The Imp of the Perverse was a story about giving in to your feral desires to do things simply for the reason that they shouldn't be done. The protagonist apparently kills a neighbor by utilizing an idea he had previously read a memoir about a poisoned candle. A confession is made afterward.
This short story was hard for me to read due to my love for animals, and especially cats. When it comes to humans I have no problem with violence in fiction, but when an animal is involved I despise it. As a personal goal to read every story and poem written by Edgar Allan Poe, I struggled through the abhorrent evils that the protagonist placed upon his beloved cat in order to make it to the end. I thought the end was wonderfully done. I really enjoyed the "revenge" aspect that the cat brings upon the disgusting protagonist.
Classic Poe! The Tell-Tale Heart is probably the epitome of Poeism (if that isn't a word, it is now), perhaps only outdone by The Raven. The story's protagonist is an obviously mad character that thinks of himself as anything but. It seems that most people who are truly mad share this sentiment. This odd character decides to kill the old man that he lives with because of the old man's repulsive "vulture-like" eye. While this may seem petty and a tell-tale sign of a psychopath, the protagonist relishes in how clever he was in doing it.
The Purloined Letter is probably my favorite short story by Edgar Allan Poe that featured C. Auguste Dupin. This story was particularly interesting to me due to the fact that it focused on the analysis of the personality of people to solve the mystery. Dupin easily solved the enigma by focusing on the behavior of the assailant, which was known in this case. He was perceived to be a fool by the police which is exactly why he outsmarted them in hiding a letter that was being used as blackmail against an aristocrat.
The Fall of the House of Usher is among the most popular stories by Edgar Allan Poe. I believe this story contains a lot of symbolism that I didn't quite pick up in other stories by Poe. The Fall of the House of Usher symbolizes not only the house falling but the legacy of the entire Usher family all in a single moment. There are three deaths at exactly the same time!
The Mystery of Marie Roget is the second story by Edgar Allan Poe featuring the brilliant acumen of C. Auguste Dupin. The story is based on an actual local mystery at the time and Poe decided that he would try to solve it by using the ingenious deduction of Dupin.
Dupin/Poe brilliantly unravel different scenarios, but alas it isn't enough to make the story too interesting. The ending is never concluded and this, in my opinion, ruins the build-up of suspense.
After
The Murders in the Rue Morgue was the first of three stories featuring the sharp and witty C. Auguste Dupin, who also happens to be the inspiration for almost every detective story ever written. His unbelievable deduction methodology and acumen is second to none as he never seems to struggle when attempting to solve the most impossible of mysteries. My favorite example of this is the very first example. When Dupin continues a conversation that the protagonist was thinking after fifteen minutes of silence.
Eh, this story wasn't quite my cup of tea. I enjoyed how the stories were all old-time descriptions of modern day (in the 1840s) technologies and discoveries, but it wasn't enough to make me enjoy the entire story.
I rate this story a 2.3 out of 5. It did make me put 1001 nights on my reading list which, I suppose, is an overall win.
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.
This was my first introduction into Poe's use of deductive reasoning and I simply could not put the book down. The story focuses on an eldritch gold beetle discovered on Sullivan's Island, South Carolina, but egresses far beyond the direction expected. Poe's detailed writing allows the acumen of William Legrand to slowly become apparent through profound deduction. At the very start, Poe brilliantly leads you to believe that Mr.