Pym and Lovecraft in film

I came across two interesting films based, or at least indebted too, The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket. The first is an animated short titled The Secret of Arthur Gordon Pym:



The second is a 1930s film adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft's At the Mountains of Madness:



Neither is really long/strong enough for a cultural appropriation presentation so I thought I'd post them myself.

Godot

And who likes Waiting For Godot? (I always did).
There we have another abstract piece of literature where at the end God is supposed to show up. In class today, people seemed to agree that it is God who appears at the end of Narrative of A.G.P.
What does our hybrid Peter's involvement here say? I wonder if what we have here is saying something about God's creation of man.

The French and Us, Can We Agree?

I would like to maintain that I was a little disappointed, or at the very least perplexed by one thing in our class discussions, this week and last, and that was the general sentiment around me of disapproval of the unrealistic aspects of Narrative of A.G.P.

Professor Harrison is right to point out that I am taking a French interpretative approach; so much so that before he even mentioned it I just started to remember The Little Prince, because grownups just don’t understand! All of you, I now sadly suspect.

Basically, just because it said at the beginning that it was true, does this mean for us at home here in VA, (also the home of Poe himself, please regard) that it has to appear realistic in order to be more valuable?

RSVP, tell me your reasons why it is that it matters whether or not certain parts of this narrative need to be there. Other than the fact that it takes up our time to read about hatchets that are picked up then tossed aside, or descriptions of penguins and Islanders, is there a good reason why something particularly shouldn’t be there? Because if it is in there, then I guess Poe had his reason for it, (which we are left to interpret).

Also, during our discussions I recall discussions of days past, at the beginning of the semester we wondered to ourselves if Poe wrote what he thought people wanted to read, or was it what he wanted to write. Did Poe write what he wanted others to read?

I would write a Narrative adventure story of getting lost at Sea, and stranded on a deserted Island. If I do, I’ll try to make it as realistic as possible for those of you who will be inclined to read it.

Longitude, Latitude

Was anybody else slightly bored with all the longitude and latitude numbers and exact locations, beginning in chapter xiv when Gordan boards the Jane Guy? I did not find it necessary to know that Nightingale Island is latitude 37 26' S, longitude 12 24' W, and that Prince Edward's Island is latitude 46 53' S, longitude 37 46' E. This goes on for about 10 chapters- I felt like I was waiting for something to happen, but all I got was a bunch of geography.

A Question on Pym

I just want to know if anyone knows what happened to Tiger. I lost him. The last I saw him he had just saved Arthur Gordon, and had bitten the neck of an attacker , and was standing over him(the attacker) growling.

I figured they would have eaten him, but unless I missed it when skimming the boring days, - he just vanished from the story.

Can anyone tell me what happened to him?

Thanks,
Audrey

Augustus' Death

Is anyone else severely disappointed in Augustus' death? I am. He was such an integral part of the story to me. The one who inspired Gordon, the one who figured out a way to sneak him on, the one who saved his life. Gordon previously stated that he used journal entries to put in information that is not all that important, and yet he discloses the death of his best friend in journal form? I was mad at him for that (Aug. 1, page 1106-07). Just wanted to see if anyone else felt that way.

Narrative A. Gordon Pym +/- Continuity

In the narrative of A. Gordon Pym, Poe used several different constructions in order to compose his text. He used the normal composition that we are used to from reading his other tales, a journal format, and a highly explanatory format. He often abruptly stops one technique and begins another. After discussing the plight of Dirk Peters, Poe digresses into an explanatory form of composition where he attempts to speaker directly:

Because I shall have frequent occasion to mention him hereafter in the course of my narrative – a narrative, let me here say, which in its latter portions, will be found to include incidents of a nature so entirely out of range of human experience, and for this reason so far beyond the limits of human credulity, that I proceed in utter hopelessness of obtaining credence for all that I shall tell, yet confidently trusting in time and progressing science to verify some of the most important and most improbable of my statements. (1044)

He then proceeds to fall back into a narrative voice to depict the events on the deck of the Grampus.
Poe furthers his disregard for a continual narrative voice by describing the days beneath deck. He begins using a journal method of composition. Arthur begins each day’s events by stating the month and then the day. I find the change in the meaning of the definite article ‘I’ from defining the narrator in the aforementioned example to defining Arthur as he describes his days beneath of the deck to be distracting and problematic.

In the preface, “Arthur” warns the reader of the inconsistencies in the text by writing, “even to those readers point out where his portion ends and my own commences; the difference in point of style will be readily perceived” (1008). I do not accept this excuse as an adequate reason for the inconsistencies in the text. I find the change of defining articles, format, and compositional qualities to be tiresome and a nuisance. The complexity of the storyline requires a strong narrative voice that can accurately and sufficiently depict events.

I readily understand that not all share my view on continuity. What are your opinions on the flow of the text? Do you find the changes of voice and compositional format distracting? Does warning the reader of a discrepancy excuse it from happening?

"Narrative of A. Gordon Pym"

This weeks reading assignment : Narrative of Gordon Pym, is quite a departure of anything we have read thus far. However, a few things stand out and discussion worthy.

First of all this narrative seems to me to be a story about the initiation rites of males. However I was somewhat disturbed by the homo erotic aspects. On the first page, Poe describes the relationship between Gordon and Augustus as "Intimate." "Here I became intimate with the son of Mr. Barnard, A sea Captain," (1009). Now I know that that word can mean that they were just close friends, and if that were the only words used to describe their friendship I would dismiss it, but he commonly uses sexualized words with double meanings such as ejaculate for said, and so forth.Then there is the strange relationship between Peters and Augustus. The question here is -do I have a dirty mind- or does anyone else notice this homo eroticism?

The second thought I have on this novel is that personally I was a bit disappointed by this story. So far that is, it's boring. I keep hoping for a beautiful young dying woman to pop out from a hiding place. Maybe that would liven things up a bit. As it is, this story seems very imitative and shallow. I am also sadden to see that Poe is in fact a racist and that is one of the myths about him and is true. -Other thoughts?

The last thing I want to discuss, is the strange shift in writing styles - from that of a narrative to a journal. This was the same thing he did in MS in a Bottle, except this time he noted the shift in the story. My question is why would he do this- why would he say this part of the story is so boring that I will only note it in a journal. I found my self not wanting to read the journal part as he already said it was boring.

As far as gender is concerned- this story is a good example of it's construction. I think this story would have been far more interesting if both Augustus and Gordon were females, and Gordon's Grandmother were the ones holding the inheritance purse strings. What do you all think?

The Poetic Death of a Beautiful Young Woman

Not an ugly woman, not an old woman, not a man.
Hey, it worked for Poe, ...I mean didn't it?

I am noticing us going back to this topic every so often in class, we are concerned about this. My input: in response to Professor Harrison's suggestion that he was influenced by the culture or society around him; I mean yes, and at the same time, looking at it today we might as well be asking ourselves if Poe has influenced the culture with his imaginative invention of the death of a beautiful young woman.
What surrounds this concept? Is society responsible for Poe's intense fascination with violence against beautiful young women, or is Poe responsible for his own fascinations, as well as a larger network around him, by having an influence over the world.
?
I continue to remind myself that my understanding of Poe is biased by the time gap between us.

The Tell Tale Heart

If you ask me, I will say that I think Poe's narrator brings up a very good point. I am nervous as well, I am actually a very anxious person, I'm definitely a worrier. And I'm not crazy. I mean I am not feeling inspired to plot any murder for any reason, but for the sake of it, I can see how nervousness and madness are unrelated. And for other reasons, my argument stands that Poe's narrator indeed is not mad.
It's been said that beginning the story with the word 'True' is an admission of guilt. I don't feel that there is any reason to argue that, and his further admission that he is not mad could be simply an honest, guilty admission that he is not innocent or guilty by reason of insanity.
I've also heard the rumor that Poe suffered from some level of monoxide poisoning, a side effect of which is heightened senses similar to what Poe describes in the story. The poisoning theory also explains why Poe's facial features look the way they do in some of his photographs. Richmond is surely a place where something like this could happen.
He says he is patient, maybe that is fair to say. I am in no position to say what constitutes madness, but I could believe that it would exist in the form of patience or impatience. So I don't believe that his level of patience is evidence of anything here.
Whatever the problem here is, we know that Poe's narrator does not want anyone to label him 'mad'. He has his reasons. (Or she. The narrator could be a female and reverse interpretation of Poe's idea of the death of a beautiful woman).
The narrator needs a good lawyer and some counseling.

The Tell Tale Heart (1954 cartoon)

I am pleased with my decision to choose this clip to share during my time with the class.
(Repeat of what I said in class):
This clip was made by Ted Parmelee and some of his people~the same guys who made Rocky and Bullwinkle. Columbia Pictures distributed the film.
It was nominated for an Oscar for Best Short Subject; Cartoons. In 1994 it was put at #24 on the list of 50 Greatest Cartoons. It was the first film to receive an X rating in Great Britain, the year it came out. But, I reiterate, I am most impressed with it's 2001 addition to the National Film Registry, selected for it's cultural significance.

I love the artwork and the cinematography of the film, I enjoyed watching it, especially in class on the big screen which I am so happy now that we did end up getting to use. I thought it was well done and enjoyable, and I encourage you all to look at it again. However I personally would like to concentrate on its addition to the film registry. Especially that it was selected because it was deemed culturally significant, I think that says a lot.
I am going to find out some more about it's inclusion into the film registry and get back to you. For the time being, I will say that I feel that it is a good representation and an appropriate addition to the registry, but a part of me agrees that to really have cultural significance for what it is, a remake of one of Poe's most popular works, it should have included much more of Poe's story. But my argument stands as thus for now: that the clip is a brilliant interpretation of The Tell Tale Heart, and every moment of the clip perfectly supports itself, the gothic theme is retained throughout, the imagery appeals in a brilliant way to the viewer, it is truly a classic. I'm glad I got to show the clip, so let me know what you thought!

I hope someone in the class finds a more alternative reinterpretation of Poe, we see a lot of stuff that stays true to the classical vision we already have. I liked the Poe we saw from the clip in Sabrina the Teenage Witch, I also enjoyed the Poe who now writes inspirationally about rainbows and love.

After thought on Morella and names

After class today I was very curious about the idea of names and how, in our culture especially, it is normal to find a boy with the same name as his father, grandfather… but it is not normal to find a girl with the same name as her mother. Instead, girls may be named after a relative or is given part of the mother’s name but it is never exact. After some unhelpful internet searching the only thing I got was Junioretta or Juniorita. I was not happy with this but decided the lack of information is because maybe women do not want to name their daughters after themselves and this would only be practical if men started taking the names of their wives.

Another thought I was having and one that took me a little further than junioretta...

I was very interested in the concept of names after our MORELLA discussion in class today. I was surfing the web when I came upon an interesting take. I found this information on wikipedia but confirmed it with several other websites as well (this doesn’t make it soo bad).

Ren (name): As a part of the soul, a person's name (ren in Egyptian) was given to them at birth and the Egyptians believed that it would live for as long as that name was spoken, which explains why efforts were made to protect it and the practice of placing it in numerous writings. For example, part of the Book of Breathings, a derivative of the Book of the Dead, was a means to ensure the survival of the name. A cartouche (magical rope) often was used to surround the name and protect it. Conversely, the names of deceased enemies of the state, such as Akhenaten, were hacked out of monuments in a form of damnatio memoriae. Sometimes, however, they were removed in order to make room for the economical insertion of the name of a successor, without having to build another monument. The greater the number of places a name was used, the grater the possibility it would survive to be read and spoken.

Another definition I found for REN is this:

Ren - The true name, a vital part to man on his journey through life and the afterlife, a magical part that could destroy a man if his name was obliterated or could give power of the man if someone knew his Ren - naming ceremonies in Egypt were secret, and a child lived his whole life with a nickname to avoid anyone from learning his true name!

This all fascinated me and I wanted to share it with you guys. It also seemed to go along with the thought that Morella soul went into baby Morella once the father spoke the name. This story was a very interesting way for Poe to show the power behind names.

Also, going back to naming your kids after yourself or spouse...

What do you guys think of this? Does it take away from who you are? Or does it prematurely place a personality on you? Dr. Harrison??? Do you feel that at any moment you could turn into your father or grandfather?? lol. This story gives me a different look on this topic even though I'm not sure what to take from it.

Body Parts!

During class today while watching Patricia's video, I was wondering why Poe always seems so consumed with making his narrators obsessed with a certain bodily aspect of a women/man/other character, that ultimately leads to the narrators madness, death etc. In each of the stories this week we have narrator insanely focused on teeth, eyes, hair or what ever the case may be. I personally think that it is a huge contribution of the the visual culture and audience that Poe is writing for. What do you all think? I don't want to be right on this one becasue my idea is boring!

Ligeia: madness, drugs, and teen movies

“I cannot, for my soul, remember how, when, or even precisely where, I first became acquainted with the lady Ligeia” is Poe’s opening line to his makeshift love story, “Ligeia” (LOA 262). After reading the text, I had built a mental analogy for the depiction Poe creates for his narrator: a pop-culture teen movie. The aforementioned line immediately reveals to the reader that the narrator is unreliable, due to his inability to remember the particulars of how he met his beloved Ligeia. The way that I connect the two, Poe’s “Ligeia” and a high school drama, is in the perspective and exaggeration used. In many teen movies, you find the common theme of: boy likes girl, girl doesn’t know boy exists; boy creates mental (imaginative) moments where he confesses his feelings; boy derives complex and completely made up personality traits about girl from her physical being (i.e. nice hair = good person), and eventually boy gets girl [boy and girl may be interchangeable at your leisure]. Although I believe that the woman Ligeia is a complete fabrication of the depressed and drugged mind of the unreliable narrator, I see a mirroring between the plot design and story layout of a teen drama.

The key element to both is the imaginary traits that one derives from the physical features of a person in an assessment of the personality. The speaker in “Ligeia” often speaks of her through physical terms “she was tall, somewhat slender” (263). “-- the skin rivaling the purest ivory, the commanding extent and repose, the gentle prominence of the regions above the temple; and then the raven-black, the glossy, the luxuriant and naturally-curling tresses, setting forth the full force of the Homeric epithet, hyacinthine” (LOA 263). Nowhere in the speaker’s recollection is a word in reference to her as an individual or to her personality. Instead, he goes to length to describe her physical attributes and to persuade the reader to see the morality of having rave-black hair.

Where the analogy begins to separate is in the examination of the state of mind of the speaker. A teen film often will depict the imagined characteristics of an individual based upon there physical appearance, but rarely is the subject of the emotion is revealed to be imaginary. I believe that Ligeia is a complete fabrication of the speaker. In a tangent about the ability of one to remember a single and important detail, our speaker reveals “in my intense scrutiny of Ligeia’s eyes, have I felt approaching the full knowledge of their expressions -- felt it approaching -- yet not quite be mine -- and so at length entirely depart” (LOA 265). It is my estimation that he the speaker is in capable of remembering, but has no real experience in which to draw the memory from. After the death of his beloved Ligeia, he goes on to purchase, with combination of his personal and her remaining funds, and abbey, “which I shall not name” (LOA 269). It is my estimation that he cannot name it, because it doesn’t truly exist.

Although I think that the main cause for the speaker’s delusions is some sort of chemical imbalance in his brain, he openly offers an alternate or supplementary reason for his absurdity. He exclaimed, “I had became a bounden slave in the trammels of opium, and my labors and my order had taken a coloring from my dreams” (LOA 270).

In my estimation “Ligeia” is the ranting of a drug addict with delusions of grandeur: love, wealth, life, and death. Such sentiments speak loudly and harmoniously with well accepted traditions in teenage cinema.

Poe and Linking

As I read Elenore, and then Ligeia, along with several other readings, I have noticed that Poe is really, and I do mean REALLY presenting the death of a lovely woman almost to an extreme. For me, this posed a couple of questions:

1. How much of this is related to Poe's own sadness and despair over the death of his beloved Virginia?

I personally think that many of them, in particular Elenora and Ligeia, which have the main female character wasting away from an illness, is all about Virginia.

2. How does this add to or take away from the Poe that we have all come to associate with his work?

Honestly, I feel it takes away from Poe's work some, because there are only so many variations on the same theme which can be done. Not to say that they are not wonderful stories and full of meaningful things, but unfortunately the public will only take so much of it.

3. How is Ligeia a 'What if?' sort of story, knowing what we know about Poe and his relations with Ms. Whitman? Is it even that?

For me, I think that Ligeia, Elenora, Morella, and a few other of the stories are linked. If we were to put them all together, we can get a picture of Poe's love and feelings for Virginia.

**added later**

In doing a little more background research on Wikipedia (sorry, Dr. Harrison...-_-) another question came into my mind.

4. Are the characters of Berenice, Morella, Ligeia, and Elenora perhaps bits and pieces or even parodies of some of the women in his life? Yes, I know that we have talked about Virginia, but what about Sarah Royster? Sarah Helen Whitman? In consequence, how does this add to or take away from Poe's work as well?

Cultural Appropriation

Crazy, depressed, psychotic, dark, creepy man. This is how a lot of general people view Poe right? And this is the issue we've been discussing in the past few weeks as to whether this is an accurate description of the author and poet.

Poe has become a popular icon in many other works of literature, music, and television. I was watching some old re-runs of Sabrina the Teenage Witch a few weeks ago and got excited when the episode I was watching had Poe in it! Then I got to thinking, how have other shows portrayed him? The same way most of the public sees him as depressed and scary?

I will be discussing this topic and I've put together the clips from that Sabrina episode just as an example. It can be found: http://gallery.mac.com/wunus#100059

Berenice v Eleonora- Poes relationship with Virginia

When I was finished reading Berenice, I thought wow that was a little autobiographical. "Berenice and I were cousins...Yet we grew differently...I living in my own heart, and addicred body and soul to the most intense and painful meditation...she roaming carelessly through life with no thought of the shadows in her path.." (226). Poe was intellectual and made it a point in his writings to show this (obscure references, passages in other languages etc) while Virginia was more naive and not into serious study. Poe continues "Disease-a fatal disease-fell like the simoom upon her frame..."(226). Then the main character becomes monomaniac (OCD? that was my first thought) and fixated on one thing until it drives him mad. I felt like if we looked at this from an autobiographical stance this is the dark picture of his relationship with Virginia and living with illness and addiction. The ending was horrorfic and was almost like the description of a mental patient who finally remembers the reason he went mad in the first place (which in this case was obsession over the teeth!).
Yet Eleonora paints a different picture. "She whom I loved in youth...was the sole daughter of the only sister of my mother long departed. Eleonora was the name of my cousin."(468). The setting is calm, serene and beautiful. The imagery had me wishing to be in meadow rather then my bland bedroom. The love that was felt from the narrator and Eleonora was at a pinnacle on page 470: "Hand in hand about this valley, for fifteen years, roamed I with Eleonora before love entered within our hearts....we sat, locked in each other's embrace, beneath the seperant like trees...We had drawn the God Eros from that wave, and now we felt that he had enkindled within us the fiery souls of our forefathers." The ending of Eleonora was not grotesque like Berenice but a reminder of the vows the narrator had made to Eleonora. Unlike Berenice, the death in Eleonora did not involve removal of teeth (the teeth!) or gross clods of dirt and blood sticking to the oblivious narrator but peacefully.
Did anyone else find these stories to be an examination of Poes relationship with Virginia? Perhaps one more than the other or were they both different ends of the spectrum of his grief over her death?

How to Write a Blackwood Article / A Predicament

I really enjoyed this story. It got a little gross but it definitely kept me interested. I just had a few questions which hopefully someone could answer for me.

Why is this narrator a female? Considering that almost all of his narrators are male, does this mean he is specifically satirizing female writers in this work? Why else would he have a female narrator?

Is there any truth to the instructions Mr. Blackwood gives Psyche on how to write? What does it tell of the narrator since she failed so horribly at utilizing his advice?

Page 287 near the end of Mr. Blackwoods tutorial he asks her if there is anything else he can do for her. He asks this “while the tears stood in his eyes.” Do you think that Mr. Blackwood has been toying with Psyche? Most of his speech has been quite composed but then he gets really excited when discussing how she could die. Are these tears of happiness that he found someone dedicated to his work or are they tears of trying to suppress laughter? If they are tears of amusement then what does that say about publishers and other magazine execs?

The last few sentences have the headless Psyche lamenting over being alone. What do you think happens after she says “I have done”? Why is it "I have done" and not "I am done"? Do you think she accepts death or could Poe have any other business with her?

Not so pretty "Asphodel"

I was curious as to what an Asphodel was, first off because I work at a garden center and had not really ever heard of one, and secondly because they appear in both Berenice (page 228) and Eleonora (all over the valley). Here is what I found: (I know you hate Wikipedia Dr. Harrison, please forgive me)! "The Asphodel Meadows is a section of the Ancient Greek underworld where indifferent and ordinary souls were sent to live after death. Hades, the Greek name for the underworld (also the name of the god Pluto) is divided into two main sections: Erebus and Tartarus. Erebus was where the dead first entered the underworld. Charon ferried the dead across the river Styx where they then went into Tartarus. Tartarus is the section of the underworld where the dead would spend all of eternity in the place where judgment would order them. Tartarus is then divided into three subsections: the Elysian Fields, the Asphodel Meadows, and Tartarus. The Elysian Fields were for the good and heroic souls where they would be forever happy, similar to the Christian Heaven. Tartarus was where the evil and treacherous souls were sent to live out eternity in horrible punishment, similar to the Christian Hell. The Asphodel Fields is where the souls of people who lived lives of near equal good and evil rested. It essentially was a plain of Asphodel flowers which were the favorite food of the Greek dead. It is described as a ghostly place that is an even less perfect version of life on earth." (Wikipedia under the search word Asphodel) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asphodel_Meadows

Kind of morbid huh? Not so much a pretty valley full of love and smiles.

"Eleonora"

Ok, first I was wondering if anyone else thought that perhaps the narrator was dreaming during the whole story. I didn't think this the first time i read it through, but then when I went back to the beginning, he describes what it means to be mad, or as he likes to refer to it as the "loftiest intelligence." He proceeds to say that "They who dream by day are cognizant of many things which excape those who dream only by night." And then in the next paragraph he calls himself mad, therefore concluding that he dreams in the day and night. So do you think he was dreaming up this story?
Next I want to approach the deal that was made between the narrator and Eleonora on page 471. It reminds me of the saying, "making a deal with the devil." Did anyone else thinkn that the "HIM" that would be doing the cursing was the Devil? Also I was curious as to why they didn't put what his punishment would be if he did betray his promise to her after she died. The description of what he wouldn't do was so detailed and then there was no description of what the curse would be if he had broken the deal. I personally think that if he had included what would happen to him if he broke the deal, it would have made for a better ending because then the audience would see what a relief it was to not be punished when he ends up marrying some other girl.
Lastly, I wanted to know if anyone else thought the Ermengarde (the new girl) was kind of like a reincarnation of Eleonora at first. I did, but Im not so sure now. The only reason that I thought this was because on page 473, in the last sentence of the first full paragraph he describes Ermengarde's as as "memorial eyes." Memorial of what? Did they just remind him of Eleonora or were they in fact her eyes? He is so bold to say on page 469 that the river was brighter than all "save the eyes of Eleonora."
I think that this piece is not typical Poe, it seems to happily ever after to me. Let me know what you think and what your ideas are!

"Lionizing"- A Defence!!!

After todays class, when I realized that this short piece is disliked by manny of its readers, i wanted to reiterate my defence of why this peice struck me on the blog so that the web surfers can read it also!

What I loved about this story is that its clever and amuseing; and I feel that it is a good example of what I have constructed to be MY "typical Poe". What struck me first in this piece is the similarities between Poe and the narrator- a man who is obsessed with his own nose to the point of snobbery, "I Turned up my nose and spoke of myself" (216, LOA). With this charector, Poe seems to be pokeing fun at himself and commenting on his harsh and elitest criticism of his literary peers. The connection was strengthened to me when the narrator is put out to fend for himself by his disaproving father-a notion that seems to come strait out of Poes own bibliography.

Poe uses this peice to comment on art and the marketplace; picking on popular writers that he feels are undeserving of the prais they recieve. Also, Poe comments on the problems with art in the marketplace and posibly the rise of mass/popular media with the over the top prais given to the "pamphlet on Nosology"

The hole story is ammuseing; filled with rediculous immigery and sexual inuendoes. How can you not be amused by the little "moral" given at the end of the tale?!? "I grant you that in Fum-Fudge the greatness of a lion is in proportion to the size of his proboscis-but, good heavens! there is no competing with a lion who has no proboscis at all" (217, LOA). This is odvoiously ment to get a laughf, and you could even do another marketplace read on it!

Now you know why this little piece worked for me...Im interested in hearing why others disliked it?

My appropriation

I chose to do my cultural appropriation on Poe in the form of a graphic novel. The story I've chosen to do is a Rick Geary adaptation of Poe's famous short story, The Tell Tale Heart.
In my presentation I will be walking you through how I dissected Geary's choices of color and style. I'm also going to be exploring how I feel he interpreted not only the story, but also his view on Poe and how he relates it to this particular graphic adaptation.
This was a fun project to do and I hope you all enjoy it tomorrow morning!

A Poe outing in Henrico County

Hey if anyone is interested I just found out there is a Poe Outing in Henrico County (not far from the city)! Tomorrow, Feb. 7, 2008, Tales from Edgar Allan Poe, ages 16 and up. 7-8:30pm at Walkerton Tavern. FREE. Call Cindy Rinker, 261-6898.

MS. Found in a Bottle

Here are a few questions/thoughts I have about MS Found in a Bottle

• The narrator describes himself as someone who lacks creativity and imagination, but when he comes aboard the other ship, he changes, and is even ashamed of his "former apprehensions" (198). What is Poe trying to say about living a life based in reality vs. grounded in imagination? (which seems to be the way the crew lives)
  
• What do we make of the crew? They do not see/notice the narrator when he comes onto the ship. Also, they are described as being old, and use strange and outdated tools (196). The crew seems to be wandering around in their own world and driven by their imagination and hope for new discoveries.
  
• At the end of the story, the narrator sees "the blackness of eternal night, and a chaos of foamless water..." (199), but he is able to look past that and see the prospect of new discovery. He is excited by the fact that they are headed to something new, even though it will lead to their "destruction" (198). While he is still able to recognize what is going on around him, his imagination overshadows his realistic thoughts.
  
• What is Poe trying to say with the ending? It would seem that Poe likes the idea of imagination and discovery (and isn't a big fan of science), but it doesn't seem to turn out so well for the narrator (or the crew). Or, maybe there is something to be said about the narrator's story being bottled up, and available for others to read.

A tale of Jerusalem

I wanted to explain more about my reasons for disliking the story. I mentioned it was frantic and I feel like when Poe builds tension he tends to make the dialogue "faster". However this whole story had so much dialogue it just seemed very fast paced. There was little description. There was also too many exclamation marks!!!! I have this thing against too much puncuation.

Another Poe pop culture fun-ness!

I saw Audrey's post and it reminded me about the link I wanted to post. It is called "Vincent" and it is by Tim Burton. It is about a young boys obsession with Vincent Price and Poe. Enjoy!

http://youtube.com/watch?v=fxQcBKUPm8o

Basil Rathbone reads "The Raven"

I found this site- It doesn't have the entire recording but it does have Basil Rathbone reading "The Raven," and someone else reading "The Purloined Letter."

Audrey



http://town.hall.org/radio/HarperAudio/011594_harp_01_ITH.au