Status Updates From The Complete Stories and Poems

Diddling - not a story but more of a musing on the topic of scams (that’s what’s meant by diddling here). Poe describes various scams and scam artists of his day. Interesting!

Mystification — A story of a usual fare. A very long set up and explanation of an unbelievable event, that gets resolved in few sentences. Except this time the premise was more believable, as these were some college guys taking the mick out of each other.

A Predicament — A truly macabre story of the experience of having your head cut off. Really disgusting this one, but not in a moral sense.

How to Write a Blackwood Article — A satire on publishing industry, which is in itself an introduction to another story.

The Literary Life of Thingum Bob Esq. — I think was a satire on his own career. Incredibly boring and tedious.

The System of Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether — a more interesting and better written kind of Poe’s story. It’s a comical story of a revolution in a mental institution.