Student Companion to Edgar Allan Poe - (Student Companions to Classic Writers) by Tony Magistrale (Hardcover)

About the Book

The contributions of Edgar Allan Poe have withstood the test of time; his best poems and fiction are more popular and carry greater significance now than they did during his own era. This highly readable introduction to the life, times, and major works of Poe offers fresh interpretations of timeless masterpieces like The Raven and The Purloined Letter. Carefully considering important thematic elements as well as genre, this book organizes the works of Poe into four significant groupings: the poetry, Vampiric love stories, tales of psychological terror, and the detective stories. Close readings are given for a selection of the most important works that represent Poe's canon of writings, including the chilling Tell Tale Heart and The Black Cat.

This introductory study to Edgar Allan Poe begins with a concise biographical chapter that explores Poe's troubled experiences. The Literary Heritage chapter chronicles Poe's influence on other writers, artists, and filmmakers who followed. This work examines the major poems from Poe's canon, with special attention to those works that are most often taught and anthologized. Poe's most famous tales of terror and revenge are juxtaposed because they all revolve around murders and the elements of terror associated with the act of killing. Likewise, his love stories are brought together in a chapter that deals with vampirisim and gender. The final chapter, The Origins of the Detective Tale, examines Poe's tales of ratiocination, and traces the evolution of many popular culture super sleuths to Poe's Dupin. A selective bibliography of biographical and critical works on Poe, including contemporary reviews, completes this thorough volume. Students, general readers, and fans of all things Gothic will enjoy the fascinating insights this volume offers.

Book Synopsis

The contributions of Edgar Allan Poe have withstood the test of time; his best poems and fiction are more popular and carry greater significance now than they did during his own era. This highly readable introduction to the life, times, and major works of Poe offers fresh interpretations of timeless masterpieces like The Raven and The Purloined Letter. Carefully considering important thematic elements as well as genre, this book organizes the works of Poe into four significant groupings: the poetry, Vampiric love stories, tales of psychological terror, and the detective stories. Close readings are given for a selection of the most important works that represent Poe's canon of writings, including the chilling Tell Tale Heart and The Black Cat.

This introductory study to Edgar Allan Poe begins with a concise biographical chapter that explores Poe's troubled experiences. The Literary Heritage chapter chronicles Poe's influence on other writers, artists, and filmmakers who followed. This work examines the major poems from Poe's canon, with special attention to those works that are most often taught and anthologized. Poe's most famous tales of terror and revenge are juxtaposed because they all revolve around murders and the elements of terror associated with the act of killing. Likewise, his love stories are brought together in a chapter that deals with vampirisim and gender. The final chapter, The Origins of the Detective Tale, examines Poe's tales of ratiocination, and traces the evolution of many popular culture super sleuths to Poe's Dupin. A selective bibliography of biographical and critical works on Poe, including contemporary reviews, completes this thorough volume. Students, general readers, and fans of all things Gothic will enjoy the fascinating insights this volume offers.

Review Quotes

.,."serves its audience well....Recommended to undergraduate libraries and general readers."-SFRA Review

?...serves its audience well....Recommended to undergraduate libraries and general readers.?-SFRA Review

?A less expensive reference and one that will be useful if Poe is studied in depth in your high school. It can also supplement a public library reference collection if another work about Poe is needed.?-Blanche Woolls & David Loertscher (GaleGroup.com)

..."serves its audience well....Recommended to undergraduate libraries and general readers."-SFRA Review

"A less expensive reference and one that will be useful if Poe is studied in depth in your high school. It can also supplement a public library reference collection if another work about Poe is needed."-Blanche Woolls & David Loertscher (GaleGroup.com)

About the Author

TONY MAGISTRALE is Professor of English and Director of Undergraduate Advising at the University of Vermont. He has published extensively in the field of Gothic Studies including two books on Poe, The Poe Encyclopedia (Greenwood 1997) and Poe's Children: Connections Between Tales of Terror and Detection (1999). He is also the author of The Dark Descent: Essays Defining Stephen King's Horrorscape (Greenwood 1992).