Gothic Guy: Edgar Allan Poe

Every Halloween, I get the urge to curl up in a corner with Fall of the House of Usher and a cup of spiced black tea.  T’is the season, I feel, for some Poe, and so without further ado, we’re sharing our best Poe finds for fall.

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“Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore,
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.”

Next time you are nearly napping… make sure it’s with your Edgar Allan Pillow!

Regan’s Brain on Etsy is filled with odds and ends, and the ever curious.  For that literary nerd in your life, you neeeeed this.  Or… I neeeed this.  Either way, it’s fantastic.  It’s a stylish addition to any bookworm’s reading nook – in fact,  I need it for bedtime stories like Annabel Lee (read on…)

Annabel Lee is the last complete poem written by Poe, but it wasn’t published until two days after Poe’s death as part of his obituary (which is an interesting read in itself).  It’s a touching verse – the narrator and Annabel are so in love that the angels become jealous and steal her away; every night he lays by her tomb because their souls are still intertwined.  Romantic?  I think so….

It’s obvious that someone like Tim Burton would love Poe.  In fact, Burton did a stop-motion short about a little boy who wants to be Vincent Price when he grows up (it was first released with Frankenweenie!). It’s narrated by Vincent Price and written in verse that conjures up images and emotions that would make Poe proud.

And what would we be without a visual commentary on Poe-inspired style, made fresh by Jaka over at Polyvore?

Spats!  Ornate jewelery!  Parasols!  Black gloves, urns and intricate bags!  Any girl could channel gothy-glory decked out in these looks.

And for the Poe-lover’s abode, let this be your inspiration:

Now, this is not to say that Poe is just inspirational for looks and the allure of Gothic life and style.  Poe was an intense literary critic and a famous American Romantic Movement author.  His macabre and mystery set the stage for early short fiction and detective novels.  You watch CSI?  (Don’t lie, you know you do). You should thank Poe for that.

Recommended Reading by Poe:

• The Masque of the Red Death
• The Cask of Amontillado
• The Raven
  
• The City in the Sea (poem)
• Israfel (poem)
• American Poetry (lecture)
• Eureka: A Prose Poem (essay)

Enrich yourself and spend a moment today reading a little Poe, and until next time…

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