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Who better than Edgar Allan Poe to get us into the Halloween spirit and to make us face all those things that go bump in the night. A furtive black cat, a provocative raven, a deep pit with a taunting pendulum blade swinging above a trembling victim, all remain hauntingly memorable. It doesn’t take much to be transfixed by Poe’s wicked, wayward world. The season of the witch, or madman in Poe’s case, creeps into our minds as we are led down into the depths of dark catacombs or long-neglected cellars. We wonder what lurks around the corner, but we know what awaits. Anxious, but at the same time mesmerized, we watch from the sidelines, the unraveling of some poor fellow’s dismal fate. We say, ‘No more!’ Or like the Raven goads, ‘Nevermore.’
More than 150 years later, Poe’s poems and short stories continue to entertain and frighten us; there is no better ghost story storyteller. What sets Poe apart from contemporary horror writers is his poetic fluency that stems from gothic writing in the mid 1800s. There’s nothing like the old language, 19th century diction that stretches beyond simple vocabulary and trite expressions. We may have to work at it a bit harder, maybe even read a passage twice, but it’s worth the trouble to be immersed in such beautiful and at the same time macabre language. We relish in Poe’s sublimity, singed into his writing.
To write such gruesome prose and poetry, one must have to be a bit deranged. But Poe wasn’t crazy. His flighty escapades from one job to the next (and military stints in between), his tenuous relationship with his adoptive parents, and the death of his 25- year-old wife drove Poe to drinking and gambling. In his dark days he managed to write and publish profusely and obtain numerous literary awards; he even acquired a weekly literary magazine. Readers loved his chilling tales. The most famous, his poem ‘The Raven,’ put Poe on the gothic map. His popularity can also be attributed to timing. In early 19th century America (and Europe), gothic fiction was highly regarded and widely read. Spooky folklore, supernatural events, and daunting legends were trendy; horror was one of the genres du jour. Poe may have ridiculed some writers of terror, some even in the Transcendentalist movement, but he admired many works from his fellow tale spinners, Nathaniel Hawthorne being one of them.
To begin the journey into the cunning and contemplative minds of Poe’s narrators, ‘Great Tales and Poems’ is a good place to start. It covers his most famous poems: ‘The Bells,’ ‘Annabel Lee,’ and ‘The Raven;’ and tales: ‘The Tell-Tale Heart,’ ‘The Pit and the Pendulum,’ ‘The Cask of Amontillado,’ and ‘The Fall of the House of Usher.’ ‘The Murders in the Rue Morgue,’ the story often attributed as the first modern detective story, is also included. In all, ‘Great Tales and Poems’ comprises eight poems, 11 tales, and one well-known essay, ‘The Philosophy of Composition.’ For the reader who wants to probe further into Poe’s life, ‘The Portable Edgar Allan Poe’ offers an assortment of letters and critical essays, in addition to a wide variety of poem and tales. At a hefty 600 pages, ‘Portable’ will cover any curiosity about Poe, plus stand in as the perfect staple to grab on many a stormy night.
After this last rainy spell, the black pavement glistens with wet yellow aspen leaves, and the chill in the air reminds us to grab our fleece that has been hung in the mudroom since spring. Autumn has arrived and Halloween looms near. Just yesterday I saw a black cat running from one side of the road to the other as my dogs barked at a raven that swooped down from the treetops to our rooftop. But, then I heard the strangest sound. Like a soft pounding. Like a constant rhythmic knock. Like the beating of a… Oh no, like the beating of a…
Thump, thump. Thump, thump. Thump, thump.
There are a variety of Poe books available at the Truckee Library, the Bookshelf at Hooligan Rocks, and Truckee Book and Bean.
