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The Assignation

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The Assignation
by Edgar Allan Poe
Fiction
Horror
Short Stories

12 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1834

19 people are currently reading
434 people want to read

About the author

Edgar Allan Poe

9,824 books28.4k followers
The 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...

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5 stars
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242 (19%)
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524 (41%)
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288 (22%)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 139 reviews
Profile Image for Francesc.
468 reviews275 followers
October 1, 2021
Una cita con un hombre en Venecia le sirve de excusa a Poe para escribir sobre mitología, sobre arte y sobre la belleza.
No hay una lógica en la sucesión de los hechos ni en el sentido estricto del relato. Simplemente, Poe nos habla de sus inquietudes y de sus preferencias.
Hay en todo el relato un exacerbado acento romántico.

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A rendezvous with a man in Venice gives Poe an excuse to write about mythology, art and beauty.
There is no logic in the succession of events or in the strict sense of the story. Poe simply tells us about his concerns and his preferences.
There is an exacerbated romantic accent throughout the story.



Profile Image for Jess the Shelf-Declared Bibliophile.
2,416 reviews916 followers
July 15, 2020
While I enjoy the Gothic setting of the story and the conversation about art, the ambiguous ending did not make much sense to me.
Profile Image for Bionic Jean.
1,383 reviews1,530 followers
February 16, 2025
The Assignation (1833) is an unusual early story by Edgar Allan Poe, and feels rather uncharacteristic of his later work. It starts with the narrator in a gondola

The dramatic beginning is never really pursued.

is typical of Poe's horror writing. However the characters are very overblown and the tragedy, although there are precedents and examples from earlier classics, is melodramatic and not very convincing, at least to a modern audience.
Profile Image for Steven Serpens.
52 reviews64 followers
September 26, 2025
El hijo de la marquesa Afrodita fue rescatado de morir ahogado gracias a un misterioso personaje, el cual no era tan desconocido para ella. Posteriormente, ambos acuerdan tener un encuentro puntual; pero todo parece indicar que será fuera de nuestro plano terrenal.

Esta es una lectura bastante básica, a decir verdad. Si bien no se hace pesada ni aburrida, tampoco es que sea interesante en su planteamiento, además de ser totalmente prescindible dentro de la bibliografía de su autor. Pero, aunque haya dicho que es una obra básica, eso no necesariamente significa que carezca de hechos o elementos implícitos que sí sean interesantes de mencionar. Por ejemplo, de nuevo pensé que quien narraba la historia podía haber sido una mujer, como también creí eso con La caja oblonga.
Además, desconozco si esto otro se deba a errores de traducción con los pronombres o algo así, pero hay algunas insinuaciones acerca de una supuesta relación pasada entre quien narra y el héroe anónimo. Hasta hay cierta connotación sexual en cómo se le describe: «En cuanto a su estatura, debe haber estado por debajo del promedio, aun cuando había momentos de intensa pasión en que, verdaderamente, su cuerpo crecía y desmentía dicha afirmación». ¿Entienden qué se alude con esto? Correcto: es una erección.
Entonces, o bien quien narra es mujer, o sino estos personajes no le iban del todo al Necaxa (chiste de El Chavo del 8 para los no entendidos). Para comprobar esto, habría que revisar la versión anglosajona del texto, y así ver cuál es el pronombre que se usa con quien narra La cita.
Sea como sea, me resulta interesante mi interpretación y, por más información que haya buscado al respecto, no encontré nada relacionado, ni siquiera en inglés. ¿Seré pionero en vislumbrar esto? Quién sabe.

Otra cuestión que llamó sobremanera mi atención, —aparte de causarme gracia—, fue el hecho de que mi país sea mencionado: «[…] para luego esparcirse confusamente, en suaves tonalidades, sobre una alfombra de tejido abundante, que tenía una rica apariencia, casi líquida, como el oro de Chile».
Igualmente, destaco haber jugado Assassin’s Creed II hace unos 8 años. Gracias a eso, me pude adentrar muy bien en la ambientación de este relato —aparte, tengo excelentes memorias de dicho videojuego—.

Pues bien, no pretendo alargarme más, aunque ya me haya desviado suficiente. Así que, tras el rescate del niño, quien es protagonista junto al misterioso personaje —que se conocían previamente, con cercanía—, se reúnen en la casa de este último. Allí tienen diversas conversaciones, sobre pinturas, decoración de interiores, etc. Hasta que el dueño de casa revela su verdadero propósito de vida: soñar. El problema es que pretende llevar ese cometido un paso más allá, con destino a la tierra de los ‘’sueños verdaderos’’, pero acompañado. Eso es todo lo que diré al respecto.
El final de esta historia es bastante curioso, ya que le da un toque de interés al relato, debido a su falta de algo que sea atrapante para la trama. La pregunta es, Aparentemente sí, por algo fue citado/a esa misma noche. Con esto se reforzaría más mi hipótesis de la cercanía entre ambos personajes, ya que el salvador del hijo de la marquesa no solo se conformaría con , sino que también, lo haría con otra persona que sea cercana a él.

No hay mucho más que agregar. Es cierto que es una lectura simpática, agradable y que no se hace pesada, pero es totalmente prescindible como ya indiqué. Eso sí, en cierta parte se agregan unos versos cursis que solo sirven para que esos momentos se vuelvan tediosos.
Mi calificación para La cita es de ★★☆☆☆. Su inesperado final es lo que ayuda a que este relato no obtenga una calificación inferior, debido a su poco o casi nulo contenido que tiene para ofrecernos previo a la conclusión.

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...
Profile Image for Peter.
3,959 reviews761 followers
July 22, 2019
The story is set in Venice. The child of beautiful Marchesa Aphrodite falls into the water and is rescued not by her husband (who plays the guitar and coordinates the search) but by a mysterious athletic young man. The narrator of the story takes the rescuer into his gondola and visits him next day in one of his apartments. The conversation is about art and beauty. Is there a connection between the young man and the Marchesa (there is of course)? At the end the young man is drunk (love the decadent setting here) and a messager tells bad news about the Marchesa. What is the reason behind? Classic Poe full of feeling, unrivalled love and a morbid twist. Recommended!
Profile Image for Christy Hall.
367 reviews95 followers
May 16, 2023
The Assignation is a mystery, romance story. One night in Venice, the narrator and his gondolier are startled by the scream of a mother whose child has fallen from a palazzo window into the canal. The young and beautiful Marchesa Aphrodite impatiently waits for someone to save her child. The old Martoni, her husband, seems to care very little for the child or the mother. A man comes out of the shadows, dives into the water, saves the child and returns him to the Marchesa. She whispers to the young hero that she will meet him after sunrise the next day. Afterwards, the narrator offers the hero a ride home. In return, the hero invites the narrator to his home the next morning. The narrator and the hero talk about art and architecture while the narrator tours the hero’s house. At last, the hero shows the narrator a portrait of the Marchesa. In that moment, the narrator seems to grasp that the hero and the Marchesa have been having an affair. It is at this moment that a servant cries out that the Marchesa has been poisoned. When the narrator turns back to the hero, he finds that the young man is also dead after drinking from a cup.

Some readers have said that this story is about two lovers who make a suicide pact because they love each other and cannot be together. Perhaps, the child is theirs and that is why the old husband doesn’t care that the baby falls into the canal. Others claim that this is a mystery. The young lovers were supposed to meet but are poisoned. Who commits the crime? Has the old husband hired the narrator to assassinate the lovers? No matter how you read the story, it is a sad and horrific tale of love.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for فايز غازي Fayez Ghazi.
Author 2 books5,075 followers
August 7, 2023
- تراجيديا، تبدأ برهان قائم على التضحية أساسه حب عظيم خفي.. وتنتهي بإنتحار مزدوج على أمل اللقاء، ما بعد الشروق، في العالم الآخر بعيداً عن الزوج الكهل والكذب والإدعاءات الزائفة..
Profile Image for Exina.
1,269 reviews413 followers
August 3, 2015
The narrator witnesses the tragic last episode of a love affair in Venice.



Without knowing what it is about, it is hardly enjoyable. Actually, I didn’t really enjoy it even with some prior knowledge.

Anyway, it is useful to read an analysis about the story before reading it in order to capture the atmosphere and appreciate the writing style.
Profile Image for Fernando.
721 reviews1,061 followers
October 9, 2020
"La cita" es una corta narración de Poe en la que ensalza su prosa con la mejor floritura del Romanticismo alemán, según mi entender.
El relato se desdobla entre el salvamiento de un niño a punto de ahogarse gracias a un misterioso hombre embozado en las aguas de la ciudad de Venecia y contado por un narrador ocasional, para trasladarse la acción al castillo en el que este hombre vive.
La muerte, siempre omnipresente sobrevuela el relato con un final digno de aquellos a los que los románticos preferían antes que los simples mortales.
Profile Image for Netanella.
4,689 reviews32 followers
November 29, 2024
https://poemuseum.org/the-assignation/



A dark and gloomy night in Venice. A young boy, son of the beautiful Marchesa, is rescued from drowning, not by the Marchesa's husband who is too busy strumming his guitar, but by a beautiful stranger. Our unnamed narrator admires the figure of the Marchesa, especially her dainty, fairy feet. After the Marchesa promises to meet her rescuer after dawn, he is whisked away by gondola with the narrator. The narrator meets up with the mysterious stranger later in the early dawn hours. They look at books, art and architecture, and the stranger bullshits about his wealth. Is this supposed to be Lord Byron? I am dying of γέλάσμα. (It's funny, when my brother used γέλάσμα, my mom was not amused.) Regardless, the stranger drinks wine and dies from it, as a page of the Marchesa rushes in and announces his mistress's death from poisoning as well.

Analysis: Lord Byron, the rescuer personified, is a beautiful fool. The kid may or may not have drowned, but no one seems to care. The Marchesa and the stranger were a two-person 'suicide squad.' And our nameless narrator has a foot fetish.
5,716 reviews142 followers
May 15, 2023
3 Stars. This is my 11th story from Poe's "The Fall of the House of Usher and Other Tales." The 1960 edition. Many of the stories have portions which are difficult. Is it the horror and mystery? No. Poe's mind and talent for his subject was fertile and his originality, unsurpassed. His writing style is the issue; some of it does not transition well from the mid-19th century to the 21st. Not all mind you. Compare him to Conan Doyle who wrote less than 50 years later. Sir Arthur is superbly readable. Yet Poe's stories are often superior; it's his style - obscure quotes, foreign languages, trivial details, and an affliction for verbiage and the arcane. How could he ever have reached a large audience in his lifetime? The first appearance of this story is in "Lady's Book" in 1834. "Assignation" means a "date," more of a secret one. The narrator is in a gondola in Venice when he hears a shriek and watches in horror as a baby slips from its lovely mother's arms into the dark depths of the canal. The child is rescued by a mysterious young man, who invites our narrator to join him before dawn the next morning. The last paragraphs are pure horror. Unforgettable. (December 2020)
Profile Image for rory.
321 reviews15 followers
February 20, 2024
while i loved the gothic setting and the discussion regarding art, the ambiguous ending did not satisfy me
Profile Image for lucy  Ü.
136 reviews14 followers
January 15, 2021
not gonna lie... this one has not been my favorite... BUT, it's probably due to a lack of background knowledge, so once i obtain said background knowledge, i will revisit this piece of work.

what i will say for now is, Poe's imagery and ability to incorporate descriptive details will always astound me.
3,472 reviews46 followers
September 28, 2020
"This tale, [is] one of Poe's most romantic, [it is] a story of passion that relates a clandestine love affair and its tragic consequences. It is the only one of Poe's tales in which any character commits suicide. This story was first published under the title of The Visionary. . . The early version contained both a 30-line poem titled To One in Paradise https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem... and two introductory paragraphs in which the unnamed narrator claims to know the identity of the mysterious stranger of the story one 'devoutly admired by the few who read.' The name is also one that the narrator is 'determined to conceal' and he vows not to dishonor the man by creating a fictional name for him, whose melancholy end is 'a tissue of malevolent blasphemies.' The early version of the story began with the following two epigraphs:

Ich habe gelebt und gelibet-Schiller's Wallenstein (I have lived, and I have loved)

Und Sterbich, denn, so sterbich doch (And if I die, at least I die)
Durch sie-durch sie - Goethe" (With her-with her.) Sova, Dawn B. (2001). Edgar Allan Poe A to Z. New York: Checkmark Books. (p. 15-16).
Poe's revised story had one epigraph which was from the Exequy on the death of his wife, by Henry King, Bishop of Chichester indicating that the husband and wife would be united after death. This tale by Poe is a masterfully executed dark gothic romance with an unreliable narrator.
Profile Image for Jason Pierce.
832 reviews97 followers
April 30, 2022
Okay, I'm oh for two now as far as understanding what the hell's going on in one of Poe's stories right off the bat. Meaning I needed help from the internet again. , but I also don't really care.

One star for starters with a one star bonus for a total of two, but the extra star isn't due to anything that Poe deserves any credit for. I'm a Dark Tower dork, and this line was in the first paragraph: "There are surely other worlds than this..." That brings this to mind:

Jake Chambers Fall photo Assignation other worlds.jpg

Half a star for Jake Chambers (though he really deserves five).

And Poe mentions an idea from Socrates and a poem by Michaelangelo with these lines:

Non ha l’ottimo artista alcun concetto
ch’un marmo solo in sé non circonscriva

This basically translates to "Not even the greatest sculptor can conceive an idea that a block of marble does not already contain."

I'm also a LOST nut, and that section brought this scene from the first season to mind. Ah, Boone. Why did they have to kill the hottest guy on the show in the first season? Anyway, that story from Locke has always stuck with me since I heard it, so a half star for him too (though he also deserves five. And Boone? All the stars!)

Okay. Calm down, Pierce. You'll be alright.

Oh, and there's a big poem stuck in the middle of this story. This is both good and bad. Bad because I hate poems, but good because it took up most of a page, and I skimmed the hell out of it, so the story was over that much quicker. And really, this isn't a bad story; I was just too stupid to follow it.
Profile Image for Shelby.
258 reviews
June 12, 2018
3 Stars
I have read some of Edger Allen Poe books before and I knew what to expect before reading this book. Let just say that I am not of fan of his writing because they are dark and depressing. It is not my type of reading. I thought I would read this book so I can say that I have read it being this is kind of a popular book. This book was just ok and not my type of book to read but it was good for in between books. I would not read this book again. I would recommend this book to anyone that has not read any of Edger Allen Poe books or just likes his books.
Profile Image for Alberto Loredo.
81 reviews13 followers
July 22, 2021
Una historia profusa de una bella floritura convulsa, una gala al buen nombre de Edgar Allan Poe.
Un cuento que estiba en si mismo una trágica historia de un amor remiso al olvido.

Una inefable oquedad que húbose repostado de un efluvio ingente de recuerdos y soledad al encuentro aciago con aquel cautivador visaje una vez desasido, pero, ni por pienso trascordado; alea iacta est.
Profile Image for Michael Kress.
Author 0 books13 followers
June 30, 2018
I started reading Poe because he was an influence on HP Lovecraft and I can clearly see his influence in this story. It's a first-person narrative that starts off with a baby being dropped into a canal in Venice by its mother. The narrator observes how she doesn't seem distraught. He also talks about how beautiful she is and describes her appearance in great detail. His description of the mother seems to be hinting on some unknown facts that are left to the reader's imagination. He attempts to rescue the child but another man is more capable of performing the task. His description of the man's heroism shows that he clearly admires him. Later, the narrator goes with the hero to visit his apartment. He stands in awe of its architecture and decoration. They start drinking and, as the hero reveals more about himself and his experiences, the narrator becomes suspicious of his character. The ending is fairly predictable and I won't give it away here even though you'll probably be able to guess what's going to happen on your own. Despite its predictability, it's a good, solid ending. Much of the writing in this story is vague so it leaves a lot up to the reader's imagination. I thought it was great and I highly recommend it. Also, it's so short that even if you don't like it, you won't have wasted much of your time.
Profile Image for Hazal .
107 reviews20 followers
December 24, 2018
in my opinion she try to drown her child intentionally and after that probably her lover suicided and poisoned her so killed them both or her husband poisoned them but not sure. cuz poe didnt give us detail about anything. he left everything to our imagination. we just reading little parts - timelines of story. no idea about motives or character structure or events. story itself big mystery. poem from politian was good romantic foreshadowing message
Profile Image for Eye of Sauron.
317 reviews32 followers
August 14, 2024
A Venetian story that possesses just the right amount of complexity, vivid description, and intrigue. Poe's prose almost transports you to the scene, placing the reader directly in the middle of the vague plot. This is one of my favorites of his so far.

Short stories with ambiguous endings are the best.
Profile Image for Siobhan.
4,987 reviews596 followers
December 5, 2020
The Assignation is one of Poe’s works that has more questions than answers. It’s an interesting tale that had me curious to see how everything came together, but there were a lot of things that were never fully explained and left to the imagination.

If you like ambiguous reads, this is worth picking up. If you want something that is clear throughout, I’d recommend skipping this one.
Profile Image for Zulma Rios.
105 reviews11 followers
October 18, 2015
Poético, medio escabroso, el narrador forma parte de la historia, es un relato que habla del amor, entre dos personajes que no deberían amarse, una hermosa y breve narración acerca del amor y la muerte.
Profile Image for ebru pessoa.
27 reviews59 followers
August 15, 2012
'' To dream, has been the business of my life. I have therefore framed for myself, as you see, a bower of dreams. ''
Profile Image for إيم.
587 reviews13 followers
May 2, 2023
استمعت لها بترجمه، وقرأتها بترجمة غادة الحلواني، ولكن كانت التفاصيل أكثر في ترجمة خالدة سعيد.
Profile Image for Anna.
11 reviews
November 6, 2023
loved the twist!! it was very mysterious, leaving you wondering what THE HELL you just read, but after some reflection, an absolutely AMAZING TRAGEDY
Profile Image for M. Ashraf.
2,376 reviews130 followers
October 7, 2014
It was confusing, with everything going on till the end, but it is beautifully written, how everything was described in great details... maybe not his best work but still disturbing and beautiful.


Who does not remember that, at such a time as this, the eye, like a shattered mirror, multiplies the images of its sorrow, and sees in innumerable far-off places, the woe which is close at hand

Thou wast that all to me, love,
For which my soul did pine -
A green isle in the sea, love,
A fountain and a shrine,
All wreathed with fairy fruits and flowers;
And all the flowers were mine.
Ah, dream too bright to last!
Ah, starry Hope, that didst arise But to be overcast!
A voice from out the Future cries, "Onward! " -
but o'er the Past (Dim gulf! ) my spirit hovering lies,
Mute - motionless - aghast!
For alas! alas! with me The light of life is o'er.
"No more - no more - no more,"
(Such language holds the solemn sea To the sands upon the shore,)
Shall bloom the thunder-blasted tree,
Or the stricken eagle soar!
Now all my hours are trances;
And all my nightly dreams Are where the dark eye glances,
And where thy footstep gleams, In what ethereal dances,
By what Italian streams.
Alas! for that accursed time
They bore thee o'er the billow,
From Love to titled age and crime,
And an unholy pillow! -
From me, and from our misty clime,
Where weeps the silver willow!
Profile Image for kaddy.
100 reviews19 followers
August 11, 2020
Surprisingly enough, I'm fine with this short story (especially after reading Metzengerstein which got me confused as hell)

The words here caught me off guard a few times and there were few unexpected things that I didn't see coming. This story is told by a narrator, who happened to pass by a scene of young beautiful lady shrieking because apparently her baby fell into the river (how? don't even ask me, my head was full of air). The husband of the lady was disinterested as he orders people to rescue his child and finally, a young man appeared and save said child.

It was later revealed that the beautiful lady and the young man was a lover but fate caused them to be separated by the lady married to the her old noble husband and neither (the lady and the young man) were happy with their situation which in the end they committed suicide, an hour after sunrise, as promised.
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