Today would’ve been your 200th birthday. Hard to imagine, eh, especially for someone with such a predilection for death at a young age?
For those who, like me, have something of a perhaps unhealthy attraction (and is there any other kind?) to EAP’s works, I heartily recommend two sources:
- Daniel Hoffman’s Poe Poe Poe Poe Poe Poe Poe (yes, seven Poes). Sometimes maddening to read, until you sit back and realize how closely that… that maddeningness models the effect of reading Poe’s work itself. Hoffman is fully aware of Poe’s weaknesses as well as his strengths, his gimmickry as well as his style, and does not let himself be gulled into slavish hero worship. But the conclusion is inescapable: Poe (sometimes despite his worst instincts, sometimes because of them) was a master.
- Harry Lee Poe’s Edgar Allan Poe: An Illustrated Companion to His Tell-Tale Stories. The Missus gave me a copy of this for Christmas, but I didn’t get around to reading it until last week. Amazing. (Expect a full review here or, more likely, at the Book Book blog in a few days’ time.) It’s been nominated by the Mystery Writers of America for a 2009 Edgar Award in the critical/biographical category.
The image at the top of this post is the “cover” of Michael Swertfager’s computer-generated 3D animated interpretation of Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart,” from 2007. (For more information about that project, see here.) Below, a couple of brief excerpts from the whole film:
Intro:
Invitation:
Jules says
I’ve never even *heard* of Swertfager’s film ’til now. Looks creepy-good.
John says
Jules: I’d never heard of it either, but that image was too wicked not to use.
“Creepy-good” is a great category, kinda like the sweet-n-salty thing that’s all the rage in cooking circles these days (er, so I’m told). Guess it would include, umm, just about anything Tim Burton directed, also the new Coralina and the old Nightmare Before Christmas and probably a lot of Roald Dahl, too?
cynth says
“Once upon a midnight dreary” was the first thing I every memorized to recite at school. What a creepy kid I was??!
marta says
Intriguing clips. My grandmother loved Poe’s line (and I think I commented this before?) the tintinnabulation of the bells and my mother had a fondness for Annabelle Lee.
I happen to like Lisa Simpson reading about the Raven.
John says
cynth: Creepy? Maybe. But if so, it was creepy in a Wednesday-Addams kinda way: all the adults could see were the apple cheeks and grin, and all they could hear was the small mincing voice :) — like, Isn’t she CUTE?!?. Those features tended to distract their attention from the truly disturbing content.
If it’s any consolation, my niece and nephew have turned out even
creepierwell, let’s say even more macabre: nice work. Your younger self would’ve been delighted to know them — as would mine! :)marta: “Tintinnabulation” (very surprised that passed Firefox’s spellcheck) sounds like a word that somebody just made up for fun, doesn’t it?
I didn’t find the video online, but one YouTube entry has a still image under the audio of that Simpsons episode. And the Simpsons Wiki says EAP is credited as a writer for that episode. :)