Status Updates From Selected Tales

The Fall of the House of Usher – I think there’s too much atmosphere and not enough substance; I don’t quite get what happened or why, and feel I’m missing some information to fully understand the ending. As with the other tales, I reckon that if I read some analysis and go back over it, I’ll start to appreciate it more, but at first glance I didn’t really like this one very much.

Eleonora – erm, what?? I don’t think I’ve understood a thing. Am I missing some pages? Right from the start, he tells you that he is an unreliable narrator, but that doesn’t help you understand the ending; it seems to me there’s so little information that there’s nowhere to look to find out whether what’s happening is true or not. What was the point of this?

The Man of the Crowd – Didn't care for it. What annoyed me most is that the opening premise – about some secrets which do not permit themselves to be told, and consciences burdened so heavy in horror that they can be thrown down only into the grave – held so much promise; it was very intriguing, but ultimately I don’t think it delivered. What a disappointment (though perhaps that’s the point).

The Man that was Used Up – I quite liked it overall; found it amusing and a welcome change (it’s positioned after three stories that are practically identical to one another), and it went by quickly – it’s worth noting that I read it in one go, which is rare for these stories, as they’re very dense, full of archaic terms and highly philosophical.

Ligeia - Although I am aware that Poe preferred Ligeia, it seems to me that Morella (clearly its younger sibling, given the striking similarities) is more well-rounded and tightly-plotted, without wishing to go into further detail about the plot. I did, however, really enjoy the descriptions of the bridal chamber in the abbey.

este señor me tiene cagada de miedo, no se de que tipo

Morella - A crash course in metempsychosis. I have enjoyed delving into some analyses and possible interpretations; it's not the most unsettling (I thought Berenicë was more haunting) but it's so short that it lets you reread it to really savour the details (though Eddie, mate, was is necessary to say ‘two lustra’? Just say a decade!)

Berenicë - I used an audio narration to make sure I sticked to this for 20 minutes straigh (only parcially succeeded) but appreciated what I'd call the main "horror element" (which was more specific this time) much more than the previous story.

MS. Found in a Bottle - Didn’t enjoy it all that much; I didn’t really get into the atmosphere, so the horror aspect went a bit over my head.

I’M FREE!

Hop-Frog: I usually love an underdog story always but I think I’m just too woke for this one 😬

The Domain of Arnheim: Beautiful writing but very ornamental. This is really just a description of a garden.

The Cask of Amontillado: Simpler than the rest but one of the best! I’d read this one before but there’s a reason this one is so well known!

The Imp of the Perverse: This is barely a story. Over 2/3rds = just Poe musing on why people procrastinate or why they do bad and perverse acts with no character or plot.

The System of Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether: This is a satire comedy and I *think* it’s trying to satirise inhumane treatment of the mentally ill ie. Poe is in favour of their dignity. But if that’s the case… why is most of the humour laughing at the ‘lunatics’?

The Purloined Letter: The best of the Dupin stories! Clever writing, could actually follow along with the mystery this time, plus it actually had a little bit of character within it!