There are two aspects I loved for both The Raven and The Bells. First, Poe’s unmatched ability to begin a story. He starts quiet and subdued and then skillfully, using a crescendo effect, delivers two spell binding, classic poems. He’s amazing. In The Raven, his melody - for me – was like reading a symphony…the tap, tap, tapping on the chamber door. It was poetic genius. Poe’s main character rambles incessantly, until his rants turn maddening. Like The Raven, The Bells starts out describing the lovely, silver bells and then gradually progresses into a treacherous, clamoring noise. That’s the other aspect I love about him. Poe can take something so minuscule in life and make in monumental, turning it into a killer story. Something so insignificant and every day like a bird or a chime and he’s created a timeless thriller that’s suspenseful as hell. I love that about him. In The Tell-Tale Heart, Poe writes about a madman. His main character is practically a modern day serial stalker/killer the way he described his fixation on the old man’s evil eye. It’s symbolic and thrilling how the eye haunts him in the beginning, only to have the heart taunt him in the end. Poe was a master story teller period. His ability to intertwine humor in his freaksih tales is a large part of his allure – I believe. He writes horror, drenched with humanity, making his sick characters likeable. His dark vision - to this day - brilliantly outshines many of today’s literary masters.
On my KilloMeter…Edgar Allan Poe is a 5.
Until next time…try a Creepy Classic like Edgar Allan Poe’s Classic Collections.
Mina B.
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