The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar

My Thoughts

I loved this story! Of all of Edgar Allan Poe's stories that I have read so far I believe that this is my favorite. At this point, I have only read about half of his work so this may change in the not so distant future. The mood is of an eldritch sort and it is ever so creepy! I believe that The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar would be a story that I would greatly enjoy reading under a blanket while holding a flashlight.

In this story, a man named M. Valdemar agrees to be mesmerized upon his deathbed. With only moments left to live, the process begins and Valdemar is successfully hypnotized. He doesn't do much besides given delayed replies when queried. Finally, he dies... the description of his face in death is grotesque. He died with his mouth widely extended and his lips writhed away from his teeth, exposing them. The protagonist and doctors are ready to leave at this point. The protagonist had asked Valdemar a while ago if he still slept, but received no answer... until now. A disgusting, abhorrent, unnatural voice reverberates out of the cold, dead body. The lips or face do not move but the tongue slightly quivers to a sound that flurried out like a gale "Yes;-no;-I have been sleeping-and now-now- I am dead."

The creepiness doesn't end there! They continue talking with him, mostly getting no answers, but sometimes the ghoulish voice returns with "Put me to Sleep! Quick! Quick! I am DEAD!". This is definitely a must read in my opinion. The description of his body in a state of putrescence was very entertaining.

My Rating

I rate this short tale a 4.5 out of 5. I loved it! How creepy is it to know that he was dead, yet couldn't actually leave his body under mesmerization! I believe he suffered this way for over seven months too!