SELECTED TALES ★★★☆☆
by EDGAR ALLAN POE
"I blush, I burn, I shudder, while I pen the damnable atrocity."
I bought this book more than four years ago, but it is only a few days ago that I decided to read it completely. Sure, I've read some of the stories, but only about five or so. I have always loved The Black Cat and The Tell-Tale Heart, the latter I read for at least five times. I will first present my individual ratings of the stories (the rating three stars for the book would be the average):
The Duc De L'Omelette ★☆☆☆☆
MS. Found in a Bottle ★★☆☆☆
The Assignation ★★★☆☆
Ligeia ★★★★☆
How to Write a Blackwood Article ★★★☆☆
The Fall of the House of Usher ★★★★☆
William Wilson ★★★★★
The Murders in the Rue Morgue ★★★★★
A Descent into the Maelstrom ★☆☆☆☆
The Island of the Fay ★☆☆☆☆
The Colloquy of Monos and Una ★★☆☆☆
The Oval Portrait ★★★★★
The Masque of the Red Death ★★★☆☆
The Mystery of Marie Roget ★★☆☆☆
The Pit and the Pendulum ★★★★☆
The Tell-Tale Heart ★★★★★
The Gold-Bug ★★★☆☆
The Black Cat ★★★★★
The Premature Burial ★★★★☆
The Purloined Letter ★★★★★
The Imp of the Perverse ★★☆☆☆
The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar ★★★★☆
The Cask of Amontillado ★★★★☆
The Domain of Arnheim ★☆☆☆☆
Von Kempelen and His Discovery ★★★☆☆
I really like the way Poe wrote - it was almost like poetry, especially the way he manipulated the words and juxtaposed them. His style was very lyrical and personal, and as a reader, I felt really drawn to the minds of the characters, as though I could see the workings of their minds through the writing. In a way, it was also reminiscent of the "stream-of-consciousness" style. That being said, I preferred it when he wrote in the first-person, so much so that in Ligeia, although it was primarily narration, I wasn't bored. His protagonists' voice were distinct as well.
He had this annoying habit though of lapsing into rantings and ramblings, as was seen in A Descent into the Maelstrom, The Island of the Fay, and The Imp of the Perverse. Furthermore, I struggled in some of the stories (including the three mentioned) because I was confused the entire time. It was greatly exemplified in The Duc De L'Omelette. I didn't know which was which, and who was talking to who. In my opinion, it was a terrible decision to place it at the very beginning.
I like Poe best as a horror writer, then detective, and least would be as a science-fiction writer. The MS. in a Bottle wasn't really that bad, but as a piece of science-fiction, it didn't stand out. However, The Murders in the Rue Morgue was absolutely amazing. His fictional detective, Dupin, was a genius and was quite memorable.
Need I say more about him as a horror writer? I found Ligeia to be predictable, but still, the amount of terror in the story still managed to make my hair rise at the end, especially because of the last sentence. As I've mentioned, I've read The Tell-Tale Heart numerous times before, and whenever I did, it always chilled me to the bone. The narrator's voice was so memorable, and it gave an accurate picture of the protagonist's character. He claimed that he wasn't a madman, but through the writing, every inch portrayed his insanity. The tone was darkly sarcastic, another indication of his madness. I admire Poe's usage of clear and specific imagery to draw in the readers to the scene.
I wouldn't say that reading Poe is an enjoyable experience. It isn't. His stories are disturbing, haunting, and frightening. It makes you wonder about how the human minds work, and how the author could capture the madness of his protagonists so accurately if he weren't mad himself. Read at least The Black Cat and The Tell-Tale Heart - if those aren't enough to make your hair rise in terror, I don't know what would.
I bought this book more than four years ago, but it is only a few days ago that I decided to read it completely. Sure, I've read some of the stories, but only about five or so. I have always loved The Black Cat and The Tell-Tale Heart, the latter I read for at least five times. I will first present my individual ratings of the stories (the rating three stars for the book would be the average):
The Duc De L'Omelette ★☆☆☆☆
MS. Found in a Bottle ★★☆☆☆
The Assignation ★★★☆☆
Ligeia ★★★★☆
How to Write a Blackwood Article ★★★☆☆
The Fall of the House of Usher ★★★★☆
William Wilson ★★★★★
The Murders in the Rue Morgue ★★★★★
A Descent into the Maelstrom ★☆☆☆☆
The Island of the Fay ★☆☆☆☆
The Colloquy of Monos and Una ★★☆☆☆
The Oval Portrait ★★★★★
The Masque of the Red Death ★★★☆☆
The Mystery of Marie Roget ★★☆☆☆
The Pit and the Pendulum ★★★★☆
The Tell-Tale Heart ★★★★★
The Gold-Bug ★★★☆☆
The Black Cat ★★★★★
The Premature Burial ★★★★☆
The Purloined Letter ★★★★★
The Imp of the Perverse ★★☆☆☆
The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar ★★★★☆
The Cask of Amontillado ★★★★☆
The Domain of Arnheim ★☆☆☆☆
Von Kempelen and His Discovery ★★★☆☆
I really like the way Poe wrote - it was almost like poetry, especially the way he manipulated the words and juxtaposed them. His style was very lyrical and personal, and as a reader, I felt really drawn to the minds of the characters, as though I could see the workings of their minds through the writing. In a way, it was also reminiscent of the "stream-of-consciousness" style. That being said, I preferred it when he wrote in the first-person, so much so that in Ligeia, although it was primarily narration, I wasn't bored. His protagonists' voice were distinct as well.
He had this annoying habit though of lapsing into rantings and ramblings, as was seen in A Descent into the Maelstrom, The Island of the Fay, and The Imp of the Perverse. Furthermore, I struggled in some of the stories (including the three mentioned) because I was confused the entire time. It was greatly exemplified in The Duc De L'Omelette. I didn't know which was which, and who was talking to who. In my opinion, it was a terrible decision to place it at the very beginning.
I like Poe best as a horror writer, then detective, and least would be as a science-fiction writer. The MS. in a Bottle wasn't really that bad, but as a piece of science-fiction, it didn't stand out. However, The Murders in the Rue Morgue was absolutely amazing. His fictional detective, Dupin, was a genius and was quite memorable.
Need I say more about him as a horror writer? I found Ligeia to be predictable, but still, the amount of terror in the story still managed to make my hair rise at the end, especially because of the last sentence. As I've mentioned, I've read The Tell-Tale Heart numerous times before, and whenever I did, it always chilled me to the bone. The narrator's voice was so memorable, and it gave an accurate picture of the protagonist's character. He claimed that he wasn't a madman, but through the writing, every inch portrayed his insanity. The tone was darkly sarcastic, another indication of his madness. I admire Poe's usage of clear and specific imagery to draw in the readers to the scene.
I wouldn't say that reading Poe is an enjoyable experience. It isn't. His stories are disturbing, haunting, and frightening. It makes you wonder about how the human minds work, and how the author could capture the madness of his protagonists so accurately if he weren't mad himself. Read at least The Black Cat and The Tell-Tale Heart - if those aren't enough to make your hair rise in terror, I don't know what would.
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