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Selected Writings
'And much of Madness and more of Sin And Horror the Soul of the Plot'
This selection of Poe's critical writings, short fiction and poetry demonstrates his intense interest in aesthetic issues, and the astonishing power and imagination with which he probed the darkest corners of the human mind. 'The Fall of the House of Usher' describes the final hours of a family tormented by tragedy and the legacy of the past. In 'Tell-Tale Heart', a murderer's insane delusions threaten to betray him, while stories such as 'The Pit and the Pendulum' and 'The Cask of Amontillado' explore extreme states of decadence, fear and hate. These works display Poe's startling ability to build suspense with almost nightmarish intensity.
David Galloway's introduction re-examines the myths surrounding Poe's life and reputation. This edition includes a new chronology and suggestions for further reading.
PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED AS SELECTED WRITINGS
This selection of Poe's critical writings, short fiction and poetry demonstrates his intense interest in aesthetic issues, and the astonishing power and imagination with which he probed the darkest corners of the human mind. 'The Fall of the House of Usher' describes the final hours of a family tormented by tragedy and the legacy of the past. In 'Tell-Tale Heart', a murderer's insane delusions threaten to betray him, while stories such as 'The Pit and the Pendulum' and 'The Cask of Amontillado' explore extreme states of decadence, fear and hate. These works display Poe's startling ability to build suspense with almost nightmarish intensity.
David Galloway's introduction re-examines the myths surrounding Poe's life and reputation. This edition includes a new chronology and suggestions for further reading.
PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED AS SELECTED WRITINGS
544 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1967
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About the author
Edgar Allan Poe
9,797 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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July 13, 2025
“The Fall of the House of Usher” is, for me, the most perfect short story in the English language. Edgar Allan Poe, with his dedication to the idea that a work of art must exhibit unity of effect, certainly achieved that goal with “Usher,” a story that has commanded readers’ attention and critics’ respect since it was first published in 1838. And therefore it is perhaps fitting that this Penguin Books collection of Poe’s poems, stories, and nonfiction pieces bears the title The Fall of the House of Usher and Other Writings.
American Studies professor David Galloway, of Germany’s Ruhr University, helpfully frames this collection with a thoughtful and perceptive introduction. I was delighted to find that Professor Galloway agrees with me regarding the centrality to Poe’s work of “The Fall of the House of Usher” as a tale “whose richness and totality of effect entitle it to unquestioned place among the short-fiction masterpieces of all time” (p. xix). Galloway’s introduction emphasizes how “Perhaps no other single story has exerted such profound influence on other artists as Poe’s ‘Germanic’ tale” (p. xix). Viewers who thrilled to the recent Netflix miniseries The Fall of the House of Usher (2023) might be among those who would tend to agree with Professor Galloway, and with me, in that regard.
But to this collection. There is a poetry section with 17 poems, a fiction section with 19 stories, and an “Essays and Reviews” section with 16 non-fiction pieces. It is a very good balance.
The poetry section had me once again trying to recite my favourite Poe poems – “The Raven,” “The City in the Sea,” “Annabel Lee” – from memory. When I missed a word or a line, I went back for a refresher. Someday, I hope, I’ll be able simply to “declaim” these poems (that sounds like a word Poe would use).
And then it was on to the fiction. On this reading of “The Fall of the House of Usher,” I found myself focusing on some features of the story that a first-time reader might overlook – features that emphasize the care with which Poe composed this classic of American literature. I was struck, for instance, by the reason that Roderick Usher, once he has reported the death of his sister Madeline from a mysterious wasting disease, gives to the story’s narrator his reasons for “preserving [Madeline’s] corpse for a fortnight (previously to its final interment) in one of the numerous vaults within the main walls” of the Usher mansion:
The worldly reason…assigned for this singular proceeding, was one which I did not feel at liberty to dispute. The brother had been led to his resolution (so he told me) by consideration of the unusual character of the malady of the deceased, of certain obtrusive and eager inquiries on the part of her medical men, and of the remote and exposed situation of the burial-ground of the family. I will not deny that when I called to mind the sinister countenance of the [doctor] whom I met upon the staircase, on the day of my arrival at the house, I had no desire to oppose what I regarded as at best a harmless, and by no means an unnatural, precaution. (p. 102)
This detail makes sense in historical context. Works like Robert Louis Stevenson’s short story “The Body Snatcher” (1884) remind us that the early 19th century was a time when “body snatchers” or “resurrection men” might dig up buried corpses for autopsy or examination by doctors or medical students, at a time when such practices were widely regarded as a profaning of the divinely created human body. At the same time, this feature of the tale plays an important role in storytelling terms, as the presence of Madeline’s body in a vault of the House of Usher points directly toward the story’s horrifying resolution.
“The Masque of the Red Death” is another of my favourite Poe stories – and is one that seems to take on new life every time a new infectious disease appears. Back in the 1980’s, the story was associated with the HIV/AIDS epidemic – recall that Tom Wolfe’s novel The Bonfire of the Vanities (1987) had a chapter titled “The Masque of the Red Death” and chronicling the situation of an HIV-positive character. Forty years later, in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown, I found myself reading Poe’s tale through a post-COVID lens.
Recall that the Red Death is a hideous disease that produces “profuse bleeding” and “scarlet stains upon the body” of its sufferers, causing each person with the disease to be “shut…out from the aid and from the sympathy of his fellow-men” (p. 205), even before the disease causes death. The onset of any such public-health crisis, in any society, inevitably raises the question: what will that society’s leaders do?
In the case of “The Masque of the Red Death,” the Prince Prospero is “happy and dauntless and sagacious” when the Red Death strikes his kingdom. Does the prince search for a cure, institute quarantine measures, treat those who are suffering, try to prevent the spread of the illness? Heavens, no. Instead, “When his dominions were half depopulated, he summoned to his presence a thousand hale and light-hearted friends from among the knights and dames of his court” (p. 205); and once he has gathered his noble friends, he seals up the castle so that no one can enter or leave.
With such precautions, the courtiers might bid defiance to contagion. The external world could take care of itself. In the meantime it was folly to grieve, or to think. The prince had provided all the appliances of pleasure. There were buffoons, there were improvisatori, there were ballet-dancers, there were musicians, there was Beauty, there was wine. All these and security were within. Without was the “Red Death.” (p. 205)
Prince Prospero’s dereliction of duty is monstrous – leaving his people to suffer and die whilst hosting a massive party inside his castle. In this context, the story’s resolution, wherein it turns out that the prince cannot seal out an invisible enemy that comes “like a thief in the night” (p. 211), takes on a particularly strong element of poetic justice. And, perhaps inevitably, I found myself thinking back to the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, recalling when national leaders responded to the crisis in a manner that was strong and unifying (like Jacinda Ardern in New Zealand), or in ways that were weak, inconsistent, and ineffective (like Donald Trump in the U.S.A.).
There will be other epidemics and pandemics in the future – and, sadly, there will no doubt be national leaders who will respond to some future disease crisis much the way Prince Prospero does in “The Masque of the Red Death.”
Central to the power of horror fiction is the way a horror story can evoke a liminal state – an uncertain borderland between life and death, or the human and the non-human, or the organic and the mechanical, or good and evil. Poe’s tales always excelled in that regard – something I was reminded of when I read “The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar.”
On this reading of a story about a physician who uses hypnosis to enable a terminally ill patient to speak from beyond the grave, I thought once again of historical context, as I know that belief in “mesmerism” was quite widespread in the mid-19th century. This time, however, I was struck by the way Poe adopts the language of the patient case report, as when the narrator says of M. Valdemar’s failing lungs that “The left lung had been for eighteen months in a semiosseous or cartilaginous state” and that “The right [lung], in its upper portion, was also partially, if not totally ossified….Several extensive perforations existed; and, at one point, permanent adhesion to the ribs had taken place. These appearances in the right lobe were of comparatively recent date” (p. 302).
For me, Poe’s appropriation of the detached, clinical language of the patient case report added to the power of the story. The narrator is a man of science, of facts and numbers and data; but then comes the moment when the narrator asks the hypnotized M. Valdemar, “Do you still sleep,” and Valdemar replies, “Yes; -- no; -- I have been sleeping – and now – now – I am dead” (pp. 305, 307).
At this point, the narrator’s safe scientific rationality abandons him, replaced by absolute horror: “No person present even affected to deny, or attempted to repress, the unutterable, shuddering horror which these few words, thus uttered, were so well calculated to convey” (p. 307). And that is before we see the grisly consequences that unfold after the narrator, having permitted Valdemar’s body to linger on for seven months in an ambiguous state of death-in-life-in-death, ends the mesmeric trance. As editor Galloway aptly puts it, this is “Certainly Poe’s most horrific story” (p. 482).
The passages of Poe’s nonfiction and criticism that are included here are particularly helpful. Some of the nonfiction included here is likely to be familiar to admirers of Poe’s work; his review of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “Twice-Told Tales,” in which he sets forth his beliefs regarding what a good short story should do; his “Philosophy of Composition,” in which he provides a (dubious) recounting of how he supposedly composed “The Raven”; his “The Poetic Principle,” a poetic manifesto that was once one of his most popular lectures.
But what I found particularly interesting here, because it was new to me, was the way editor Galloway provides helpful excerpts from Poe’s essay “The American Drama.” Here, we see Poe’s ongoing dedication to the ideal that great literature should always introduce something new to the literary dialogue – along with his concern at seeing dramatic literature in the United States falling far short of that ideal.
As an example of the problems he sees with American drama, Poe cites a play he actually likes! -- Tortesa, or the American Usurer (1839), by Poe’s friend and sometime collaborator Nathaniel Parker Willis.
Poe believes that American drama is in thrall to Shakespearean drama, and incapable of moving beyond Shakespearean norms for language and performance. In order to prove his point, he takes Tortesa – a play he liked, by a writer who was a friend – and damns it with faint praise, pointing out how often Willis had utilized Shakespearean plot turns. Poe states that the play’s hero “and the lady love at first sight (much in the manner of Romeo and Juliet)” (p. 403). Not long afterward, Poe discusses how the heroine of the play, facing an unwanted marriage to a man she does not love, “has prepared a sleeping potion, whose effects resemble those of death (Romeo and Juliet)” (p. 403).
I can’t help wondering how Willis felt when he read this “tribute” from the hand of his friend Edgar.
Each collection of Poe’s work that I read unfolds, for me, new insights regarding the work of this author who may be the most important and influential author in all of American literary history. If you like Poe’s work, as I do, then you should seek out this collection.
American Studies professor David Galloway, of Germany’s Ruhr University, helpfully frames this collection with a thoughtful and perceptive introduction. I was delighted to find that Professor Galloway agrees with me regarding the centrality to Poe’s work of “The Fall of the House of Usher” as a tale “whose richness and totality of effect entitle it to unquestioned place among the short-fiction masterpieces of all time” (p. xix). Galloway’s introduction emphasizes how “Perhaps no other single story has exerted such profound influence on other artists as Poe’s ‘Germanic’ tale” (p. xix). Viewers who thrilled to the recent Netflix miniseries The Fall of the House of Usher (2023) might be among those who would tend to agree with Professor Galloway, and with me, in that regard.
But to this collection. There is a poetry section with 17 poems, a fiction section with 19 stories, and an “Essays and Reviews” section with 16 non-fiction pieces. It is a very good balance.
The poetry section had me once again trying to recite my favourite Poe poems – “The Raven,” “The City in the Sea,” “Annabel Lee” – from memory. When I missed a word or a line, I went back for a refresher. Someday, I hope, I’ll be able simply to “declaim” these poems (that sounds like a word Poe would use).
And then it was on to the fiction. On this reading of “The Fall of the House of Usher,” I found myself focusing on some features of the story that a first-time reader might overlook – features that emphasize the care with which Poe composed this classic of American literature. I was struck, for instance, by the reason that Roderick Usher, once he has reported the death of his sister Madeline from a mysterious wasting disease, gives to the story’s narrator his reasons for “preserving [Madeline’s] corpse for a fortnight (previously to its final interment) in one of the numerous vaults within the main walls” of the Usher mansion:
The worldly reason…assigned for this singular proceeding, was one which I did not feel at liberty to dispute. The brother had been led to his resolution (so he told me) by consideration of the unusual character of the malady of the deceased, of certain obtrusive and eager inquiries on the part of her medical men, and of the remote and exposed situation of the burial-ground of the family. I will not deny that when I called to mind the sinister countenance of the [doctor] whom I met upon the staircase, on the day of my arrival at the house, I had no desire to oppose what I regarded as at best a harmless, and by no means an unnatural, precaution. (p. 102)
This detail makes sense in historical context. Works like Robert Louis Stevenson’s short story “The Body Snatcher” (1884) remind us that the early 19th century was a time when “body snatchers” or “resurrection men” might dig up buried corpses for autopsy or examination by doctors or medical students, at a time when such practices were widely regarded as a profaning of the divinely created human body. At the same time, this feature of the tale plays an important role in storytelling terms, as the presence of Madeline’s body in a vault of the House of Usher points directly toward the story’s horrifying resolution.
“The Masque of the Red Death” is another of my favourite Poe stories – and is one that seems to take on new life every time a new infectious disease appears. Back in the 1980’s, the story was associated with the HIV/AIDS epidemic – recall that Tom Wolfe’s novel The Bonfire of the Vanities (1987) had a chapter titled “The Masque of the Red Death” and chronicling the situation of an HIV-positive character. Forty years later, in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown, I found myself reading Poe’s tale through a post-COVID lens.
Recall that the Red Death is a hideous disease that produces “profuse bleeding” and “scarlet stains upon the body” of its sufferers, causing each person with the disease to be “shut…out from the aid and from the sympathy of his fellow-men” (p. 205), even before the disease causes death. The onset of any such public-health crisis, in any society, inevitably raises the question: what will that society’s leaders do?
In the case of “The Masque of the Red Death,” the Prince Prospero is “happy and dauntless and sagacious” when the Red Death strikes his kingdom. Does the prince search for a cure, institute quarantine measures, treat those who are suffering, try to prevent the spread of the illness? Heavens, no. Instead, “When his dominions were half depopulated, he summoned to his presence a thousand hale and light-hearted friends from among the knights and dames of his court” (p. 205); and once he has gathered his noble friends, he seals up the castle so that no one can enter or leave.
With such precautions, the courtiers might bid defiance to contagion. The external world could take care of itself. In the meantime it was folly to grieve, or to think. The prince had provided all the appliances of pleasure. There were buffoons, there were improvisatori, there were ballet-dancers, there were musicians, there was Beauty, there was wine. All these and security were within. Without was the “Red Death.” (p. 205)
Prince Prospero’s dereliction of duty is monstrous – leaving his people to suffer and die whilst hosting a massive party inside his castle. In this context, the story’s resolution, wherein it turns out that the prince cannot seal out an invisible enemy that comes “like a thief in the night” (p. 211), takes on a particularly strong element of poetic justice. And, perhaps inevitably, I found myself thinking back to the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, recalling when national leaders responded to the crisis in a manner that was strong and unifying (like Jacinda Ardern in New Zealand), or in ways that were weak, inconsistent, and ineffective (like Donald Trump in the U.S.A.).
There will be other epidemics and pandemics in the future – and, sadly, there will no doubt be national leaders who will respond to some future disease crisis much the way Prince Prospero does in “The Masque of the Red Death.”
Central to the power of horror fiction is the way a horror story can evoke a liminal state – an uncertain borderland between life and death, or the human and the non-human, or the organic and the mechanical, or good and evil. Poe’s tales always excelled in that regard – something I was reminded of when I read “The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar.”
On this reading of a story about a physician who uses hypnosis to enable a terminally ill patient to speak from beyond the grave, I thought once again of historical context, as I know that belief in “mesmerism” was quite widespread in the mid-19th century. This time, however, I was struck by the way Poe adopts the language of the patient case report, as when the narrator says of M. Valdemar’s failing lungs that “The left lung had been for eighteen months in a semiosseous or cartilaginous state” and that “The right [lung], in its upper portion, was also partially, if not totally ossified….Several extensive perforations existed; and, at one point, permanent adhesion to the ribs had taken place. These appearances in the right lobe were of comparatively recent date” (p. 302).
For me, Poe’s appropriation of the detached, clinical language of the patient case report added to the power of the story. The narrator is a man of science, of facts and numbers and data; but then comes the moment when the narrator asks the hypnotized M. Valdemar, “Do you still sleep,” and Valdemar replies, “Yes; -- no; -- I have been sleeping – and now – now – I am dead” (pp. 305, 307).
At this point, the narrator’s safe scientific rationality abandons him, replaced by absolute horror: “No person present even affected to deny, or attempted to repress, the unutterable, shuddering horror which these few words, thus uttered, were so well calculated to convey” (p. 307). And that is before we see the grisly consequences that unfold after the narrator, having permitted Valdemar’s body to linger on for seven months in an ambiguous state of death-in-life-in-death, ends the mesmeric trance. As editor Galloway aptly puts it, this is “Certainly Poe’s most horrific story” (p. 482).
The passages of Poe’s nonfiction and criticism that are included here are particularly helpful. Some of the nonfiction included here is likely to be familiar to admirers of Poe’s work; his review of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “Twice-Told Tales,” in which he sets forth his beliefs regarding what a good short story should do; his “Philosophy of Composition,” in which he provides a (dubious) recounting of how he supposedly composed “The Raven”; his “The Poetic Principle,” a poetic manifesto that was once one of his most popular lectures.
But what I found particularly interesting here, because it was new to me, was the way editor Galloway provides helpful excerpts from Poe’s essay “The American Drama.” Here, we see Poe’s ongoing dedication to the ideal that great literature should always introduce something new to the literary dialogue – along with his concern at seeing dramatic literature in the United States falling far short of that ideal.
As an example of the problems he sees with American drama, Poe cites a play he actually likes! -- Tortesa, or the American Usurer (1839), by Poe’s friend and sometime collaborator Nathaniel Parker Willis.
Poe believes that American drama is in thrall to Shakespearean drama, and incapable of moving beyond Shakespearean norms for language and performance. In order to prove his point, he takes Tortesa – a play he liked, by a writer who was a friend – and damns it with faint praise, pointing out how often Willis had utilized Shakespearean plot turns. Poe states that the play’s hero “and the lady love at first sight (much in the manner of Romeo and Juliet)” (p. 403). Not long afterward, Poe discusses how the heroine of the play, facing an unwanted marriage to a man she does not love, “has prepared a sleeping potion, whose effects resemble those of death (Romeo and Juliet)” (p. 403).
I can’t help wondering how Willis felt when he read this “tribute” from the hand of his friend Edgar.
Each collection of Poe’s work that I read unfolds, for me, new insights regarding the work of this author who may be the most important and influential author in all of American literary history. If you like Poe’s work, as I do, then you should seek out this collection.
March 21, 2020
I really can't get over the obvious kiwi on the cover.
March 19, 2024
I wrote this review a while ago. What was I thinking? Now I'll have to explain myself. Anyway, here it is...
'Father of magic realism'? Damn right I'd hate to hear him called that, because it's bullshit! Was I mocking those who believe that anything supernatural is magic realist, or was I driving at something else — some alternate history of magic realism? Because when you think about it, while Poe may be anything but realistic on most levels, there's one way in which he's utterly realistic: psychologically. He really thinks — more, feels — his way into these stories. I mean, anyone can put on a poker face and talk about magic, but take on the voice of a man in the throes of breakdown? That’s hard. Add to that the icy precision of his punctuation — which, like a musical score, maps every minute shift in tempo, pitch, intensity — and you have the means for the most direct transfer of emotion possible via prose. It's awe-inspiring. And that the subjects are so frequently absurd only makes it more sublime. People talk about genres: horror, crime, sci-fi. Poe proves the speciousness of such arbitrary definitions, not because he has written 'in' all of those genres, but because he transcends them. And he proves the lie in any assessment of literature based on subject matter. To those who think only 'weighty' topics (war, the Holocaust, epoch-changing politics) and no-less weighty tomes make for great art, the stories of Edgar Allan Poe are an eternal middle-finger salute. This is as vital as it gets, poseurs. One page equals your ouevre to the power infinity. 10,000 years from now, only cockroaches and Poe will survive.
I go through phases where I think Poe was the greatest writer that ever lived. They usually pass in 2-3 weeks or so, once I've had time to read and re-read his best stuff and be appalled by his worst. For the most part, this collection sticks to the best. There's not much of it. 200 pages would probably do it. Maybe 12 stories, some poems ('The Raven', 'Annabel Lee'). But page for page I don't think anything exceeds the beauty, craftsmanship, and visionary intensity of 'MS Found in a Bottle', 'The Tell-Tale Heart' or 'The Fall of the House of Usher'. Poe is a writer who collects disciples. He is revered as the inventor of the detective story, an accomplishment he himself shrugged off ('You just write it in reverse,' he is supposed to have said, or words to that effect). For me he is the inventor of whatever it is that we find next in Borges, in Kafka. A method of narration, of making the unreal real. It may even be the trick Gabriel Garcia Marquez said he learnt from his grandmother. I would hate for Poe to collect another label ('the father of magic realism') but for me he is the writer I go to when I want to learn how to suspend the reader's disbelief in a big way. I still remember my first reading of 'The Facts in the Case of M.Valdemar'. The plot is ridiculous, the stuff of B-movies, but through some sleight of hand the story is almost totally convincing. Appalling, horrifying. Sublime. Consider me a disciple.
'Father of magic realism'? Damn right I'd hate to hear him called that, because it's bullshit! Was I mocking those who believe that anything supernatural is magic realist, or was I driving at something else — some alternate history of magic realism? Because when you think about it, while Poe may be anything but realistic on most levels, there's one way in which he's utterly realistic: psychologically. He really thinks — more, feels — his way into these stories. I mean, anyone can put on a poker face and talk about magic, but take on the voice of a man in the throes of breakdown? That’s hard. Add to that the icy precision of his punctuation — which, like a musical score, maps every minute shift in tempo, pitch, intensity — and you have the means for the most direct transfer of emotion possible via prose. It's awe-inspiring. And that the subjects are so frequently absurd only makes it more sublime. People talk about genres: horror, crime, sci-fi. Poe proves the speciousness of such arbitrary definitions, not because he has written 'in' all of those genres, but because he transcends them. And he proves the lie in any assessment of literature based on subject matter. To those who think only 'weighty' topics (war, the Holocaust, epoch-changing politics) and no-less weighty tomes make for great art, the stories of Edgar Allan Poe are an eternal middle-finger salute. This is as vital as it gets, poseurs. One page equals your ouevre to the power infinity. 10,000 years from now, only cockroaches and Poe will survive.
September 19, 2018
*Read for Class*
So, I guess Poe is pretty cool. He's still not my favorite author (and probably never will be), but I'm learning to appreciate his writing style and uncanny stories.
So, I guess Poe is pretty cool. He's still not my favorite author (and probably never will be), but I'm learning to appreciate his writing style and uncanny stories.
April 12, 2023
“Those who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night.”
Edgar Allan Poe was a very interesting if somewhat controversial person and this book features varied pieces of works including poems, essays and reviews alongside his short stories. Firstly I should admit that I'm not really a fan of poetry whilst the essays and reviews had only limited interest to me so consequently simply skimmed over most of these. It was the short stories that I concentrated on.
When it comes to collections of short stories every reader will have their own particular favourites; I liked 'The Murders in the Rue Morgue' and 'The Purloined Letter' with their undertones of Sherlock Holmes, 'The Pit and the Pendulum' and 'Hop-Frog' but I'm sure that others will choose differently.
By modern standards the tales feel rather pedestrian but on the whole I felt they were well written and wonderfully paced for maximum creepiness, and its easy to see how Poe had such an influence on many other authors who followed in his wake. Despite their age many of these stories have survived the passage of time and have been cinematically adapted. I can just imagine them featuring on the 'Hammer House of Horrors' series that I hid behind the sofa from as a child but secretly loved. Overall I found this a challenging but fascinating read and my rating reflects the book as a whole rather than any individual story or section but would almost certainly been higher if it had been the tales alone.
Edgar Allan Poe was a very interesting if somewhat controversial person and this book features varied pieces of works including poems, essays and reviews alongside his short stories. Firstly I should admit that I'm not really a fan of poetry whilst the essays and reviews had only limited interest to me so consequently simply skimmed over most of these. It was the short stories that I concentrated on.
When it comes to collections of short stories every reader will have their own particular favourites; I liked 'The Murders in the Rue Morgue' and 'The Purloined Letter' with their undertones of Sherlock Holmes, 'The Pit and the Pendulum' and 'Hop-Frog' but I'm sure that others will choose differently.
By modern standards the tales feel rather pedestrian but on the whole I felt they were well written and wonderfully paced for maximum creepiness, and its easy to see how Poe had such an influence on many other authors who followed in his wake. Despite their age many of these stories have survived the passage of time and have been cinematically adapted. I can just imagine them featuring on the 'Hammer House of Horrors' series that I hid behind the sofa from as a child but secretly loved. Overall I found this a challenging but fascinating read and my rating reflects the book as a whole rather than any individual story or section but would almost certainly been higher if it had been the tales alone.
November 12, 2015
Chronology
Introduction
Further Reading
A Note on the Text
Poems
--Stanzas
--Sonnet - To Science
--Al Aaraaf
--Romance
--To Helen
--Israfel
--The City in the Sea
--The Sleeper
--Lenore
--The Valley of Unrest
--The Raven
--Ulalume
--For Annie
--A Valentine
--Annabel Lee
--The Bells
--Eldorado
Tales
--MS. Found in a Bottle
--Ligeia
--The Man that was Used Up
--The Fall of the House of Usher
--William Wilson
--The Man of the Crowd
--The Murders in the Rue Morgue
--A Descent into the Maelström
--Eleonora
--The Oval Portrait
--The Masque of the Red Death
--The Pit and the Pendulum
--The Tell-Tale Heart
--The Gold-Bug
--The Black Cat
--The Purloined Letter
--The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar
--The Cask of Amontillado
--Hop-Frog
Essays and Reviews
--Letter to B---
--Georgia Scenes
--The Drake-Halleck Review (excerpts)
--Watkins Tottle
--The Philosophy of Furniture
--Wyandotté
--Music
--Time and Space
--Twice-Told Tales
--The American Drama (excerpts)
--Hazlitt
--The Philosophy of Composition
--Song-Writing
--On Imagination
--The Veil of the Soul
--The Poetic Principle (excerpts)
Notes
Introduction
Further Reading
A Note on the Text
Poems
--Stanzas
--Sonnet - To Science
--Al Aaraaf
--Romance
--To Helen
--Israfel
--The City in the Sea
--The Sleeper
--Lenore
--The Valley of Unrest
--The Raven
--Ulalume
--For Annie
--A Valentine
--Annabel Lee
--The Bells
--Eldorado
Tales
--MS. Found in a Bottle
--Ligeia
--The Man that was Used Up
--The Fall of the House of Usher
--William Wilson
--The Man of the Crowd
--The Murders in the Rue Morgue
--A Descent into the Maelström
--Eleonora
--The Oval Portrait
--The Masque of the Red Death
--The Pit and the Pendulum
--The Tell-Tale Heart
--The Gold-Bug
--The Black Cat
--The Purloined Letter
--The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar
--The Cask of Amontillado
--Hop-Frog
Essays and Reviews
--Letter to B---
--Georgia Scenes
--The Drake-Halleck Review (excerpts)
--Watkins Tottle
--The Philosophy of Furniture
--Wyandotté
--Music
--Time and Space
--Twice-Told Tales
--The American Drama (excerpts)
--Hazlitt
--The Philosophy of Composition
--Song-Writing
--On Imagination
--The Veil of the Soul
--The Poetic Principle (excerpts)
Notes
September 9, 2013
Old Poe really didnt like encroaching science at the time he was living in (1830/40's). Sonnet To Science is quite revealing; he saw science as slowly destroying age old ideas and myths...
'Why preyest thou thus upon the poets heart,
Vulture, whose wings are dull realities?'
Not only that, but how about:
'Hast thou not torn the Naiad from her flood,
The Elfin from the green grass, and from me
The Summer dream beneath the tamarind tree?'
Not much more to say. He is right of course.
'Why preyest thou thus upon the poets heart,
Vulture, whose wings are dull realities?'
Not only that, but how about:
'Hast thou not torn the Naiad from her flood,
The Elfin from the green grass, and from me
The Summer dream beneath the tamarind tree?'
Not much more to say. He is right of course.
December 17, 2022
I quite enjoyed a number of stories but Poe's writing... my brain wants a refund.
May 5, 2025
I loved so many of these stories. He is so good at detailing character's inner feelings that I felt the first person narratives were very unsettling in a good way. I also like that so many of these first person stories are from the perspectives of objectively terrible people rationalizing or completely undisturbed by the horrible things they were doing. This really helped make these stories the perfect collection to read around Halloween.
My top 5 were:
The Murders on the Rue Morgue
The Cask of Amontillado (this one was nightmare fuel)
The Tell Tale Heart
Black Cat
The Facts in the Case of M.Valdemar
It was hard to make this list because so many of the stories were creepy and great.
My top 5 were:
The Murders on the Rue Morgue
The Cask of Amontillado (this one was nightmare fuel)
The Tell Tale Heart
Black Cat
The Facts in the Case of M.Valdemar
It was hard to make this list because so many of the stories were creepy and great.
August 13, 2022
Poems:
Stanzas 3⭐
Sonnet - To Science 4.5⭐
Al Aaraaf 2.5⭐
Romance 4⭐
To Helen 5⭐
Israfel 3.5⭐
The City in the Sea 5⭐
The Sleeper 5⭐
Lenore 4.5⭐
The Valley of Unrest 4.5⭐
The Raven 5⭐
Ulalume 4⭐
For Annie 4⭐
A Valentine 3⭐
Annabel Lee 5⭐
The Bells 5⭐
Eldorado 5⭐
Tales:
MS. Found in a Bottle 5⭐
Ligeia 5⭐
The Man that was Used Up 5⭐
The Fall of the House of Usher 5⭐
William Wilson 5⭐
The Man of the Crowd 5⭐
The Murders in the Rue Morgue 5⭐
A Descent into the Maelström 5⭐
Eleonora 4⭐
The Oval Portrait 4⭐
The Masque of the Red Death 5⭐
The Pit and the Pendulum 5⭐
The Tell-Tale Heart 5⭐
The Gold-Bug 5⭐
The Black Cat 5⭐
The Purloined Letter 4⭐
The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar 5⭐
The Cask of Amontillado 5⭐
Hop-Frog 5⭐
Essays and Reviews:
Letter to B--- 3.5⭐
Georgia Scenes 4.5⭐
The Drake-Halleck Review (excerpts) 4.5⭐
Watkins Tottle 5⭐
The Philosophy of Furniture 4⭐
Wyandotté 4⭐
Music 4⭐
Time and Space 3⭐
Twice-Told Tales 4⭐
The American Drama (excerpts) 4.5⭐
Hazlitt 4⭐
The Philosophy of Composition 5⭐
Song-Writing 3.25⭐
On Imagination 3.5⭐
The Veil of the Soul 4⭐
The Poetic Principle (excerpts) 5⭐
Stanzas 3⭐
Sonnet - To Science 4.5⭐
Al Aaraaf 2.5⭐
Romance 4⭐
To Helen 5⭐
Israfel 3.5⭐
The City in the Sea 5⭐
The Sleeper 5⭐
Lenore 4.5⭐
The Valley of Unrest 4.5⭐
The Raven 5⭐
Ulalume 4⭐
For Annie 4⭐
A Valentine 3⭐
Annabel Lee 5⭐
The Bells 5⭐
Eldorado 5⭐
Tales:
MS. Found in a Bottle 5⭐
Ligeia 5⭐
The Man that was Used Up 5⭐
The Fall of the House of Usher 5⭐
William Wilson 5⭐
The Man of the Crowd 5⭐
The Murders in the Rue Morgue 5⭐
A Descent into the Maelström 5⭐
Eleonora 4⭐
The Oval Portrait 4⭐
The Masque of the Red Death 5⭐
The Pit and the Pendulum 5⭐
The Tell-Tale Heart 5⭐
The Gold-Bug 5⭐
The Black Cat 5⭐
The Purloined Letter 4⭐
The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar 5⭐
The Cask of Amontillado 5⭐
Hop-Frog 5⭐
Essays and Reviews:
Letter to B--- 3.5⭐
Georgia Scenes 4.5⭐
The Drake-Halleck Review (excerpts) 4.5⭐
Watkins Tottle 5⭐
The Philosophy of Furniture 4⭐
Wyandotté 4⭐
Music 4⭐
Time and Space 3⭐
Twice-Told Tales 4⭐
The American Drama (excerpts) 4.5⭐
Hazlitt 4⭐
The Philosophy of Composition 5⭐
Song-Writing 3.25⭐
On Imagination 3.5⭐
The Veil of the Soul 4⭐
The Poetic Principle (excerpts) 5⭐
October 31, 2020
This collection of poems and short stories from one of the most well-known poets is a nice read if you're interested in classic writers. We get an insight in the complicated but troubled mind of Poe, which translates itself in a couple of gothic horror classic short stories.
Not all stories are up to par, but others like "The murders in the Rue Morgue" and "The fall of House Usher" certainly make up for them.
Personally I can't really find my way yet in poems, and it takes a lot of effort to empathize with them. However, Poe has written a couple of poems, such as "The Raven" and "Annabel Lee", which I think are must reads.
Not all stories are up to par, but others like "The murders in the Rue Morgue" and "The fall of House Usher" certainly make up for them.
Personally I can't really find my way yet in poems, and it takes a lot of effort to empathize with them. However, Poe has written a couple of poems, such as "The Raven" and "Annabel Lee", which I think are must reads.
Read
September 20, 2022loved the creepier poems and tales, but i didn’t care much for the detective stories
August 22, 2023
I really like Poe but a lot of the short stories were forgettable and boring and the essays were hard to get through.
Overall,
⭐⭐⭐
Overall,
⭐⭐⭐
October 29, 2023
it is only 25 pages long, and also very very hard to understand, but i still like it tho. Didn’t excepted the end tbh👻 (also only read the fall of the house of usher, maybe will read the other tales if my brain is ready for that)
August 30, 2018
I acquired this book, The Fall of the House of Usher and Other Writings by Edgar Allan Poe, to satisfy a Reading Challenge and ended up enjoying it for the most part. I readily admit that I didn't read all of the Essays and Reviews that make up the third and final portion of the book. However I think I read enough to consider the book complete from my perspective.
The book is made up of three sections; Part 1 - Collected Poems by Poe, Part 2 - A collection of Poe's Short Stories and as previously mentioned, Part 3 - Essays and Reviews.
I'm not one who appreciates the nuances of poetry but there were some in Part 1 that I enjoyed quite a bit; To Helen, The City in the Sea, Elenore, the classic The Raven, For Annie and The Bells. I was pleasantly surprised
As mentioned Part 2 consisted of his short stories, a mixture of mysteries like The Murders in the Rue Morgue, which I remember watching at the movies, and The Purloined Letter (which wasn't as good). Both feature sedentary detective, Monsieur Dupin. The rest of the stories were a mixture of fiction and horror. I enjoyed many, especially the last three; The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar, The Cask of Amontillado an Hop-Frog. There were many other interesting stories, a treasure hunt - The Gold Bug, more horror - The Black Cat, etc. The classics.
As mentioned I didn't read all of the essays, but did find his Philosophy of Furniture interesting as well as his review of James Fenimore Cooper's Wyandotte. Surprising.
All in all I'm glad I read. (4 stars)
The book is made up of three sections; Part 1 - Collected Poems by Poe, Part 2 - A collection of Poe's Short Stories and as previously mentioned, Part 3 - Essays and Reviews.
I'm not one who appreciates the nuances of poetry but there were some in Part 1 that I enjoyed quite a bit; To Helen, The City in the Sea, Elenore, the classic The Raven, For Annie and The Bells. I was pleasantly surprised
As mentioned Part 2 consisted of his short stories, a mixture of mysteries like The Murders in the Rue Morgue, which I remember watching at the movies, and The Purloined Letter (which wasn't as good). Both feature sedentary detective, Monsieur Dupin. The rest of the stories were a mixture of fiction and horror. I enjoyed many, especially the last three; The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar, The Cask of Amontillado an Hop-Frog. There were many other interesting stories, a treasure hunt - The Gold Bug, more horror - The Black Cat, etc. The classics.
As mentioned I didn't read all of the essays, but did find his Philosophy of Furniture interesting as well as his review of James Fenimore Cooper's Wyandotte. Surprising.
All in all I'm glad I read. (4 stars)
August 18, 2017
Re-read 'The Pit and the Pendulum' for the 'Catching up on the Classics' August short story.
Poe does not make for happy reading but I love everything about his stories, the rich style, the darkness, the suspense. 5*
Poe does not make for happy reading but I love everything about his stories, the rich style, the darkness, the suspense. 5*
August 28, 2025
3.5
One thing I will say regarding the Penguin clothbound classics team is that it's frustrating that a number of clothbound classics have now been published with duplicate stories.
This collection contains the majority of the stories also published in the miniature clothbound Edgar Allan Poe book.
Sherlock Holmes stories from the miniature Blue Carbuncle were republished (or vice versa) in the standard sized Sherlock Holmes collection.
Don't even get me started on Jane Austen's Lady Susan - this has been published THREE times in clothbound form - the miniature clothbound classic as a standalone story (which I bought first), then published in two other standard sized Jane Austen clothbound classics.
I understand that if a miniature clothbound is published first (like for Edgar Allan Poe) it can be helpful to republish the stories in a definitive full-sized collection. But for Lady Susan to be published three times is just bonkers.
Anyway that's my current gripe with Penguin clothbound classics. My only other gripes are (i) introductions which should be afterwords and (ii) the sheer volume of references in James Joyce's Dubliners (why?!)
One thing I will say regarding the Penguin clothbound classics team is that it's frustrating that a number of clothbound classics have now been published with duplicate stories.
This collection contains the majority of the stories also published in the miniature clothbound Edgar Allan Poe book.
Sherlock Holmes stories from the miniature Blue Carbuncle were republished (or vice versa) in the standard sized Sherlock Holmes collection.
Don't even get me started on Jane Austen's Lady Susan - this has been published THREE times in clothbound form - the miniature clothbound classic as a standalone story (which I bought first), then published in two other standard sized Jane Austen clothbound classics.
I understand that if a miniature clothbound is published first (like for Edgar Allan Poe) it can be helpful to republish the stories in a definitive full-sized collection. But for Lady Susan to be published three times is just bonkers.
Anyway that's my current gripe with Penguin clothbound classics. My only other gripes are (i) introductions which should be afterwords and (ii) the sheer volume of references in James Joyce's Dubliners (why?!)
November 3, 2023
If a man says you're dead, you've never been more alive
December 21, 2023
Fucking masterpiece.
March 7, 2023
I have been dipping in and out of this collection of Poe's various writings for the last two and a half years (I began in September 2020!) and it has been a bit of an up and down ride (hence the 3 stars).
If this book were merely a collection of his short stories, then it is much more likely that I would have given this four or even five stars, especially for such works as The Tell Tale Heart (my favourite Poe story) The Black Cat, The Pit and the Pendulum and Hop-Frog. However, his poetry I really find hit and miss for me, I adore The Raven, it is one of my absolute favourite poems and will not tire of reading it every Halloween (and whenever I feel a little spookiness is needed!) and some of the others are also great. Yet, far too many are pretentious to their detriment, and reference things, or switch to French, German or Latin, just to show off Poe's education. (I'd like to see you understanding my Chinese quotes Poe!) And the "other writings" for the most part, were a total drag. Only one or two stood out to me and were a pleasure to read (specifically The Philosophy of Composition which I will recommend to anyone studying any of Poe's work, though especially The Raven as it really deconstructs the creative process he went through in its creation.)
Overall, the amout I enjoyed this book varied dramatically through the different parts. Some of the poems and short stories would be five star, but other pieces of writing, especially in the "other writings" section would be as low as one star.
I would still say if asked that I am a fan of Poe, and overall this is a good book which really does give you a good overview of Poe's work. I understand why the "other writings" are there, afterall, most of Poe's writing overall would go in this section, but really I think a book of just his short stories would be 4.5 or 5 stars from me. His poetry, perhaps somewhere in the 2-4 range (so... three?) and the "other writings" with the one exception I mentioned earlier, closer to 1 or 2. I just don't care enough about Poe's reviews of a book written 200 years ago that I'm never going to read!
One positive I will say about the other writings is that it does give a snapshot of Poe's own voice, and it really is interesting hearing the voice (figuritively) of someone who died in 1849, and how modern he sounds in a lot of ways (though a trifle pretentious).
Overall, it's a book I will keep on my bookshelf, and dip in and out of occasionally when I fancy a re-read of some of his short stories or poetry. It's going to be strange not having it sat on my bedside table though, it having been there for the last two and a half years...
If this book were merely a collection of his short stories, then it is much more likely that I would have given this four or even five stars, especially for such works as The Tell Tale Heart (my favourite Poe story) The Black Cat, The Pit and the Pendulum and Hop-Frog. However, his poetry I really find hit and miss for me, I adore The Raven, it is one of my absolute favourite poems and will not tire of reading it every Halloween (and whenever I feel a little spookiness is needed!) and some of the others are also great. Yet, far too many are pretentious to their detriment, and reference things, or switch to French, German or Latin, just to show off Poe's education. (I'd like to see you understanding my Chinese quotes Poe!) And the "other writings" for the most part, were a total drag. Only one or two stood out to me and were a pleasure to read (specifically The Philosophy of Composition which I will recommend to anyone studying any of Poe's work, though especially The Raven as it really deconstructs the creative process he went through in its creation.)
Overall, the amout I enjoyed this book varied dramatically through the different parts. Some of the poems and short stories would be five star, but other pieces of writing, especially in the "other writings" section would be as low as one star.
I would still say if asked that I am a fan of Poe, and overall this is a good book which really does give you a good overview of Poe's work. I understand why the "other writings" are there, afterall, most of Poe's writing overall would go in this section, but really I think a book of just his short stories would be 4.5 or 5 stars from me. His poetry, perhaps somewhere in the 2-4 range (so... three?) and the "other writings" with the one exception I mentioned earlier, closer to 1 or 2. I just don't care enough about Poe's reviews of a book written 200 years ago that I'm never going to read!
One positive I will say about the other writings is that it does give a snapshot of Poe's own voice, and it really is interesting hearing the voice (figuritively) of someone who died in 1849, and how modern he sounds in a lot of ways (though a trifle pretentious).
Overall, it's a book I will keep on my bookshelf, and dip in and out of occasionally when I fancy a re-read of some of his short stories or poetry. It's going to be strange not having it sat on my bedside table though, it having been there for the last two and a half years...
February 9, 2009
Reading this whole book really expanded my conception of Poe. First of all, the introduction was interesting in that it downplayed the things you usually hear about Poe (married his young cousin, was an alcoholic, etc).
As for the guts of the book went, I have to say I suffered through most of the poetry, but the tales were great. Who knew that Poe basically invented the detective story? His are great! And the "Gold Bug" is such a fun story. (I remember reading it as a kid, though I didn't remember the telling way in which the African American sidekick is figured.)
And his criticism, though dry at times, was a pretty good read too. I so agree with him on his low estimation of Cooper (the author other authors love to make fun of) and the editor in me enjoyed the detailed parsing he did of awkard sentences.
As for the guts of the book went, I have to say I suffered through most of the poetry, but the tales were great. Who knew that Poe basically invented the detective story? His are great! And the "Gold Bug" is such a fun story. (I remember reading it as a kid, though I didn't remember the telling way in which the African American sidekick is figured.)
And his criticism, though dry at times, was a pretty good read too. I so agree with him on his low estimation of Cooper (the author other authors love to make fun of) and the editor in me enjoyed the detailed parsing he did of awkard sentences.
June 23, 2013
Poe's prose reads like his poetry, and that's about the best praise I can give. His writing is lyrical, fantastical, strange and evocative. It's like weird music and this, as much as *what* he writes, accounts for much of his effectiveness.
All of his most famous tales are in here, the highlight for me being 'Murders in the Rue Morgue'. The best of his poetry is here too. The last section of the book consists of a collection of reviews and articles, which I confess I didn't read as it was the fiction that interested me. I did read the introduction, with its fascinating biography, however.
Not every tale belongs strictly to the genre of weird fiction or horror; some are detective stories. But they are all strange in their way, showing alternative ways to look at things.
All of his most famous tales are in here, the highlight for me being 'Murders in the Rue Morgue'. The best of his poetry is here too. The last section of the book consists of a collection of reviews and articles, which I confess I didn't read as it was the fiction that interested me. I did read the introduction, with its fascinating biography, however.
Not every tale belongs strictly to the genre of weird fiction or horror; some are detective stories. But they are all strange in their way, showing alternative ways to look at things.
August 10, 2013
I started this nearly a year ago! I think that's the longest it's ever taken me to finish a book!
No reflection on the quality of Poe's work - I just left the rather dense literary criticism at the end and finally got around the reading it, so I can use my favourite bookmark again with impunity!
I think I'll get the other Poe books in this Penguin series cos they're well put together. Of his stories - may not be his best, but I especially enjoyed Hop Frog.
No reflection on the quality of Poe's work - I just left the rather dense literary criticism at the end and finally got around the reading it, so I can use my favourite bookmark again with impunity!
I think I'll get the other Poe books in this Penguin series cos they're well put together. Of his stories - may not be his best, but I especially enjoyed Hop Frog.
August 13, 2022
Qué difícil lectura en su idioma original. Poe es toda una belleza y un deleite, ¡pero sí que costó!
Tengo mucho más que decir sobre mi experiencia de lectura con este libro, que fue bastante particular. Te invito a que leas la publicación en mi blog, aquí
Tengo mucho más que decir sobre mi experiencia de lectura con este libro, que fue bastante particular. Te invito a que leas la publicación en mi blog, aquí
November 12, 2009
I read some of Poe's tales from a literature course and felt amazed, therefore, I decided to buy this Penguin book. Those tales included "The Purloined Letter", and "The Tell-Tale Heart". Later I enjoyed reading "The Pit and the Pendulum" and found it maddeningly horrifying. A genius.
January 22, 2020
I think you have to say Poe was a brilliant writer- really enjoyed this.
October 21, 2020
Favourites (ever):
* The Tell-Tale Heart
* The Black Cat
* The Pit and the Pendulum
* The Raven!!! (poem)
* The Tell-Tale Heart
* The Black Cat
* The Pit and the Pendulum
* The Raven!!! (poem)
January 21, 2023
My favourite short story collection of all time.
September 14, 2023
"Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before."
- Edgar Allan Poe (The Raven)
This is a bundle with a lot of poetry and short stories from the 'master' of his time, Edgar Allan Poe. Commonly known for his poem 'the Raven' and 'The Fall of the House of Usher' as a short story, Poe was most commonly known for his tales of the dark and macabre.
So I didn't finish this bundle/book (DNF). I read all the poetry and I actually liked that alot. The writing felt very lyrical and mysterious and it just sounded right. The meaning behind each of the poems is really interesting as well.
The short stories however, that's where I lost interest. I read 5 of his stories, and none of them interested me. I didn't feel like anything was happening, I had some issues with understanding the writing because of the difficult use of language (mostly old-English) and my expectations were probably too high. I expect horror, thrilling stories with a lot of suspense, but sadly it didn't contain any. I don't feel like I want to pick this up again or try more of his stories.
As much as I like Poe's poetry and writing, the short stories weren't for me, although I do believe he really was a master of his time.
Love, Melissa
- Edgar Allan Poe (The Raven)
This is a bundle with a lot of poetry and short stories from the 'master' of his time, Edgar Allan Poe. Commonly known for his poem 'the Raven' and 'The Fall of the House of Usher' as a short story, Poe was most commonly known for his tales of the dark and macabre.
So I didn't finish this bundle/book (DNF). I read all the poetry and I actually liked that alot. The writing felt very lyrical and mysterious and it just sounded right. The meaning behind each of the poems is really interesting as well.
The short stories however, that's where I lost interest. I read 5 of his stories, and none of them interested me. I didn't feel like anything was happening, I had some issues with understanding the writing because of the difficult use of language (mostly old-English) and my expectations were probably too high. I expect horror, thrilling stories with a lot of suspense, but sadly it didn't contain any. I don't feel like I want to pick this up again or try more of his stories.
As much as I like Poe's poetry and writing, the short stories weren't for me, although I do believe he really was a master of his time.
Love, Melissa
February 15, 2021
The Fall of the House of Usher and Other Writings by Edgar Allan Poe is a group of Poe's poems, essays & reviews of other authors (a very neat addition).
The classics are includes, such as The Telltale Heart & The Raven, The Murders in the Rue Morgue & The title story. Poe's stories are always unsettling, with a twist of a word or a scene so well built that I can feel the cold air & the hair on the back of my neck raises as he tells such a clear frightening story.
Well worth the time, Poe is not always the easiest to read and is good to take in small bites. Read a couple then walk away and come back in a day - It is so worth it.
The classics are includes, such as The Telltale Heart & The Raven, The Murders in the Rue Morgue & The title story. Poe's stories are always unsettling, with a twist of a word or a scene so well built that I can feel the cold air & the hair on the back of my neck raises as he tells such a clear frightening story.
Well worth the time, Poe is not always the easiest to read and is good to take in small bites. Read a couple then walk away and come back in a day - It is so worth it.
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