe...and maybe they are...or maybe not?
Thankfully, I decided to read Poe on my own time. After all, I had a strange adolescent connection to the famous writer, which I will explain later. Poe, at this time, had become more of a famous occult figure than a serious writer... Thanks to Hollywood and other media outlets.
After reading Poe for the first time, I was greatly impressed. His writing style I found to be very similar to my favorite writer of all time, Joseph Conrad, and to another writer I greatly admired, F. Scott Fitzgerald. All three writers were very descriptive; even though their subject matters were vastly different.
A few days ago, while looking through my library at home, I picked up the "The Great Short Works of Edgar Allan Poe" and flipped through it and read the notes I made in the margins. I then decided to re-read the entire collection, which is comprised of his many poems and numerous short stories and tales. I found a few stories too long with sentences that seemed to run on for eternity, a few of the stories and tales very good, and the vast majority of short stories, tales, and poems extraordinary works of literature.
"The Assignation," "Berenice," "The Fall of the House of Usher" The Murders in the Rue Morgue," "The Oval Portrait," "The Masque of the Red Death," "The Pit and the Pendulum," The Tell Tale Heart" "The Premature Burial," and "The Cask of Amontillado" are works of pure literary genius... All studies in the art of great storytelling, character development, and the poetry and beauty of words. I can only hope that today all students of literature are being taught and exposed to these wonderful works ... If not, that is a real crime.
Back to my adolescent connection to Mr. Poe ... When I was just a mere teenager, drunk and high on certain drugs .... My friends and I used to walk up to "Poe's Cottage" just off the Fordham University Campus in the Bronx. The place was in total disarray and there were more people inside the cottage and on the grounds partying than I think Mr. Poe, with his wonderful imagination, could ever have imagined. I used to think, even back then, what a crime it was that such a landmark was allowed to be so run down and disrespected in so many ways.
Today, I am happy to report that the Cottage and surrounding grounds have been restored to their once grandeur and there are no longer any loiters, drug addicts, or alcololics like myself hanging around but students passing through on school trips.
When I moved to Los Angeles in 1982, I went for quite a long time without a job and naturally had very little money to buy food; nevertheless books. Thankfully, in Westwood Village where I lived there were many wonderful bookstores. One bookstore in particular, was so huge (with two levels) that it looked more like a Library. On the second level, they had tables where one was allowed to read. Naturally, this little Heaven on earth is where I used to hang out and read books that I so wanted but could not afford. It was in this bookstore, that I decided to memorize my favorite poems and passages in books so that, regardless of where I was or under whatever circumstances, they would always be with me. The first poem I put to memory and have recited almost everyday since was Poe's romantic masterpiece, "Annabel Lee." According to my lovely wife, it was when I recited this poem to her that she fell in love with me.
In closing, let me recite the closing stanza:
For the moon never beams, without bringing me dreams
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
And the stars never rise, but I feel the bright eyes
Of the beautiul Annabel Lee;
And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side
Of my darling - my darling - my life and my bride,
In her sepulchre there by the sea -
In her tomb by the sounding sea.
Poe
Thankfully, I decided to read Poe on my own time. After all, I had a strange adolescent connection to the famous writer, which I will explain later. Poe, at this time, had become more of a famous occult figure than a serious writer... Thanks to Hollywood and other media outlets.
After reading Poe for the first time, I was greatly impressed. His writing style I found to be very similar to my favorite writer of all time, Joseph Conrad, and to another writer I greatly admired, F. Scott Fitzgerald. All three writers were very descriptive; even though their subject matters were vastly different.
A few days ago, while looking through my library at home, I picked up the "The Great Short Works of Edgar Allan Poe" and flipped through it and read the notes I made in the margins. I then decided to re-read the entire collection, which is comprised of his many poems and numerous short stories and tales. I found a few stories too long with sentences that seemed to run on for eternity, a few of the stories and tales very good, and the vast majority of short stories, tales, and poems extraordinary works of literature.
"The Assignation," "Berenice," "The Fall of the House of Usher" The Murders in the Rue Morgue," "The Oval Portrait," "The Masque of the Red Death," "The Pit and the Pendulum," The Tell Tale Heart" "The Premature Burial," and "The Cask of Amontillado" are works of pure literary genius... All studies in the art of great storytelling, character development, and the poetry and beauty of words. I can only hope that today all students of literature are being taught and exposed to these wonderful works ... If not, that is a real crime.
Back to my adolescent connection to Mr. Poe ... When I was just a mere teenager, drunk and high on certain drugs .... My friends and I used to walk up to "Poe's Cottage" just off the Fordham University Campus in the Bronx. The place was in total disarray and there were more people inside the cottage and on the grounds partying than I think Mr. Poe, with his wonderful imagination, could ever have imagined. I used to think, even back then, what a crime it was that such a landmark was allowed to be so run down and disrespected in so many ways.
Today, I am happy to report that the Cottage and surrounding grounds have been restored to their once grandeur and there are no longer any loiters, drug addicts, or alcololics like myself hanging around but students passing through on school trips.
When I moved to Los Angeles in 1982, I went for quite a long time without a job and naturally had very little money to buy food; nevertheless books. Thankfully, in Westwood Village where I lived there were many wonderful bookstores. One bookstore in particular, was so huge (with two levels) that it looked more like a Library. On the second level, they had tables where one was allowed to read. Naturally, this little Heaven on earth is where I used to hang out and read books that I so wanted but could not afford. It was in this bookstore, that I decided to memorize my favorite poems and passages in books so that, regardless of where I was or under whatever circumstances, they would always be with me. The first poem I put to memory and have recited almost everyday since was Poe's romantic masterpiece, "Annabel Lee." According to my lovely wife, it was when I recited this poem to her that she fell in love with me.
In closing, let me recite the closing stanza:
For the moon never beams, without bringing me dreams
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
And the stars never rise, but I feel the bright eyes
Of the beautiul Annabel Lee;
And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side
Of my darling - my darling - my life and my bride,
In her sepulchre there by the sea -
In her tomb by the sounding sea.
Poe
March 11, 2008
I really like his most well know stories and poems but some of the more obscure stuff is really tough to want to read through.
March 21, 2009
I loved this, and I'm sad I barely actually read what I was assigned in my American lit classes in college. I thought the horror tales generally worked better than the satires, although I think it may be partly that I don't necessarily understand the context for the things he's satirizing. My favorites of the horror tales are probably Masque of the Red Death and William Wilson, and I also loved the two detective stories, Murders in the Rue Morgue and Purloined Letter. I've never been a big fan of detective fiction, but these stories were great, and from what I understand they're supposed to be among the first major detective stories known to be published, so it was fun seeing the genre in its early days. Mostly I just loved the way he tells stories, and I love his prose, which feels so much more dense and intricate than most modern fiction. Although I wish I knew French, Greek and Latin, because he sprinkles random quotes and phrases throughout, usually untranslated. But overall I thought the anthology was fantastic (I made a brief stab at the poetry, but I'm not sure poetry will ever be my thing, at least in large doses).
May 7, 2009
I Love Poe. Poe Poe Poe. He's been one of my favorites since middle school at the earliest. Although some stories can be difficult to get through, once you've put in the effort you're always rewarded. The tales are macabre, very nearly touching insanity, and the poetry is laced with death and allusions to demons, angels, and all sorts of spirits. If anything ever happened to my cooy of this book there'd be 5 minutes where I'd be inconsolable and then I'd run to buy another one.
January 5, 2008
I've always loved "The Raven" but when I found this collection on my bookshelves, I began to truly appreciate Poe. He's a phenomenal mystery writer and he packs a punch with his short stories! One of my favorites is The Murders in the Rue Morgue. "The Raven" was only the beginning!
September 9, 2009
Most of the short stories, as the work of Poe normally is, dealt with the darkness in the human psyche, and bordered on the realm of the metaphysical. the narrative by poe of the goings on in the mind to feel the fear is the aspect that holds the reader. murders at the rue morgue was my best.
April 15, 2008
Ahh, The Pit and the Pendulum...The Telltale Heart...who doesn't get a shiver of delight at the vivid telling of these eerie stories?
June 25, 2008
Love him!
November 26, 2009
Great, dark writing. The creepiness really gets to you. I preferred to read one story at a time because they stayed with me much longer than if I read the book from cover to cover. Excellent.
March 7, 2021
After watching a PBS documentary about Poe, I pulled this from my bookshelf, where it had sat untouched for over 35 years. This is a fairly good collection of Poe works, including all of the most famous titles. The only items that I would have preferred to be included are "Tamerlane" and "The Goldbug." Both of these are mentioned several times in the introduction, but are missing in action. Despite the excellent selection, I only rate 3 stars because I usually found myself shaking my head in despair at the end of each tale. I just didn't find the satisfaction received worth the effort of working my way through the piece.à I guess I'm just not that into Poe. I have a few recommendations for others starting this book:
1. First read "Philosophy of Composition," followed immediately by "The Raven." This will give you great insight into Poe's genius and lead to a much higher appreciation of his poetry.
2. Always have a dictionary nearby. Poe's vocabulary far exceeds mine and that of most Americans. This is especially needed when reading the poetry. It also helps to speak French and Latin.
3. The introduction analyzes almost all of the contents. You can save time by reading the corresponding introduction section immediately prior to reading each selection. However, there are many spoilers contained in the introduction. The author could have written the introduction so as not to have give away so much of the conclusion.
My biggest surprise was the inclusion of several comedy pieces. One generally does not think of Poe as a comedian, but the "Blackwood Article" had me LOL. This and several other pieces acted as excellent counterpoint to the expected macabre.
This is one of the better compilations of Poe's work and should satisfy anyone wanting a comprehensive overview. My mediocre rating reflects my general dissatisfaction with Poe, not the presentation of his work in this volume.
1. First read "Philosophy of Composition," followed immediately by "The Raven." This will give you great insight into Poe's genius and lead to a much higher appreciation of his poetry.
2. Always have a dictionary nearby. Poe's vocabulary far exceeds mine and that of most Americans. This is especially needed when reading the poetry. It also helps to speak French and Latin.
3. The introduction analyzes almost all of the contents. You can save time by reading the corresponding introduction section immediately prior to reading each selection. However, there are many spoilers contained in the introduction. The author could have written the introduction so as not to have give away so much of the conclusion.
My biggest surprise was the inclusion of several comedy pieces. One generally does not think of Poe as a comedian, but the "Blackwood Article" had me LOL. This and several other pieces acted as excellent counterpoint to the expected macabre.
This is one of the better compilations of Poe's work and should satisfy anyone wanting a comprehensive overview. My mediocre rating reflects my general dissatisfaction with Poe, not the presentation of his work in this volume.
November 4, 2020
There is ample breadth in the stories included in this volume. Admittedly some are more enjoyable than others which are slow or focused on topics irrelevant to us today. Overall it is a good collection of Poe’s work.
December 3, 2022
Could t finish. Kindle version poorly edited. Skipped around as best I could to find what I was looking for. Wouldn't recommend.
October 13, 2024
Love love love me some Poe
September 30, 2017
Because I love the Alan Parsons Project album Tales of Mystery and Imagination, I wanted to read the poems and short stories each song is named after (A Dream Within A Dream, The Raven, etc.,). For me, the short stories were better than the poems.
October 3, 2014
Dear, Mrs. Duong My URL to my book report is on the great short works of Edgar Allen Poe. This book is based on how Edgar Allen Poe wrote poems and tales. There were a lot of poems that he wrote in his life, most of them were on life itself. The book was a minimum of 563 pages within this book. In the introduction it tells that Poe's first tales Gothic wasn't a big success, but he never gave up. Edgar Allen Poe die in 1949, but future writers wrote an essay to remember all of his work. From 1827 to 1849, he spent writing poems such as "dreams", it was based on people wanting to have their dreams to be great. Poe wrote over 28 poems for almost half of his life, some based on life, others based on either evil or sadness.
October 14, 2015
This is a fantastic compilation of Poe's work. I've always been a fan of Poe's, however, I've only been exposed to his most famous works. When I discovered that my boyfriend had this compilation, I readily took it to enjoy on the train. Poe's work is grim, gruesome, and fun to read. I thoroughly loved sifting through these works, gaining further insight into Poe's works. Definitely recommend for anyone who is a fan of the macabre.
Read
October 17, 2013Had to read selections from this work for my ENGH 655 class. We read the following selections: "Alone," "To Helen," "Annabel Lee," "Ms. Found in a Bottle," "Ligeia," "The Masque of the Red Death," "A Tale of the Ragged Mountains," "The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar," "The Cask of Amontillado," and "The Philosophy of Composition."
December 15, 2016
I haven't completed the entire collection but I have read a fairly huge selection of the short stories. Some of my favourites being The Raven, The Tell-Tale Heart and The Black Cat. Poe is a fantastic writer. The dark and morbid themes he writes about are really intrigued to read. Hopefully I'll be able to continue with this and finish the collection.
August 10, 2015
This was very nice, although some of the short stories were quiet boring and lacked plot, I was still amazed by the prose and writing styles, also a couple of the stories turned out to be quite gripping, my favourites were " How To Write A BlackWood Article " and " The Tell-Tale Heart ". 3.5/5
August 10, 2012
I have that same book ... I loved it but i found difficulties with the vocabulary and the classical literature style while reading
November 19, 2012
Recurring theme: being buried alive.
Of the stories, I liked the Dupin mysteries the best, then some of the most grotesque, I guess you could call it - The Masque of the Red Death, Hop-Frog, &c.
Of the stories, I liked the Dupin mysteries the best, then some of the most grotesque, I guess you could call it - The Masque of the Red Death, Hop-Frog, &c.
October 22, 2013
Poe's stories run hot and cold. Some are intriguing and anxiety-provoking and some are dull and seemingly interminable. This was a good October read.
March 6, 2016
Edgar Allan Poe and Hitchcock make the perfect friday terror night.
January 17, 2017
Read as a part of: Edgar Allen Poe: Complete Tales and Poems
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews