Happy Halloween, everyone!
Song: "Annabel Lee" by Edgar Allan Poe
Quote:
The angels, not half so happy in Heaven,
Went envying her and me—
Yes!—that was the reason (as all men know,
In this kingdom by the sea)
That the wind came out of the cloud by night,
Chilling and killing my Annabel Lee.
Listen to Joan Baez's performance...
(Photo by Yours Truly. Poe by Dellamorteco.)
On this day in 1849 – 171 years ago – Edgar Allan Poe died at the age of forty under mysterious circumstances.
For more information, read “Mysterious for Evermore” by Matthew Pearl, an article on Poe’s death from The Telegraph. Pearl is the author of a fascinating novel about the subject, The Poe Shadow.
(Photo by Yours Truly.)
The following are some of my favorite links about Edgar Allan Poe:
And now, here is one of my favorite readings of Poe:
Gabriel Byrne’s narration of the pandemic-relevant and all-too-timely “The Masque of the Red Death.”
The red death had long devastated the country. No pestilence had ever been so fatal, or so hideous. Blood was its Avatar and its seal -- the madness and the horror of blood. There were sharp pains, and sudden dizziness, and then profuse bleeding at the pores, with dissolution. The scarlet stains upon the body and especially upon the face of the victim, were the pest ban which shut him out from the aid and from the sympathy of his fellow-men. And the whole seizure, progress, and termination of the disease, were incidents of half an hour.
But Prince Prospero was happy and dauntless and sagacious. When his dominions were half depopulated, he summoned to his presence a thousand hale and light-hearted friends from among the knights and dames of his court, and with these retired to the deep seclusion of one of his crenellated abbeys. This was an extensive and magnificent structure, the creation of the prince's own eccentric yet august taste. A strong and lofty wall girdled it in. This wall had gates of iron. The courtiers, having entered, brought furnaces and massy hammers and welded the bolts.
They resolved to leave means neither of ingress nor egress to the sudden impulses of despair or of frenzy from within. The abbey was amply provisioned. With such precautions the courtiers might bid defiance to contagion. The external world could take care of itself. In the meantime it was folly to grieve or to think. The prince had provided all the appliances of pleasure. There were buffoons, there were improvisatori, there were ballet-dancers, there were musicians, there was Beauty, there was wine. All these and security were within. Without was the "Red Death."
- from “The Masque of the Red Death” by Edgar Allan Poe (1842). Read the complete story here.
Why would anyone go out of the way to visit a graveyard intentionally? In addition to the fascinating stories they contain, cemeteries can be open-air sculpture parks full of one-of-a-kind artwork. They provide habitats for birds and wildlife, as well as arboretums and gardens of surprising beauty. Cemeteries appeal to art lovers, amateur sociologists, birdwatchers, master gardeners, historians, hikers, genealogists, picnickers, and anyone who just wants to stop and smell the roses. Our relationships with the places we visit can be deepened and enriched by learning the stories of those who came – and stayed – before us.
– 199 Cemeteries to See Before You Die, Loren Rhoads
I’m thoroughly enjoying (and planning trips around the suggestions in) 199 Cemeteries to See Before You Die, which covers sites around the world. I’ve visited many cemeteries in my day, but only nine of them are listed in the book as worthy of the “must see” title. I need to get moving!
(Photo by AHS, blood-splatter nerd manicure “Killer” by Espionage Cosmetics.)
Do you have any favorite cemeteries?
If so, what (and where) are they?
- Edgar Allan Poe, “Eleanora”
(”Edgar Allan Poe The Raven B1″ by Legrande62.)
On this day in 1849 –170 years ago – Edgar Allan Poe died at the age of forty under mysterious circumstances.
For more information, read “Mysterious for Evermore” by Matthew Pearl, an article on Poe’s death from The Telegraph. Pearl is the author of a fascinating novel about the subject, The Poe Shadow.
(”Edgar Allan Poe” by Bo Alvarsson.)
The following are some of my favorite links about Edgar Allan Poe:
“On Halloween it was possible to have whatever outrageous thing you wanted. Roles and fortunes could be reversed, imbalances balanced, scores settled. Like Margaret O’Brien’s Tootie, you could even fantasize about homicide.
“As another Margaret (this one named Mead), noted, ‘Long ago in medieval Europe, there was a folk belief that Halloween was the one occasion when people could safely evoke the help of the devil in some enterprise.’
“And, whatever transpired, you could always blame it on the bogeyman.”
- David J. Skal, Death Makes a Holiday: A Cultural History of Halloween
On this day in 1849, Edgar Allan Poe died at the age of forty under mysterious circumstances.
For more information, read “Mysterious for Evermore” by Matthew Pearl, an article on Poe’s death from The Telegraph. Pearl is the author of a fascinating novel about the subject, The Poe Shadow.
This is Edgar Allan Poe - The Black Cat by the wonderful Alexander Levett:
Here are some links from me:
* In this episode of StarShipSofa, I review the “Madness: Insanity in the Works of Edgar Allan Poe” temporary exhibit at The Poe Museum, a place I always love to visit. I thought this was a very insightful exhibit, and in my “Looking Back on Genre History” segment I try to pass some of those insights along to listeners. If you check it out, I hope you enjoy!
* While we’re talking Poe, I invite you to vote on my Goodreads list of “Fiction Featuring Poe as a Character.”
* Hocus Pocus Comics is Poe-centric, and you’re invited to visit the site. In addition, check out this beautiful time-lapse video of David Hartman drawing the exclusive Kickstarter cover for The Imaginary Voyages of Edgar Allan Poe.
The following are some of my favorite links about Edgar Allan Poe:
* PoeStories.com: An Exploration of Short Stories by Edgar Allan Poe
* The Poe Museum of Richmond
* The Edgar Allan Poe Society of Baltimore
This haunting doll is Edgar Poe 2 by the talented Gogolle:
One of my favorite works by Poe is “The Masque of the Red Death.” One of the best film representations of the story I’ve ever seen is this gorgeous, silent adaptation from Extraordinary Tales. Perhaps my favorite reading of the story is this one by Gabriel Byrne, which hits all the right notes.
There are chords in the hearts of the most reckless which cannot be touched without emotion. Even with the utterly lost, to whom life and death are equally jests, there are matters of which no jest can becmade. The whole company, indeed, seemed now deeply to feel that in the costume and bearing of the stranger neither wit nor propriety existed. The figure was tall and gaunt, and shrouded from head to foot in the habiliments of the grave. The mask which concealed the visage was made so nearly to resemble the countenance of a stiffened corpse that the closest scrutiny must have had difficulty in detecting the cheat. And yet all this might have been endured, if not approved, by the mad revellers around. But the mummer had gone so far as to assume the type of the Red Death. His vesture was dabbled in blood – and his broad brow, with all the features of the face, was besprinkled with the scarlet horror.
- Edgar Allan Poe, “The Masque of the Red Death”
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