Somehow, I have missed out on any in-depth study of the literature of the nineteenth century and consequently many texts that others take for granted I have only encountered if the whim has so taken me. My whim has never extended to Poe. I've read some of his poems and we used to use a short story, The Oval Portrait, as a means of introducing our first year undergrads to the novel thought that we might be interested in hearing their views about a text rather than simply having our own thoughts parroted back to us, but other than that my whim had never been wafted in Poe's direction. Thus, horror the first.
Horror the second comes with the murders themselves. You seriously don't want to be reading this book if you have any sort of squeamish stomach. Whatever anyone might say about the violence in present day crime fiction (and I was watching a seriously graphic televised version of one of Val McDermid's books the other evening that was enough to turn anyone's insides with the exception of the victim, whose insides were already thoroughly 'turned') it has nothing on what Poe describes here. You will have second and third thoughts about your safety, even behind locked doors, after you've shivered your way through this story, I can tell you.
But, horror the third comes when you find out whodunit. Don't worry, I'm not going to give the game away, but what a ..........! If you tried that in a modern novel you'd never get it past the publisher - at least I hope you wouldn't.
Having said that, in many ways this isn't typical of how crime fiction has developed over the intervening years. You can see how it leads to Sherlock Holmes, with the emphasis on close analysis of the detail of the crime and its surroundings and I suppose that does relate to some extent to those books that rely to a large extent on the use of the forensic sciences, but in truth this is a justification of a particular mode of thought, a specific cast of mind, that just happens to play itself out through the medium of a crime. Catching the perpetrator is secondary really.
Nevertheless, I'm glad I've read it and can now move on to other material from the period that is new to me. Next up is M E Brandon's Lady Audley's Secret, which is another book I should have read years ago. Fortunately a friend whose judgement I trust implicitly read this last year and loved it, so with luck I should fare better. No more horrors, I hope.
Annie
You're so right about the violence in this story--"The Purloined Letter" is a much more cerebral example of "ratiocination." This one rather blurs the gap between his tales of ratiocination and his tales of horror (have you read "The Tell-Tale Heart"?)
ReplyDeleteI like what you say about the lead-in to Holmes and the case as a justification of a mode of thought. Our best current example is Dr House (who is modeled on Holmes, of course)--he takes the "clinical" aspect of this kind of investigation to its literal modern-day equivalent!
I love Poe, but this is not one of my favourite stories of his. It might be worth trying some of his others as they are all very different. Good luck with the Mary Elizabeth Braddon. I've read two of her books (Lady Audley's Secret and The Doctor's Wife) and enjoyed them both.
ReplyDeleteDid you see the BBC programme on Poe? I happened across it on iplayer, it might still be available. He really had a very unhappy life. I do have a very squeamish stomach so will probably give this book a miss!
ReplyDeleteJoanne
Rohan, from the way you phrase that, I suspect my question might be 'Does my stomach want to read 'The Tell-Tale Heart'? Oh well, I just finished teaching 'Titus Andronicus'. After that, I ought to be able to take anything. I watched the first few episodes of 'House' but didn't manage to get into it. Is it worth a second attempt? I'll look for a copy of 'The Purloined Letter' before I go onto the Brandon
ReplyDeleteHelen, I will try one or two others. I'm not really a short story reader, which is why I haven't come across much of his work, but there is clearly a very powerful voice behind his writing and it would definitely be worth greater exploration.
Joanne, how nice of you to drop by. No. I didn't see the programme and I will check in a moment to see if it is still available. Have you read Andrew Taylor's 'The American Boy' in which Poe features as a character? I believe there is a fair degree of accuracy in the presentation.
No, I haven't read that book, but I love novels which feature real life characters so I will certainly put it on my TBR list. Thank you for the suggestion.
ReplyDeleteJoanne
As an untrained reader who reads pretty much entirely by whim, I would say that Poe has written better short stories than this one. In fact I would sat that it's one of his weakest, and I'd second the recommendations for The Purloined Letter and The Tell Tale Heart. And that the friend who steered you towards Lady Audley is very wise.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't remember whether this is on I'd read or not until you mention (rather 'don't mention) the culprit. I think I have indeed read it--quite an eye raiser for a murderer! I'm not sure what it says that I've forgotten the violent nature of the story, though after a while too many stories go hazy. You might like The Cask of Amontillado--it's one of my favorite short stories--not graphic at all, though gruesome in its own way if you let your imagination go.
ReplyDeleteI read this about three years ago and thought it was indeed stomach-turning. I thought Dupin was not a particular likeable detective, but he uses his little grey cells in a manner much like Agatha Christie’s Poirot and, of course, Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes.
ReplyDeletePoe's Tales of Mystery and Imagination was in the bookcase at home but when my mother saw me opening this book she took it off me and said I was too young to read it - can't remember how old I was. Of course, that intrigued me and I sneaked a look at it and was immediately scared. Now I don't think they're scary - just gruesome and very unpleasant.
I've read The American Boy, which actually took me back to the Poe book.
I haven't read Lady Audley's Secret, but I remember listening to its serialisation on Radio 4 and enjoying it very much.
Joanne, I found it and watched it last night. Very interesting indeed. I suspect the portrait of his foster parents in 'The American Boy' is not particularly accurate.
ReplyDeleteFleur, nice to see you're well enough to be out and about again. I've just got hold of a copy of 'The Purloined Letter', so I'll try that during the week. It's good to get another endorsement of the Brandon as well, thank you.
Danielle, please don't tell me someone frowns in that cask - too Shakespearian for words! I had to be really careful which cover photo I put up on the post. Some of them definitely gave the game away.
Margaret, I agree, there is nothing to like about Dupin, he comes over as a know-all. Definitely not someone you'd like in your Senior Common Room. (Mind you, most of them have at least one Dupin in residence!) I caught parts of the serialisation, but not enough to make sense of what was going on. What I did hear sounded rather Wilkie Collins like.
Hello Annie,
ReplyDeleteI seem to remember reading Poe's poetry at school, but have never thought to return to him for fiction.
I made the ultimate mistake, after reading your wonderful review, of seeking out the full synopsis, which rather gives the game away!! My own silly fault, you dis warn me...
I can see why there is an instant analogy with Conan Doyle's 'Sherlock Holmes' and as I am a great fan of Doyle's, then I must make a point of trying some of Poe's fiction.
Some of the cover art for the various editions of, 'The Murders In The Rue Morgue', doesn't leave much to the imagination and is in fact, quite macabre.
That'll learn you, as my father would have said, Yvonne. You're right about the macabre element. There is something in Poe which seems to revel in the horrific for its own sake. He likes it far too much for my comfort, I have to say.
ReplyDeleteI'm not so great with the 19C Americans, and I haven't read much Poe, including this one. My mystery book group should read his stories at some point, I think, particularly since there are connections between him and Doyle. I do like his stories "The Tell-Tale Heart," "The Cask of Amontillado," and "Fall of the House of Usher." That's about all I know of him. I loved Lady Audley's Secret -- I hope you enjoy it!
ReplyDeleteI think I read almost everything by Poe. I bought a slipcase containing his complete works at 13 (yes indeed) and read my way through the poems, short stories and several other works. I remember quite a lot of it still but not this story. There is a total blank. I remember vaguely that I didn't like it. I don't think the genre was Poe's forte.
ReplyDeleteI saw a few reviews of Lady Audley's Secret recently and bought it a year ago as well. I'm sure it is very enjoyable. I'm curious to see what you will think of it.
Dorothy, I think your Mystery group would 'enjoy' reading the crime stories if only because they are always cited as being there at the beginning and they do explain why the tradition of the amateur sleuth has pervaded the literature to such an extent. I may have thought the outcome was a swizz, but I'm glad I read this nonetheless.
ReplyDeleteCaroline, I can absolutely see why you would want to read Poe at thirteen. I know I would have wanted to do the same had anyone pointed me in his direction. I'm looking forward to "Lady Audley'. It's right out of my period, so it may be a challenge, but then stretching that comfort zone is important.
I haven't read this, although I've read several of Poe's short stories and have found them disturbing and creepy, but not horrific. Clearly this is in a different league. I appreciate him, but given that claustrophobia is one of his most prominent tropes, I also shy away. Lady Audley's Secret, however, I read for the first time earlier this year and loved. Like you, I'm low on the 19th century altogether and have been trying to read a bit more widely in it in 2011. I'll be very interested to know what you make of the Braddon, which I found gripping and intriguing on many levels.
ReplyDeleteLitlove,I'm fairly certain that Poe and claustrophobia are never going to be the best of bedfellows! What little I do know of his work always makes me feel desperately enclosed. I'm hoping to get started on Lady Audley next week. This week is the week from hell, but by Friday I ought to have cleared the decks a bit.
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