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Summary: American master
Review: Edgar Allan Poe is certainly one of America's greatest and most underrated writers; perhaps underrated because he's too easily pigeon-holed as a drug-addled horror writer. In fact, he virtually created the modern mystery tale, wrote excellent poetry & many of the images from his horror stories have passed into the iconography of our culture--recall the Tell Tale Heart episode of Cheers, with Diane following Carla around going, boom--boom, boom-boom,.... One of the beauties of Poe is that, since his work was all poetry & short stories, you can get everything in a one volume addition like this one. I'll just look at a couple of examples: The Murders in the Rue Morgue: With this tale, Poe created the detective story. The narrator is a friend of C. Auguste Dupin in earl 1800's Paris. Dupin is gifted with a great intellect & comes of an illustrious family, but has been reduced to poverty and has shrunken into indolence. However, reading about a particularly brutal murder in Rue Morgue, he is stirred into action & he & the narrator set out to solve the crime. All of the elements that have become so familiar to us are present here; a locked room, a bizarre killing, a brilliant but eccentric detective, an incredulous sidekick, bumbling police, etc.. Most important, the crime is solved by the rigorous application of reason. In Dupin we see the forerunner of everyone from Sherlock Holmes to Nero Wolfe. The Cask of Amantillado: The story is off & running from the first paragraph: THE thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could, but when he ventured upon insult I vowed revenge. You, who so well know the nature of my soul, will not suppose, however, that gave utterance to a threat. At length I would be avenged; this was a point definitely, settled --but the very definitiveness with which it was resolved precluded the idea of risk. I must not only punish but punish with impunity. A wrong is unredressed when retribution overtakes its redresser. It is equally unredressed when the avenger fails to make himself felt as such to him who has done the wrong. It must be understood that neither by word nor deed had I given Fortunato cause to doubt my good will. I continued, as was my in to smile in his face, and he did not perceive that my to smile now was at the thought of his immolation. He had a weak point --this Fortunato --although in other regards he was a man to be respected and even feared. He prided himself on his connoisseurship in wine. Taking off from this brisk setup, Poe treats us to one of the really diabolical tales of vengeance in all of literature. This one will trouble your sleep. And, of course, your teacher taught you poetry by reading your class The Bells, The Raven and Annabel Lee. I bet you still remember learning the word tintinnabulation. They're all here & they're all just as morbid and scary as you remember them. GRADE: A+
Rating:
Summary: Theme for a Jackal
Review: Best known for his poems and short fiction, he deserves more credit than any other writer for the transformation of the short story from anecdote to art. He virtually created the detective story and perfected the psychological thriller. He also produced some of the most influential literary criticism of his time -- important theoretical statements on poetry and the short story -- and has had a worldwide influence on literature. Throughout Edgar Allen Poe's life, many factors have contributed and influenced his writing style. He lived a difficult life, because he was raised in a dysfunctional household. But the final product of Edgar Allen Poe's mind is printed in his short stories and poems. Edgar Allen Poe's stories all have similar motifs and composition that would suggest suppressed emotions from life experiences are being discharged through his writings. In a great short story, "The Tell Tale Heart" the narrator doesn't hate the man that he's going to kill, he hates the fake eye. The eye represents evil, and Poe converts everything to black and white. If a part of the kind man is evil, then the whole man is evil, hence, he kills him. And Poe doesn't see the act of killing bad, but a cleansing action, ridding the world of one more evil. In "The Descent into the Maelstrom" the captain was the old man / father figure. Guiding the people in the boat closet to the edge of existence, into the maelstrom. And Poe makes it the captains fault that they are caught in the outer ring of the maelstrom and are coming closer to the center. But he shows his optimistic side as the vessel escapes the whirlpool, and breaks free. Likewise in the "Black Cat", the husband in the story was particularly cruel and unjust to the cats. The cats were probably representing Poe when he was defenseless and young. And the temper that his step-father would act out on Poe, was the same temper that the "cat-killer" would kill the cat and his wife. The most prominent feature of Edgar Allen Poe's writing is his obsession with death. Poe's writing does more than entertain the reader. It can be an insight into the dark and somber world of Edgar Allen Poe. One does not understand the meaning of Poe if one reads at the superficial level. One has to read into Poe, and understand the hardships of his life and how he maintained them that way. He knew that death was an inevitable part of life, it is the price of life, but, he tried to fight it as if it was an unnatural part of life. He was an extremely intriguing man from all view points, and he was and is, the dark side of all of us...
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Summary: Forcing us to confront ourselves
Review: Though covered in the veil of the macombre, Poe confronts us with our true natures. The Everyman, usually nameless, narrator depicts what we, at least at the subconscious level (represented by the deep, dark, dank settings of the tales), would like to do and perform in our everyday lives. Read and enjoy the works and then do the research and find how Poe is, without a doubt, one of the greatest writers of world literature. Highly recommended.
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Summary: Complete Madness At A Bargain Price
Review: The Amazon.com price on this superb book of Poe's complete published works is phenomenal. Only $18.00 for over 600 pages of one of the most widely read masters of horror in our times. Most people become familiar with Poe through mandatory reading assignments in middle school. How many of us were forced to memorize "The Raven"--and now are so glad we did? This heavy yet sturdy book allows one to spread their ravenal wings so to speak and enjoy Poe at will. Perhaps with a snifter of warmed brandy while seated in a leather buttoned wing chair, one can read through "The Telltale Heart", "Murders of the Rue Morgue" or one of our favorites, "A Cask Of Amontilliado". Listen! Sounds of the Carnival in Spain, bawdy drunken laughter, the echoing steps down into the dank wine cellar, the lure of tasting a rare wine, the viciousness taken upon the despised know-it-all, chaining him to the wall, entombing him in, brick by brick until the very last one is in place, the realized screams as the torch is thrown and his death ends his arrogance by a supposed mere simpleton. One can only imagine Poe's daily thoughts, dreams, and nightmares. Whether drug induced or not, Edgar Allen Poe's hand to paper still thrills us today and forever. This compilation would make a great gift for literary lovers and students who will become enthralled by this scary genius. other reading suggestions: "Bag of Bones" by Stephen King Thanks for your interest & comment vote--Goldcoast
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Summary: Simply amazing
Review: With the insight of Hawthorne, this master forces us to watch our id running wild. A catharsis to say the least. Sure tales as Liegia, Cast of . . . , Tell-Tale Heart, as well as his aesthetic literary thesis, which still rings true of great art today, "The Philosophy of Composition." Recommended.
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Summary: The Ultimate Master Of Horror
Review: This is a wonderful book. It showcases the tales of terror that have enthralled readers of horror for generations. It's a pity that Poe doesn't get the credit he deserves. After all, he was the creater of the detective/mystery. Just read the Murders Of The Rue Morgue,etc. But what I love best about Poe's stories are the psychological tales of horror that he penned. He gave us insights into the dark places of the human psyche. One only has to contemplate the inner meanings of his tales to get at their hidden symbolism,e.g. The Black Cat or William Wilson. He is an early explorer into the riddles that later on influenced Dostoyevsky and Freud. Read this intriguing book and judge for yourself. And be thrilled as no writer has ever thrilled you before. Quote the raven evermore!
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Summary: Great, beautiful and cheap book
Review: This book is one of the most worthy I ever bought. Besides having a great binding, it allows you to read ANY of Poes's works in a single volume. It will surely keep you entertained for a long time. The only complaint I have is that "The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket" had its preface omitted, and if someone reads the narrative without having read the preface before, it will not make much sense in the end, I believe.
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Summary: Discover the Poe You Don't Know
Review: Discovery is one of the greatest thrills of reading, and if you think you have a fairly sufficient understanding of Poe from only such works as "The Raven" or "The Tell-Tale Heart", think again. After reading this volume I was impressed at the breadth of Poe's work. His most famous works,I have deciceded, are certainly NOT his best ones. Incidentally, this means that if you love Poe, you may grow to love him more. If you are even somewhat attracted to the uncanny aspect of his stories, behold his lesser known and far stranger works. Poe's Victorian attachment to exacting detail makes several of these stories quite gripping. His odd imagination comes to life most vividly in his humor. Yes, Poe wrote humor! Try "the Angel of The Odd", "The Scythe of Time, "The Imp of the Perverse", "The Devil in the Belfry", or "Never Bet the Devil Your Head". After finishing some of these works, you'll wonder why your high school teachers assigned the blandest of his selections, leaving you with what you may soon consider to be a rather shallow appreciation of his writing. To label Poe as merely a horror writer is akin to labelling Thomas Jefferson as a farmer. Discover an American macabre genius all over again: revel in his irony and his wit. Buy the book, light up a fire on a crisp autumn night, and experience the complete Poe.
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Summary: One-stop source for Poe ...
Review: I really enjoy visiting this book from time to time. Just think: all of Poes great short stories and poems in one volume. The down side: the print size in this two-inch thick book is VERY tiny. So, if your reading vision is not great, you may want to try a less comprehensive collection.
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Summary: An amazing collection of inspiring tales
Review: I like Edgar Allan Poe mainly for his poems, but don't worry, all of his short stories are in this book too. His poetry often has internal rhyme making it enjoyable to read. I would recomend this book to an amateur reader and poet or to Shakespeare himself. This book has something for everybody.
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