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idratherbereading542 's review for:
The Complete Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe
by Edgar Allan Poe
*Note: This rating/review is based on a partial read of only some of the stories in this anthology. If/when I read the others I will revise my rating/review accordingly.
The Tell-Tale Heart was one of the first Edgar Allen Poe stories I read and I did so in high school for an English class. I remember being surprised that I actually liked something that they were making me read in high school. From there I read a few of his other works but recently acquired this gorgeous anthology and I'm going to try to go through them all over time (no rush lol).
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POEMS:
Alone: (3.5 stars)
Read November 13, 2013
This poem kind of confuses me. I get that the first half of it is about him feeling different and "weird" compared to everyone else. Everything he loves other people don't and things other people love he doesn't like. But the second half of the poem simply feels unfinished to me. I read it several times and even outloud a few times and I still don't get it. Is he possessed maybe? If you have any insight please feel free to comment! But yeah, a little confusing for me even though it read beautifully.
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The Raven: (4 stars)
Read November 13, 2013
This was another Poe that I read in high school and loved. I'll admit to one embarrassing thing about myself: I wrote really bad poetry in high school. I was one of those kids. lol I mean, I won't even show it to anyone, I don't even know if I kept my poetry book or if I threw it out because it was mostly about ex-boyfriends. Don't know. But, I remember appreciating this one because I had a heart for poetry then. Now, I still love poetry but really don't read it as much.
Anyways, back to The Raven. I'm no pro at interpretation but I personally belive that the raven represents the writer's grief at the loss of his Lenore. "Nevermore" will he be the same without her, "Nevermore" will he stop thinking about her, "Nevermore" will he cease wondering where she is now and if he'll ever see her again. "Nevermore" will he ever be without his grief (the raven). I could be totally wrong, but that's just what it means to me. I love this poem. So beautiful in sound, word, and meaning.
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For Annie: (3 stars)
Read November 13, 2013
A poem about a man who is sick but hanging on to life for his beloved Annie. She is what keeps him going, what keeps him strong, and what keeps him feeling alive. Even though it's about being sick, it's also about him getting better because of his love of Annie pulling him through.
This is probably the most positive poem or work I've read by Poe. I haven't read everything, mind you, which is why I'm reading this anthology (out of order btw). But everything I have read has been about death and dying and murder (which is what Poe tends to do best). This one is about hope and that's kind of rare within Poe's portfolio (at least from what I've read so far). So that's a good thing. But, because of that it also lacks that certain *something* that Poe's darker works end up having. I know, I'm so morbid to like the depressing stuff more. But hey, it is what it is. This is still good though and I think it would be inspiring to someone who is sick and trying to get better
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Annabel Lee: (4 stars)
Read November 13, 2013
Perfectly formed as it is I instantly remembered this poem from when I read it as a teen as soon as I started it. It's one of those kinds of poems that the words just stick with you because it reads so lyrically.
As for the poem itself it's pretty sad and morbid. The writer loses his love and has a woe-is-me kind of outlook on life. After she dies he either sleeps next to her corpse each night (if you take the poem literally) or he kills himself to be with her. Knowing Poe's works are most definitely not always literal, I personally believe he killed himself to be with her. Although written beautifully it's a pretty melodramatic choice: kids, don't do this at home. :)
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STORIES:
The Masque of the Red Death: (4 stars)
Read November 13, 2013
Although I've read this one in high school much of it was forgotten for me. I remembered something about a party and the rooms, and I even read a loosely re-told YA book based on this short story, but still I had forgotten most of it. So as I read this I had mostly the emotions and feelings of someone reading it for the first time.
I think I read somewhere that this was about the plague in Europe. Not sure. But I think more than that it also is about no one being out of reach of death. This party was for the most elite of the elite in their society who were rich and powerful enough to separate themselves from those who the Red Death had already taken a hold of. But death barges into their over-the-top party and kills them all. To me, that represents death not caring if your rich or poor or young or old. It's one of the few things in life that is inevitable no matter who you are. Depressing, but true.
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The Tell-Tale Heart: (4 stars)
Read November 13, 2013
The Tell-Tale Heart is a story about a perfectly well-planned murder by a completely insane woman who fancies herself completely sane. Perhaps the fact that she feels some guilt in the form of hearing her dead husband's beating heart is a testament to her not being completely mad. Although I don't know for sure if I feel like she has any remorse so much as fear of being caught. Sometimes waiting for bad things to happen can be worse than the actual thing you're dreading (in this case her dreading being caught for murdering her husband).
I loved this story as a teen and still do now. If only she could've just gotten a divorce, huh? Makes you appreciate those who just do that rather than killing each other. lol
The Tell-Tale Heart was one of the first Edgar Allen Poe stories I read and I did so in high school for an English class. I remember being surprised that I actually liked something that they were making me read in high school. From there I read a few of his other works but recently acquired this gorgeous anthology and I'm going to try to go through them all over time (no rush lol).
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POEMS:
Alone: (3.5 stars)
Read November 13, 2013
This poem kind of confuses me. I get that the first half of it is about him feeling different and "weird" compared to everyone else. Everything he loves other people don't and things other people love he doesn't like. But the second half of the poem simply feels unfinished to me. I read it several times and even outloud a few times and I still don't get it. Is he possessed maybe? If you have any insight please feel free to comment! But yeah, a little confusing for me even though it read beautifully.
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The Raven: (4 stars)
Read November 13, 2013
This was another Poe that I read in high school and loved. I'll admit to one embarrassing thing about myself: I wrote really bad poetry in high school. I was one of those kids. lol I mean, I won't even show it to anyone, I don't even know if I kept my poetry book or if I threw it out because it was mostly about ex-boyfriends. Don't know. But, I remember appreciating this one because I had a heart for poetry then. Now, I still love poetry but really don't read it as much.
Anyways, back to The Raven. I'm no pro at interpretation but I personally belive that the raven represents the writer's grief at the loss of his Lenore. "Nevermore" will he be the same without her, "Nevermore" will he stop thinking about her, "Nevermore" will he cease wondering where she is now and if he'll ever see her again. "Nevermore" will he ever be without his grief (the raven). I could be totally wrong, but that's just what it means to me. I love this poem. So beautiful in sound, word, and meaning.
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For Annie: (3 stars)
Read November 13, 2013
A poem about a man who is sick but hanging on to life for his beloved Annie. She is what keeps him going, what keeps him strong, and what keeps him feeling alive. Even though it's about being sick, it's also about him getting better because of his love of Annie pulling him through.
This is probably the most positive poem or work I've read by Poe. I haven't read everything, mind you, which is why I'm reading this anthology (out of order btw). But everything I have read has been about death and dying and murder (which is what Poe tends to do best). This one is about hope and that's kind of rare within Poe's portfolio (at least from what I've read so far). So that's a good thing. But, because of that it also lacks that certain *something* that Poe's darker works end up having. I know, I'm so morbid to like the depressing stuff more. But hey, it is what it is. This is still good though and I think it would be inspiring to someone who is sick and trying to get better
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Annabel Lee: (4 stars)
Read November 13, 2013
Perfectly formed as it is I instantly remembered this poem from when I read it as a teen as soon as I started it. It's one of those kinds of poems that the words just stick with you because it reads so lyrically.
As for the poem itself it's pretty sad and morbid. The writer loses his love and has a woe-is-me kind of outlook on life. After she dies he either sleeps next to her corpse each night (if you take the poem literally) or he kills himself to be with her. Knowing Poe's works are most definitely not always literal, I personally believe he killed himself to be with her. Although written beautifully it's a pretty melodramatic choice: kids, don't do this at home. :)
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STORIES:
The Masque of the Red Death: (4 stars)
Read November 13, 2013
Although I've read this one in high school much of it was forgotten for me. I remembered something about a party and the rooms, and I even read a loosely re-told YA book based on this short story, but still I had forgotten most of it. So as I read this I had mostly the emotions and feelings of someone reading it for the first time.
I think I read somewhere that this was about the plague in Europe. Not sure. But I think more than that it also is about no one being out of reach of death. This party was for the most elite of the elite in their society who were rich and powerful enough to separate themselves from those who the Red Death had already taken a hold of. But death barges into their over-the-top party and kills them all. To me, that represents death not caring if your rich or poor or young or old. It's one of the few things in life that is inevitable no matter who you are. Depressing, but true.
-----------------------------------
The Tell-Tale Heart: (4 stars)
Read November 13, 2013
The Tell-Tale Heart is a story about a perfectly well-planned murder by a completely insane woman who fancies herself completely sane. Perhaps the fact that she feels some guilt in the form of hearing her dead husband's beating heart is a testament to her not being completely mad. Although I don't know for sure if I feel like she has any remorse so much as fear of being caught. Sometimes waiting for bad things to happen can be worse than the actual thing you're dreading (in this case her dreading being caught for murdering her husband).
I loved this story as a teen and still do now. If only she could've just gotten a divorce, huh? Makes you appreciate those who just do that rather than killing each other. lol