I really need to know some things for my research paper I'm doing on Poe. I need to know exactly which works would show eerie and bizzare instances. I would also like to see some irony and humor. All of those would be great. If someone could help it would be GREATLY appreciated. Thanks Ray Johnson johnsonsmail@hotmail.com

-- Anonymous, March 03, 2002

Answers

Try www.eapoe.org and skim through. There are several comic tales and wittcisms abound in the Marginalia and in his literary reviews. Humor "The Man Who was All Used Up" "The Devil in the Belfry" "Dr Tarr and Dr. Feather" "The Spectacles" "Le Duc de L'Omelette". Hoaxes: Balloon stories, Pym, Junius Rodman. Essays "Diddling" "X-ing out a Paragraph. It is fun to compare Twain and Poe's essays on Cooper's Leatherstocking Tales. Poe wrote gothic tales, mystery stories(Rue Morgue, Gold Bug, Purloined Letter, Marie Roget), mystical parables and adventure. The descent of the ghost ship into the hole at the South Pole in A Ms. Found in a Bottle to the exagerrated adventure of The Maelstrom where the hero escapes the whirlpool's clutches by scientific thought.

The eerie and bizarre tales are so famous you should have no problem finding those(Usher, Masque of the Red Death) though eerie is the right world rather than real supernatural magic which is surprisingly rare in Poe's stories.

-- Anonymous, March 04, 2002