One of Poe’s lesser-known stories, The Domain of Arnheim, seems to offer his theory of aesthetics. I say “seems to,” because the dream-like quality of the story leaves the reader with more than a residue of ambiguity.
Continue reading
Edgar Allan Poe’s short story The Sphinx is not one that readers may be immediately familiar with. Despite having been composed in 1850, its lesson resonates powerfully in the age of social media and unrelenting news cycles.
Continue reading
Several days ago I read one of Edgar Allan Poe’s lesser-known stories, “The System of Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether.” It was first published in 1845. Readers may not be familiar with the story; but as it seems to offer a useful commentary on contemporary affairs, I wanted to share my thoughts about it.
Continue reading
Edgar Allan Poe’s short story “The Man That Was Used Up” was first published in 1839. The plot line of the story is as follows.
Continue reading
This podcast is a reading of the short story “Silence: A Fable” by Edgar Allan Poe. Published in 1838, it is a very short, mysterious prose poem with evocative imagery and dark symbolism. After the reading, we discuss a possible interpretation of the tale.
Continue reading
Most readers will be familiar with Edgar Allan Poe’s macabre tale The Cask of Amontillado. It is a dark tale of revenge, in which one man deliberately intoxicates a hated enemy and then walls him up alive in a crypt. Like most writers, Poe took his inspiration from his life experiences, and then mixed those with the creative power of his imagination. Was The Cask of Amontillado based on an actual incident? The answer appears to be yes, at least in part.
Quintus Curtius 
You must be logged in to post a comment.