Edgar Allen Poe. Have you heard of him? Surely, you have heard of him. He is, after all, hailed as one of the fathers of modern horror, and one of the first American authors to find success with short stories! In fact, his most popular works are short stories, though he does have a smattering of popular poetry (The Raven, anyone?). Writing in the early 1800s, this depraved writer paved the way for many others to indulge in short stories and expand the gothic narrative. His influence in the macabre was so great, Lovecraft himself was anxious as to whether or not his work would escape “the long shadow cast by Poe.” Obviously, Lovecraft has succeeded in making a name for himself quite apart from Poe. Still, Poe’s influence in Lovecraft’s work is undeniable. Poe’s prose, however, is quite different, illuminating the differences in speech between the two writers’ time periods.

What follows is perhaps a lesser-known short story by Edgar Allen Poe. The mystery surrounding the narrator’s adventure is very much in the vein of Poe’s writing, as is the impending doom. We all know how Poe stories end—unless of course you are new to Poe, in which case may this story provide some insight as to the others you may come across.

The language, written and published in the 1830s, is a bit archaic when compared to modern writing. As with some of the other stories published herein, I recommend taking your time to consume each line, getting a taste for the way each word is treated, each sentence assembled, each idea realized. There are innumerable writers and authors on this planet, and very few of them wrote or write with a grandiloquence transcending their writing. Poe is one such writer, and the continued proliferation of his work remains a testament to this fact.

Now then, in accordance with 🤡 JEST: The Calamity Content Rating System, we here at the Calamity rate this story as:

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In essence, the story is fairly average. It isn’t terrible, so it does not merit five clowns. However, it is not exemplary, nor will it have you sitting on the edge of your seat, demanding your consumption in a single reading. It is, at best, curious, and as curious is at least worthwhile, we think three clowns is fair.

Enjoy the show!