A Dream Within A Dream

Improbably, Edgar Allen Poe is the hottest man in Harrisburg this Halloween season. No complaints here; he was a genius. Few published authors ended their careers (granted, he “retired” young) with a higher batting average, and at least five of his short stories and two of his poems are completely iconic.

Still, he did die 159 years ago (and yes, the rabies story may well be true). Somehow, it hasn’t stopped him from appearing at not one, not two, but three events in Central Pennsylvania this fall.
On October 17, he partied with the guests of Fort Hunter at Under the Hunter's Moon: An Evening with Edgar Allen Poe, this weekend he will take tea and a nightcap with guests at the Hotel Hershey and he has a recurring role in Poe Evermore at Mount Hope Estate and Winery.

Fun events all, but I wonder how many people are still familiar with the work of a man who was one of this country's greatest writers. Since it's Halloween, what better day than today to get reacquainted or become acquainted for the first time? Here's this English major's brief Guide to Poe, complete with full-text links (isn't public domain great?). Happy reading:

THE ESSENTIALS
The Raven
This is probably the work the people most associate with Poe. It’s a poem about a young lover and his frighteningly quick descent into madness. Read it slowly and appreciate the brilliant use of tempo.
Key Quote: And the silken sad uncertain rustling of each purple curtain
Thrilled me — filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before;
So that now, to still the beating of my heart, I stood repeating
“ ‘Tis some visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door —
Some late visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door; —
This it is, and nothing more.”

The Tell-Tale Heart
Most people know the gist of this story, but the wantonness and the cunning behind the crime itself still makes it truly chilling. It’s similar to the Raven in that it shares the theme of mental instability. Honestly, not one of my favorites.
Key Quote: It is impossible to say how first the idea entered my brain; but, once conceived, it haunted me day and night. Object there was none. Passion there was none. I loved the old man. He had never wronged me. He had never given me insult. For his gold I had no desire. I think it was his eye! — yes, it was this! He had the eye of a vulture — a pale blue eye, with a film over it. Whenever it fell upon me, my blood ran cold; and so, by degrees — very gradually — I made up my mind to take the life of the old man, and thus rid myself of the eye forever.

The Cask of the Amontillado
Of all of Poe’s stories, this is the one that makes me the most uncomfortable. Eager for revenge (the reader is not told for what) Montresor gets rid of the jolly Fortunado in a most disturbing fashion. There is some fantastic gallows humor in the first two thirds.
Key Quote: I had scarcely laid the first tier of the masonry when I discovered that the intoxication of Fortunato had in a great measure worn off. The earliest indication I had of this was a low moaning cry from the depth of the recess. It was not the cry of a drunken man. There was then a long and obstinate silence. I laid the second tier, and the third, and the fourth; and then I heard the furious vibrations of the chain. The noise lasted for several minutes, during which, that I might hearken to it with the more satisfaction, I ceased my labours and sat down upon the bones.

MY FAVORITE
The Masque of the Red Death
Not everyone knows that in addition to be a noteworthy author, Poe was an important figure in literary criticism as well. He did not believe in outright allegory, but thought that the meaning of a piece should lie just beneath its surface. Along with the Raven, this might be his best writing from a technical standpoint. My whole life I’ve waited for someone to recreate the party described in this story and invite me to it.
Key Quote: In truth the masquerade license of the night was nearly unlimited; but the figure in question had out-Heroded Herod, and gone beyond the bounds of even the prince’s indefinite decorum. There are chords in the hearts of the most reckless which cannot be touched without emotion. Even with the utterly lost, to whom life and death are equally jests, there are matters of which no jest can be made.

Happy Halloween, Everybody!