Happy birthday to Edgar Allan Poe, one of America’s greatest writers! (I am a day later, so I offer apologies.) Not only is Mr. Poe one of the most important writers of Gothic literature, in which he explored the darkness in the human soul, but also he is considered to be the father of the modern detective story. In his detective M. Dupin, Poe laid the groundwork, in terms of observation and deduction, for the great Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
Among his best short stories are “The Fall of the House Of Usher”, “The Masque of The Red Death”, “The Tell-Tale Heart” and “The Purloined Letter.”
Equally as important as his fiction is his extraordinary poetry. My two favorites are “Annabel Lee” and “The Raven.” When reading these, please try doing it out loud. Hearing the words gives life to the rhythm of the poems.
I first encountered Poe as a student in 8th grade. For some reason, many consider his works to be juvenile writing, but that is a complete misreading of his deeply complex work. I have studied his writing in graduate school, and I also teach his work in a variety of college courses, both at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, PA and at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA.
If you have never read his work, do yourself a favor, and read from one of the masters of writing.
Again, here’s to you Mr. Poe!
Loved Poe as a kid and still do. 🙂
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Yes, so do I!
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He was a childhood favourite. I especially liked the Cask of Amontillado
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Yes, it is an excellent story.
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I have read The Fall of the House of Usher and The Raven. Both brilliant, Charles. An excellent post.
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Roberta, thank you!
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The Tell-Tale Heart and The Black Cat are both excellent. So is The Raven.
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Andrew, yes they are, and thank you!
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You’re welcome!
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Here’s to Edgar and I’ve always loved his tales
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Beth, thank you!
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I’ve always loved Poe and the movies spun from his works. HB Poe..
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Poe is excellent.
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Our teacher read us “The Pit and the Pendulum” way back in elementary school, and I hung on every word.
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It is an excellent story.
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It had me hooked!
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Thanks for an excellent introduction to Poe’s work!
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You are very welcome.
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I love Edgar Allan Poe
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He is brilliant.
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Lovely tribute to an all-time great! Who cares if it’s a little late? 😉🙂
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Thank you!
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A favorite of mine as well. I particularly appreciate “The Imp of the Perverse.”
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Yes, it is excellent.
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The Fall of the House of Usher, covered in my World Literature class.
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It is excellent, and I teach it in some of my classes.
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Yes, Literature and Creative Writing were my favorite subjects.
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Thank you very much, for mentioning Edgar Allan Po, Charles. He has written wonderful stories. Michael
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Michael, you are very welcome!
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Thank you very much, Charles! Sorry, the last hours i had some issues opening the chat. Michael
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Michael, you are very welcome.
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I like your suggestion of reading his poetry out loud!
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Like so much other writing, poetry should be read aloud.
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Yes! Some years ago at school teachers were encouraged to have a “poetry break”, spontaneously arriving at other classrooms and reading aloud poetry. It was (and is) a good thing, yet teachers need to do this in the classroom. To help children engage in poetry, I invented “The Stop Game”, which always draws in children. I think I need to write a poetry post. Thank you, Charles.
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Jennie, you are very welcome.
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