“'Oppodeldoc,'–thus desecrating the greatness of the illustrious Roman emperor so named and 'Snob' is the nom de plume of Mr. Thingum Bob.” All originating in the Literary Life of Thingum Bob, Esq. (1850) by Edgar Allan Poe, of course.
Conceivably, many may better recognize this renowned Author via these lines:
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 someone gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.
" 'Tis some visitor," I muttered, "tapping at my chamber door;
Only this, and nothing more."
With that example; combined with the following, could Poe himself – not his works, be best described as macabre?
A Predicament
by Edgar Allan Poe
(1809-1849)
“My eyes, from the cruel pressure of the machine, were absolutely starting from their sockets. While I was thinking how I should possibly manage without them, one actually tumbled out of my head, and, rolling down the steep side of the steeple, lodged in the rain gutter which ran along the eaves of the main building. The loss of the eye was not so much as the insolent air of independence and contempt with which it regarded me after it was out. There it lay in the gutter just under my nose, and the airs it gave itself would have been ridiculous had they not been disgusting. Such a winking and blinking were never before seen. This behavior on the part of my eye in the gutter was not only irritating on account of its manifest insolence and shameful ingratitude, but was also exceedingly inconvenient on account of the sympathy which always exists between two eyes of the same head, however far apart. I was forced, in a manner, to wink and to blink, whether I would or not, in exact concert with the scoundrelly thing that lay just under my nose. I was presently relieved, however, by the dropping out of the other eye. In falling it took the same direction (possibly a concerted plot) as its fellow. Both rolled out of the gutter together, and in truth I was very glad to get rid of them.”
Macabre
is "a term applied to a type of artistic or literary works, characterized by a grim or ghastly atmosphere. In these works, there is an emphasis on the details and symbols of death.” I might tend to agree with this description for Poe, except as a Writer, many of us can relate to the manuscript chaptered symbolic synonyms, the poetic dance by means of the pen betweenst romance and death. As well as an Artist with brush and canvas."~WikipediaThen how about describing Edgar Allan Poe as a Scientist?
Well, there is a website called Poe Decoder. “The Poe Decoder is a project started by a small group of Poe enthusiasts to make criticism and information on Poe and his work available on the Internet. The growing collection of essays in the Poe Decoder is written by qualified people with a great interest in Edgar Allan Poe. We want to provide you with accurate facts on one of the greatest American writers ever, and once and for all put an end to all the lies and rumors that surround his person.”
At Poe Decoder, is Juan Lartigue G.’s, Edgar Allan Poe and Science: A Cosmic Poet.
“The literary talent of Edgar Allan Poe is beyond dispute, but his activity in the scientific area (condensed in Eureka) has been sadly neglected or ignored. Only recently have some researchers undertaken the labor of re-evaluating it. This recent re-evaluation is long overdue, especially, those propositions related to Cosmology. This paper purposes extensions of those propositions, as well as additional commentary, relating, in particular, to Chemistry.”
In Eureka, Poe writes: "I design to speak of the Physical, Metaphysical and Mathematical—of the Material and Spiritual Universe: - of its Essence, its Origin, its Creation, its Present Condition and its Destiny" (Poe 1).
The publication by Juan Lartigue G. covers:
Decoding Eureka: Propositions previously discussed
1) On the Origin of the Universe
2) The Big Bang, the Expanding Universe and the Mind of God
3) Poe Anticipates Relativity
4) Poe Contemplates Other Universes
5) Poe Foresees Modern Cosmologists’ Black Holes and The Big Crunch
6) Successive Universes
Decoding Eureka: "New" Propositions
7) Extra-Solar Planets
8) The Non-Existence of the Material Ether
9) Chemical Affinity
10) Molecular Structure
11) Planetary Model of the Atom
12) A Strange Comparison
On my rummaging around to find one word to portray such an extraordinarily talented Author, I’ve also taken into consideration the mystery of his death. Did Poe die from drugs, alcohol, rabies???
According to a 1996 Releases - University of Maryland Medical News
“In an analysis almost 147 years after his death, doctors at the University of Maryland Medical Center believe that writer Edgar Allan Poe may have died as a result of rabies, not from complications of alcoholism. Poe's medical case was reviewed by R. Michael Benitez, M.D., a cardiologist at the University of Maryland Medical Center. His review is published in the September 1996 issue of Maryland Medical Journal.”
"No one can say conclusively that Poe died of rabies, since there was no autopsy after his death," says Dr. Benitez, who is also an assistant professor of medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. "But the historical accounts of Poe's condition in the hospital a few days before his death point to a strong possibility that he had rabies."
Regardless of the ‘how’, isn’t it bizarre that Poe died as mad as he depicted himself to be in his writing? Still his legendary self lives on, even in music.
For example, Joan by Baez, Joan
Whence a Reviewer: Lawyeraau wrote:
“Edgar Allen Poe's poem "Annabel Lee", a lamentation about the death of a young woman, put to music and sung by Ms. Baez, is absolutely haunting and one of the best tracks on this cd. Her sweet, true soprano makes its poetic beauty soar and come to
life. It is an absolutely beautiful track and part of her early concert repertory. "North", a haunting poem about a search for a lost love, put to music and sung by Ms. Baez, is memorable.”
Several places on the net suggest Judy Collin also sung the song Annabel Lee.. However; I never found any supporting documents. Should anyone know a link to the CD, please let us know ~Thanks! Meanwhile; I did find some fantastic children’s’ songs and lullabies by Judy Collin! Baby’s Bedtime, 27 enchanting lullabies and Baby’s Morningtime, songs and poems sung by Judy Collin including The Pancake, The Violet, Twinkle Toes…
In conclusion, maybe there isn’t one word to depict Edgar Allan Poe. Perhaps the finest description is by Wikipedia:
“Edgar Allan Poe (January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American poet, short story writer, editor, critic and one of the leaders of the American Romantic Movement. Best known for his tales of the macabre, Poe was one of the early American practitioners of the short story and a progenitor of detective fiction and crime fiction. He is also credited with contributing to narrative forms of the emergent science fiction genre.”
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