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The Facts in the Case of Mr. Valdemar
An unnamed narrator performs a remarkable experiment when he hypnotizes a man In articulo mortis—at the point of death. Because the story wasn’t identified as fiction when it was first published in 1845, many readers believed Edgar Allan Poe’s sensational work to be a true account.
79 pages, Paperback
First published January 3, 1845
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1505 people want to read
About the author
Edgar Allan Poe
9,870 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 - 30 of 547 reviews
August 9, 2025
Un experimento que consiste en llevar a un estado de completa hipnosis a un hombre moribundo, para ver qué es lo que sucede al momento de su deceso. El resultado de dicha empresa será algo absolutamente impensado, que sorprenderá a todos los presentes e involucrados, durante y después del proceso.
Debo decir que este título es el más atrapante que he leído de su autor hasta el momento, por lejos. Aparte de estar muy bien escrito, pues todo el contenido que nos ofrece es un aporte a nivel general, ya que no hay algo esté de más o para ocupar líneas de texto de manera innecesaria. Como lectura se siente demasiado fluida, ya que es una total maestría la prosa de Poe en este punto, haciéndote sentir como si fueras un testigo más de la peculiar situación de Valdemar. Nos encontramos ante una muy grata sorpresa dentro de la bibliografía del autor, donde nos ofrece una trama diferente e innovadora en comparación con las que nos tiene ya acostumbrados; así que, una vez que comiencen a leer este cuento, les aseguro que no pararán hasta concluirlo.
Del mismo modo, se arma una excelente ambientación y tensión, sobre todo con los doctores y enfermeros, que ni ellos mismos sabían cómo interpretar la situación que estaban presenciando. Esto último es lo que crea una estupenda atmósfera e inmersión para el lector en todo momento.
Obra recomendada en un 100% para todos, en especial, para quienes quieran empezar a leer a Poe. ¿Lo malo de este punto de partida? Que después de esta lectura, y basándome en lo que llevo del autor hasta ahora, parece que no hay algo superior para querer continuar después de esto, ya que deja la vara demasiado alta.
Igualmente, tengo que hacer un destacado énfasis en que esta es la primera vez que un título me provoca querer otorgarle el máximo de calificación posible y, sinceramente, se lo ganó con creces; por ende, mi calificación final es de ★★★★★. Podio asegurado.
Honestamente, no sé qué criticarle a La verdad en el caso del señor Valdemar, porque no tengo más que elogios para darle. Con respecto al final: corto y preciso, está muy bien logrado e inesperado cómo concluye; es una narración muy amena, que fluye como agua en el río, con un desenlace que evoca al buen Lovecraft.
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...
Debo decir que este título es el más atrapante que he leído de su autor hasta el momento, por lejos. Aparte de estar muy bien escrito, pues todo el contenido que nos ofrece es un aporte a nivel general, ya que no hay algo esté de más o para ocupar líneas de texto de manera innecesaria. Como lectura se siente demasiado fluida, ya que es una total maestría la prosa de Poe en este punto, haciéndote sentir como si fueras un testigo más de la peculiar situación de Valdemar. Nos encontramos ante una muy grata sorpresa dentro de la bibliografía del autor, donde nos ofrece una trama diferente e innovadora en comparación con las que nos tiene ya acostumbrados; así que, una vez que comiencen a leer este cuento, les aseguro que no pararán hasta concluirlo.
Del mismo modo, se arma una excelente ambientación y tensión, sobre todo con los doctores y enfermeros, que ni ellos mismos sabían cómo interpretar la situación que estaban presenciando. Esto último es lo que crea una estupenda atmósfera e inmersión para el lector en todo momento.
Obra recomendada en un 100% para todos, en especial, para quienes quieran empezar a leer a Poe. ¿Lo malo de este punto de partida? Que después de esta lectura, y basándome en lo que llevo del autor hasta ahora, parece que no hay algo superior para querer continuar después de esto, ya que deja la vara demasiado alta.
Igualmente, tengo que hacer un destacado énfasis en que esta es la primera vez que un título me provoca querer otorgarle el máximo de calificación posible y, sinceramente, se lo ganó con creces; por ende, mi calificación final es de ★★★★★. Podio asegurado.
Honestamente, no sé qué criticarle a La verdad en el caso del señor Valdemar, porque no tengo más que elogios para darle. Con respecto al final: corto y preciso, está muy bien logrado e inesperado cómo concluye; es una narración muy amena, que fluye como agua en el río, con un desenlace que evoca al buen Lovecraft.
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...
August 1, 2019
This is one of the eeriest and most morbid stories I ever read from Poe. The narrator describes a mesmeric experiment on a dying man named Valdemar. The person acts in a peculiar way when in a mesmeric trance induced in the moment of death. What does the hypnotist do and how long can the mesmeric condition be sustained? The end of the story is extremely ghastly too. Nothing for the faint hearted. You really have to be a bit morbid to enjoy the action here but it is written and plotted in an excellent way. Absolutely recommend this real creeper!
February 24, 2024
Poe knows how to draw the reader in. The opening paragraph tantalises with promise of “wonder” - an “extraordinary case” that “excited discussion”. The desire to “keep the affair from the public” adds complicity in a secret. Then, in a metafictional slant, because a sensationalist account has apparently done the rounds, he turns to “facts” and quasi-scientific phrasing. No wonder that when this was first published, under a pseudonym in 1845, many thought it described an actual experiment!
Mesmerism was a field of much excitement at the time: a slightly supernatural cousin of hypnotism. The narrator is a mesmerist, and not a medical doctor. He wants to see if mesmerism can be used at the point of death, to postpone, or even prevent the patient passing.
A friend with terminal tuberculosis is a willing subject, having previously been put to sleep by the narrator. When doctors say he will not live beyond tomorrow midnight (a nice mythic touch), the narrator rushes to him. He’s anxious to ensure “reliable witnesses” to his experiment: maybe he’ll achieve a degree of immortality, even if M Valdemar might not.
Image: Pen sketch, “La verité sur le cas de M Valdemar” by Alberto Martini (Source)
What happens next is described in vivid, visceral terms: the failing body of a man dying of TB is not for the squeamish (Poe’s young wife had had it for four years). Of course, that’s the least of it. It’s a dark psychological horror of life, quality of life, death, and fate.
Short story club
I read this in Black Water: The Anthology of Fantastic Literature, by Alberto Manguel, from which I’m reading one story a week with The Short Story Club, starting 4 September 2023.
You can read this story here.
You can join the group here.
Mesmerism was a field of much excitement at the time: a slightly supernatural cousin of hypnotism. The narrator is a mesmerist, and not a medical doctor. He wants to see if mesmerism can be used at the point of death, to postpone, or even prevent the patient passing.
A friend with terminal tuberculosis is a willing subject, having previously been put to sleep by the narrator. When doctors say he will not live beyond tomorrow midnight (a nice mythic touch), the narrator rushes to him. He’s anxious to ensure “reliable witnesses” to his experiment: maybe he’ll achieve a degree of immortality, even if M Valdemar might not.
Image: Pen sketch, “La verité sur le cas de M Valdemar” by Alberto Martini (Source)
What happens next is described in vivid, visceral terms: the failing body of a man dying of TB is not for the squeamish (Poe’s young wife had had it for four years). Of course, that’s the least of it. It’s a dark psychological horror of life, quality of life, death, and fate.
Short story club
I read this in Black Water: The Anthology of Fantastic Literature, by Alberto Manguel, from which I’m reading one story a week with The Short Story Club, starting 4 September 2023.
You can read this story here.
You can join the group here.
January 10, 2022
Terrorífico cuento sobre el hipnotismo. Poe escoge los temas que domina y crea un ambiente de asfixia que hiela el corazón.
Terrific tale about hipnotism. Poe chooses subjects that he controls and creates an environment of suffocation that freezes the heart.
Terrific tale about hipnotism. Poe chooses subjects that he controls and creates an environment of suffocation that freezes the heart.
February 14, 2025
The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar, written in 1845, is an example of a story which we would now class as "horror", but which Edgar Allan Poe submitted to the public as an essay. It is a tale about "mesmerism", which was then a newly fashionable method of inducing a trance-like state. It developed later into what we term today hypnotism. A mesmerist put a man in a suspended hypnotic state at the moment of death. The story includes medical students and nurses as witnesses to add to its authenticity. It was originally presented to the public as an essay, and only later admitted by Edgar Allan Poe to be a work of fiction.
The descriptions in this story are particularly detailed and gruesome, as if the author intends to shock and disgust his readers. The physical details seem quite realistic, suggesting that Edgar Allan Poe did extensive research and studied medical texts for himself. For example the dying man Valdemar's eyes at one point leak a "profuse outflowing of a yellowish ichor". And here is the last image:
This is exceptionally graphic and original for the time, and not easily forgotten.
I have reviewed many other short stories by this author, and those reviews can be displayed by searching for Edgar Allan Poe on my Goodreads shelves.
The descriptions in this story are particularly detailed and gruesome, as if the author intends to shock and disgust his readers. The physical details seem quite realistic, suggesting that Edgar Allan Poe did extensive research and studied medical texts for himself. For example the dying man Valdemar's eyes at one point leak a "profuse outflowing of a yellowish ichor". And here is the last image:
This is exceptionally graphic and original for the time, and not easily forgotten.
I have reviewed many other short stories by this author, and those reviews can be displayed by searching for Edgar Allan Poe on my Goodreads shelves.
June 1, 2024
The Short Story Club
People have always wanted to delay or deceive death. This pseudoscientific report of an experiment performed by the narrator is a story of one of such attempts to control the uncontrollable.
People have always wanted to delay or deceive death. This pseudoscientific report of an experiment performed by the narrator is a story of one of such attempts to control the uncontrollable.
May 6, 2017
كلنا يعلم أن التنويم المغناطيسي قد يتيح التحكم في المنوم للتكلم أو فعل أشياء دون أرادته من الافلام القديمة والروايات
وبو كان مهووسا علي مايبدو بالتنويم المغناطيسي لفترة، ولكننا نعرف أن هوسه الاكبر هو ب
الموت
وهل يمكن أن نوقف عجلته..علي الاقل أن نعطله قليلا؟
Mesmeric Revelation يحاول إدجار ألان بو هذا بالتويم المغناطيسي من بعد تجربته السابقة في
"مراجعة "البوح المسمري
والتي لم تكن في شكل قصة وإنما مقال وحوار بين بو ومنوم مغناطيسيا علي فراش الموت يتحدث عن الروح والمادة والاثير والله
في نهاية هذه القصة ، مالم أذكره في مراجعتها ، يشك بو أن الحوار الاخير للمنوم مغناطيسيا تم بينما هو ميتا بالفعل وأن التنويم المغناطيسي سمح له بامتداد فترة كلامه ليستكمل حديثه الذي ما أنهاه حتي ظهر لبو كأنه ميتا منذ دقائق عدة وليس حالا
هنا بعد صدور القصة السابقة بعام ونصف ، في ديسمبر 1945 ، قدم بو هذه القصة الأكثر بشاعة في الوصف ، الأقل "صرامة" في التفاصيل العلمية والفلسفية من سابقتها
كل هذه كانت مقدمة ، عذرا للثرثرة ، القصة اقصر اعتقد... ولكن لنر نبذة عن الحدث بها واهميته بالنسبة لادجار الان بو
☆☆☆ الاحداث ☆☆☆
القصة قصيرة جدا بلا احداث حقيقية، هي مرة أخري فكرة مقدمة بشكل مقال صحفي (خادع/كأنه حقيقي) يروي لنا به السيد بو الوقائع الرهيبة لحالة السيد فلاديمير
السيد فلاديمير مصابا بالسل في مراحله الاخيرة- نفس المرض الذي كانت تعاني منه زوجة بو الصغيرة والذي سبب له آلاما لا تحتمل
ونظرا لدراسات السيد فلاديمير عن التنويم المغناطيسي والذي كان كان يعتبر علما وقتها ، قرر ان يجرب ماذا يمكن ان يفعل التنويم المغناطيسي في حالة الاحتضار، هل يمكن كما يتم التحكم في الجسد المنوم يمكن التحكم في عدم موته وتحلله؟
** والحقائق في حالة زوجة بو **
للأسف عندما أقرأ مثل تلك القصص البشعة لبو، وعندما أقرا عن قصة حياته، مرض زوجته، قريبته وحبه الوحيد، بل وحتي ملابسات موته أشعر ان هذا الرجل كان يصرخ من خلال قصصه
لن اتحدث عن الدفن حيا -فلهذا مراجعات اخري-، ولكن هنا يحاول ربما عابثا بحث وسيلة علمية توقف عجلة الموت عن زوجته المصابة بنفس مرض الشخصية بتلك القصة وفي عمر صغير جدا
وتلك السوداوية التي يشعر بها وا��احباط وعلمه الجيد بعدم الجدوي حتي إن نجحت تجربة مقيتة كهذه تجلت تماما في النهاية البشعة المروعة لتلك القصة
نهاية اصابتني بالغثيان ، واكاد ان اسمع الصوت الرهيب الذي وصفه خارجا من فلاديمير أثناء قراءتها
حسنا ، هي ثاني قصة أقرأها لبو عن التنويم المغناطيسي، ولكنها واحدة من عدة عن الموت نفسه
الذي حتي إن نجح التويم المغناطيسي في تعطيله، فإن العواقب تكون وخيمة
محمد العربي
في 18 أبريل 2017
وبو كان مهووسا علي مايبدو بالتنويم المغناطيسي لفترة، ولكننا نعرف أن هوسه الاكبر هو ب
الموت
وهل يمكن أن نوقف عجلته..علي الاقل أن نعطله قليلا؟
Mesmeric Revelation يحاول إدجار ألان بو هذا بالتويم المغناطيسي من بعد تجربته السابقة في
"مراجعة "البوح المسمري
والتي لم تكن في شكل قصة وإنما مقال وحوار بين بو ومنوم مغناطيسيا علي فراش الموت يتحدث عن الروح والمادة والاثير والله
في نهاية هذه القصة ، مالم أذكره في مراجعتها ، يشك بو أن الحوار الاخير للمنوم مغناطيسيا تم بينما هو ميتا بالفعل وأن التنويم المغناطيسي سمح له بامتداد فترة كلامه ليستكمل حديثه الذي ما أنهاه حتي ظهر لبو كأنه ميتا منذ دقائق عدة وليس حالا
هنا بعد صدور القصة السابقة بعام ونصف ، في ديسمبر 1945 ، قدم بو هذه القصة الأكثر بشاعة في الوصف ، الأقل "صرامة" في التفاصيل العلمية والفلسفية من سابقتها
كل هذه كانت مقدمة ، عذرا للثرثرة ، القصة اقصر اعتقد... ولكن لنر نبذة عن الحدث بها واهميته بالنسبة لادجار الان بو
☆☆☆ الاحداث ☆☆☆
القصة قصيرة جدا بلا احداث حقيقية، هي مرة أخري فكرة مقدمة بشكل مقال صحفي (خادع/كأنه حقيقي) يروي لنا به السيد بو الوقائع الرهيبة لحالة السيد فلاديمير
السيد فلاديمير مصابا بالسل في مراحله الاخيرة- نفس المرض الذي كانت تعاني منه زوجة بو الصغيرة والذي سبب له آلاما لا تحتمل
ونظرا لدراسات السيد فلاديمير عن التنويم المغناطيسي والذي كان كان يعتبر علما وقتها ، قرر ان يجرب ماذا يمكن ان يفعل التنويم المغناطيسي في حالة الاحتضار، هل يمكن كما يتم التحكم في الجسد المنوم يمكن التحكم في عدم موته وتحلله؟
** والحقائق في حالة زوجة بو **
للأسف عندما أقرأ مثل تلك القصص البشعة لبو، وعندما أقرا عن قصة حياته، مرض زوجته، قريبته وحبه الوحيد، بل وحتي ملابسات موته أشعر ان هذا الرجل كان يصرخ من خلال قصصه
لن اتحدث عن الدفن حيا -فلهذا مراجعات اخري-، ولكن هنا يحاول ربما عابثا بحث وسيلة علمية توقف عجلة الموت عن زوجته المصابة بنفس مرض الشخصية بتلك القصة وفي عمر صغير جدا
وتلك السوداوية التي يشعر بها وا��احباط وعلمه الجيد بعدم الجدوي حتي إن نجحت تجربة مقيتة كهذه تجلت تماما في النهاية البشعة المروعة لتلك القصة
نهاية اصابتني بالغثيان ، واكاد ان اسمع الصوت الرهيب الذي وصفه خارجا من فلاديمير أثناء قراءتها
حسنا ، هي ثاني قصة أقرأها لبو عن التنويم المغناطيسي، ولكنها واحدة من عدة عن الموت نفسه
الذي حتي إن نجح التويم المغناطيسي في تعطيله، فإن العواقب تكون وخيمة
محمد العربي
في 18 أبريل 2017
December 5, 2021
Quite the intriguing tale of an experiment of hypnosis on a dying man. I doubt it could truly happen, unlike many who believed at the time this was written.
November 14, 2016
***WELL***........this is about as dark as a read can get!
An experiment of mesmerizing a man on his death bed brings about quite a creepy and unsettling result that would definitely have me running for the nearest exit! Yikes!
THE FACTS IN THE CASE OF M. VALDEMAR was first published by POE on January 3, 1845.
April 22, 2025
"اینجا صدای کسانی به گوش می رسد که در منتهای مغاک غوطه خورده اما زنده مانده اند، و صداهایی که انگار پژواکی از یک ضربه مهلک اند، صداهایی که در فضا معلق مانده اند ، صداهایی که از فراسوی مرز بدون بازگشت به دست آمده اند ، صداهایی از فراسوی جستجوی خود از خلال گفت وگوهای ملکوتی که در میان ستارگان ادامه می یابند..."
از معدود مقاله های شسته و رفته ای بود که از ادگار الن پو خوندم به زبان فارسی. و کلی لذت بردم. در کل به نظر میاد، انتشاراتی ها هنوز تو منسجم کردن و طبقه بندی کردن آثار پو، آلن پو پژوهی و ترجمه ی دقیق آثار ادبیش به خصوص در رابطه با شعراش حسابی دچار مشکلن، این مقاله ی ترجمه شده تا حدودی این مشکل رو برطرف کرده ولی هنوز کلی راه هست برای بسط دادن و تحلیل تک تک آثار آلن پو، حتی به صورت خط به خط و کلمه به کلمه! امیدوارم بیشتر بهش پرداخته بشه در آینده:)
_شاید این نیمچه ریویو رو در آینده تکمیل و آپدیت کردم ؛)
از معدود مقاله های شسته و رفته ای بود که از ادگار الن پو خوندم به زبان فارسی. و کلی لذت بردم. در کل به نظر میاد، انتشاراتی ها هنوز تو منسجم کردن و طبقه بندی کردن آثار پو، آلن پو پژوهی و ترجمه ی دقیق آثار ادبیش به خصوص در رابطه با شعراش حسابی دچار مشکلن، این مقاله ی ترجمه شده تا حدودی این مشکل رو برطرف کرده ولی هنوز کلی راه هست برای بسط دادن و تحلیل تک تک آثار آلن پو، حتی به صورت خط به خط و کلمه به کلمه! امیدوارم بیشتر بهش پرداخته بشه در آینده:)
_شاید این نیمچه ریویو رو در آینده تکمیل و آپدیت کردم ؛)
July 26, 2015
This is a story filled with horror and awe that send shivers down your spine.
February 17, 2024
3.5 stars
Read with the Short Story Club.
This eerie and mesmerising story plunges readers into a chilling narrative where the boundaries of life and death are unnervingly blurred, deepening my appreciation for Poe’s unparalleled ability to evoke such haunting feelings. The plot revolves around an experiment to mesmerize a dying man, Valdemar, at the moment of his demise. The story's impact is derived more from its unnerving concept than its execution.
The tale’s exploration of life’s fragility and the unsettling experiment induces a unique blend of fascination and unease, characteristic of Poe’s mastery in the macabre.
Read with the Short Story Club.
This eerie and mesmerising story plunges readers into a chilling narrative where the boundaries of life and death are unnervingly blurred, deepening my appreciation for Poe’s unparalleled ability to evoke such haunting feelings. The plot revolves around an experiment to mesmerize a dying man, Valdemar, at the moment of his demise. The story's impact is derived more from its unnerving concept than its execution.
The tale’s exploration of life’s fragility and the unsettling experiment induces a unique blend of fascination and unease, characteristic of Poe’s mastery in the macabre.
November 7, 2019
Audiobook in Portuguese. Edgar Allan Poe had a lot of imagination! This short story is impressive.
February 18, 2024
A creepy Poe story about an experiment of the effects of mesmerism on a dying human man. It reads like an article out of the Lancet, which contributes greatly to the impact of the climax. Definitely stomach-turning to this reader, and left me hoping Hans Solo was right when he said “That’s not how the force works!”
February 13, 2024
The narrator practices mesmerism, and is interested in using it to determine if death can be temporarily prevented. His friend, M. Valdemar, is dying of tuberculosis and allows the narrator to hypnotize him as he's at the point of death. M. Valdemar is left in a suspended mesmeric state. The story goes from sounding like a pseudoscientific account to a tale of gruesome horror as it ends.
The descriptions of the medical state of the dying man are written in pseudoscientific jargon so that some people thought it was an actual scientific study when it was published in 1845. It's difficult to imagine them actually believing the ending! This was a short story in Black Water: The Book of Fantastic Literature which is being read by the Short Story Club.
The descriptions of the medical state of the dying man are written in pseudoscientific jargon so that some people thought it was an actual scientific study when it was published in 1845. It's difficult to imagine them actually believing the ending! This was a short story in Black Water: The Book of Fantastic Literature which is being read by the Short Story Club.
September 26, 2023
4 Stars. Creepy. Here we have Poe disguising fiction in an effort to leave the impression of authenticity. Readers in 1845 couldn't be faulted if they thought this was a scientific paper dealing with the possibility that mesmerism, an early form of hypnotism, could delay death. Poe used this 'fake news' technique before. In "The Balloon Hoax" he wrote of lighter-than-air enthusiasts crossing the Atlantic to the US more than a century before it actually happened. He submitted it to the papers as news, only for it to be renounced after publication. "Valdemar" first appeared in "The American Review" in 1845. I found it in "The Penguin Complete Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe" of 1982. Valdemar is on the verge of death from tuberculosis. Everyone in those days had family or friends who suffered from TB. In the story, Valdemar gives his permission for the mesmerization experiment to start just before his anticipated death. Poe again elevates his language to impress readers of his erudition and learning. It's not his best trait. How are you on "Phthisis?" "semi-osseous?" or "stertorious?" But what an imagination he had. Superb. (February 2021)
April 11, 2016
A strange one read before bed which was not a good idea. Quite grotesque. About trying to stale death by mesmerizing the almost dead M. Valdemar.
June 9, 2019
Very twisted and very good.
June 22, 2022
M. Valdemar is hypnotised at the point of his death, the outcome is totally improbable but I liked this dark story.
June 4, 2017
Poe has a power of terror in this story unmatched, in my opinion, by King and Lovecraft. He uses literary power.
This may be the most horrifying story I've ever read, from an experiential perspective.
This may be the most horrifying story I've ever read, from an experiential perspective.
July 4, 2012
Poe is brilliant. I adore how vivid his writing is. When I read his stories, it's like I am standing there, watching it all happen right in front of me. Always a bit grotesque, but hey, isn't that what makes him brilliant? It's one of the (many) things, at least!
July 24, 2022
Otra vez Poe, esto podría confirmar mi hipótesis de que no es un imaginado sino que siempre estaba en el lugar y hora donde sucedían los hechos.
¿Será acaso ese el motivo (el ver cosas) por el cual se dedicó al no tan fructífero deporte de empinar el codo y que fuera una de las causas de su muerte?
Claro está que hay un poco de exageración en los términos del mesmerismo que aunque Poe lo narra como propio, intuyo que solo lo conocía por terceros.
Una prosa clara, con una ligera elevación en la trama, sin tanto revuelo en los protagonistas. Tampoco no había antagonista... Salvo que se le pueda achacar de esto a la misma muerte, (aunque esta, un poco descolorida en su tono habitual). El final magistral de montaña rusa en dónde el climax fungió de resolución.
Relato cortó muy entretenido.
Disfruten la lectura!
¿Será acaso ese el motivo (el ver cosas) por el cual se dedicó al no tan fructífero deporte de empinar el codo y que fuera una de las causas de su muerte?
Claro está que hay un poco de exageración en los términos del mesmerismo que aunque Poe lo narra como propio, intuyo que solo lo conocía por terceros.
Una prosa clara, con una ligera elevación en la trama, sin tanto revuelo en los protagonistas. Tampoco no había antagonista... Salvo que se le pueda achacar de esto a la misma muerte, (aunque esta, un poco descolorida en su tono habitual). El final magistral de montaña rusa en dónde el climax fungió de resolución.
Relato cortó muy entretenido.
Disfruten la lectura!
June 17, 2019
So what can you find out about a dying man that has been hypnotized... Read and find out in this short story.
June 27, 2021
Questo libriccino contiene due dei racconti del maestro del noir E. A. Poe, presenti nella celeberrima raccolta di racconti fantastici e del terrore. In particolare, sono collegati da un micro tema: luoghi dello spirito e luoghi fisici dove nessun umano ha mai osato spingersi. Idea carina, così come l’edizione. Forse superflua, se si possiede già la raccolta completa dei racconti di cui sopra.
November 28, 2018
I have been saving the works of Poe which I have mostly read at a very young age, around my early teens, for the sake of reading them now as a student of literature and language, and I have been one for sometime, but now, I can relish in reading all that I have forgotten.
I remember I was unfailingly enthralled by the ideas he always portrayed and the gruesome themes. His works, including this stellar story, is filled with darkness, wretchedness and what my professor calls creative madness.
It is indeed an utter pleasure to peruse his works and drink those grisly and witty juices his mind seep out as ink on paper now, and I feel immense exhilaration knowing that I get to truly scrutinise the richness of his idea and his wondrous use of a lexicon I can only wish to be able to skillfully use.
The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar brings with it a tumultuous sky filled with black and beautifully yet terrifyingly shaped clouds, vociferous gale and thunder, and rain pouring in hefty, cascading torrents.
The story rolled up its curtains in the depth of darkness to tell a tale of death captured in a case of mesmerism, just like Sisyphus had chained and locked Thanatos, and an a very engaging ending.
It is a smart work and you can notice that by the way it was narrated in breath-takingly vivid details.
It is the type of horror you would enjoy envisioning deeply into the night whilst doors creek, animal howl and the winds shriek; it is to be read at the time when death suffuses its bleakness over nature as spring nears. It is a story about a tongue that eventually ceases to speak.
I remember I was unfailingly enthralled by the ideas he always portrayed and the gruesome themes. His works, including this stellar story, is filled with darkness, wretchedness and what my professor calls creative madness.
It is indeed an utter pleasure to peruse his works and drink those grisly and witty juices his mind seep out as ink on paper now, and I feel immense exhilaration knowing that I get to truly scrutinise the richness of his idea and his wondrous use of a lexicon I can only wish to be able to skillfully use.
The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar brings with it a tumultuous sky filled with black and beautifully yet terrifyingly shaped clouds, vociferous gale and thunder, and rain pouring in hefty, cascading torrents.
The story rolled up its curtains in the depth of darkness to tell a tale of death captured in a case of mesmerism, just like Sisyphus had chained and locked Thanatos, and an a very engaging ending.
It is a smart work and you can notice that by the way it was narrated in breath-takingly vivid details.
It is the type of horror you would enjoy envisioning deeply into the night whilst doors creek, animal howl and the winds shriek; it is to be read at the time when death suffuses its bleakness over nature as spring nears. It is a story about a tongue that eventually ceases to speak.
July 13, 2014
A REVIEW FOR HIGH SCHOOL TEACHERS
Poe is studied in every high school in the country, but it is unlikely many schools are reading this story. As a story itself, it is not as suspenseful as the "The Tell-Tale Heart". It is far more gruesome. It is not as beautifully written as "The Raven". It is actually written as a scientific account more than as a piece of literature. That is where it becomes useful for a teacher. The short story is an account a dying man that is placed in a hypnotic state right at he is dying. The goal is to see if the man's life can be preserved through hypnosis. It is full of gory medical details. When it was published, many readers and even doctors themselves, believed it to be a true account. Some had claimed to be working on similar projects and others expressed interest in replicating it. It can be a very interesting piece to examine how we differentiate fact from fiction? How can artists/authors/conmen trick their audience? How do we determine what is a reliable source and what is not? With the wealth of information available today, it is more important than ever that students learn how to evaluate sources. This story can also be compared with internet pseudo-science that promotes magic diet pills or attempts to link vaccinations with autism. Looking back, we often laugh at how anyone could be naive enough to fall for "The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar" or "The War of the Worlds". Yet, we often fail to see the equally naive modern beliefs we carry. Hopefully, this story can help us expose them to students.
Poe is studied in every high school in the country, but it is unlikely many schools are reading this story. As a story itself, it is not as suspenseful as the "The Tell-Tale Heart". It is far more gruesome. It is not as beautifully written as "The Raven". It is actually written as a scientific account more than as a piece of literature. That is where it becomes useful for a teacher. The short story is an account a dying man that is placed in a hypnotic state right at he is dying. The goal is to see if the man's life can be preserved through hypnosis. It is full of gory medical details. When it was published, many readers and even doctors themselves, believed it to be a true account. Some had claimed to be working on similar projects and others expressed interest in replicating it. It can be a very interesting piece to examine how we differentiate fact from fiction? How can artists/authors/conmen trick their audience? How do we determine what is a reliable source and what is not? With the wealth of information available today, it is more important than ever that students learn how to evaluate sources. This story can also be compared with internet pseudo-science that promotes magic diet pills or attempts to link vaccinations with autism. Looking back, we often laugh at how anyone could be naive enough to fall for "The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar" or "The War of the Worlds". Yet, we often fail to see the equally naive modern beliefs we carry. Hopefully, this story can help us expose them to students.
February 8, 2021
I wanted to read this short story after listening to the radio adaptation, I heard today. Edgar Allan Poe, surely makes his rounds on "The Weird Circle" and this one is from April 8, 1945.
The radio version is more entertaining for a radio audience since it brings more drama between the doctor and hypnotist but when all is said and done, it holds up to the same storyline. This is a horror story of sorts which I did not read this version but a Delphi Collection of his works. The introduction to this story which was thought real not fiction at time of publishing.
"This next tale is about a mesmerist who puts a man in a suspended hypnotic state at the moment of death. An example of a tale of suspense and horror, it is also, to a certain degree, a hoax as it was published without claiming to be fictional, and many at the time of publication (1845) took it to be a factual account. Poe toyed with this for a while before admitting it was a work of pure fiction in his “Marginalia”."
This extremely short story is about a man dying who undergoes an experiment for his friend.
The radio show below for those interested and reading the story is enhanced because it has a different feeling. Which one do I find more frightful? Poe's actual story of course.
https://www.oldtimeradiodownloads.com...
The radio version is more entertaining for a radio audience since it brings more drama between the doctor and hypnotist but when all is said and done, it holds up to the same storyline. This is a horror story of sorts which I did not read this version but a Delphi Collection of his works. The introduction to this story which was thought real not fiction at time of publishing.
"This next tale is about a mesmerist who puts a man in a suspended hypnotic state at the moment of death. An example of a tale of suspense and horror, it is also, to a certain degree, a hoax as it was published without claiming to be fictional, and many at the time of publication (1845) took it to be a factual account. Poe toyed with this for a while before admitting it was a work of pure fiction in his “Marginalia”."
This extremely short story is about a man dying who undergoes an experiment for his friend.
The radio show below for those interested and reading the story is enhanced because it has a different feeling. Which one do I find more frightful? Poe's actual story of course.
https://www.oldtimeradiodownloads.com...
December 26, 2023
- حينما اصبح السيد "فالديمار" على حافة الموت (بضع ساعات)، قام الراوي الطبيب بتنويمه مغنطيسياً مما ادى - حسب القصة - الى ان يظل على هذه الحالة (ما بين الموت والنوم) سبعة أشهر كاملة. وكان الهدف من التجربة دراسة تأثير التنويم المغنطسي على الموت بشكل علمي (وضع نظرية - تطبيقها - استخلاص النتائج).
- في حين تبدو القصة محاولة للهرب من الموت في بدايتها، الا انها تنتهي بحتمية الموت، كما ان الوصف الأخير للجثة المتهالكة اتى بشكل بشع ومقرف نتيجة لفشل التجربة. وبذلك قد يكون إدغار يحذر من الغلو في أخذ جانب العلم في موضوع حتمي كالموت، او بالتحذير من التجارب العلمية المبكرة على البشر.
- في حين تبدو القصة محاولة للهرب من الموت في بدايتها، الا انها تنتهي بحتمية الموت، كما ان الوصف الأخير للجثة المتهالكة اتى بشكل بشع ومقرف نتيجة لفشل التجربة. وبذلك قد يكون إدغار يحذر من الغلو في أخذ جانب العلم في موضوع حتمي كالموت، او بالتحذير من التجارب العلمية المبكرة على البشر.
June 4, 2022
Mind blowing!!!!!
February 19, 2018
Escuché el audiolibro en Youtube, y no sé si fue la narración o es la escritura de Edgar Allan Poe, pero esto es espantoso! en el sentido espeluznante de la palabra 〣( ºΔº )〣
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