I am a little unsure of my grasp on some of poes short works,namley "The Assignation",and "Diddling",also "The Mask of Red Death". Would appreciate any help in the areas of symbolism and interpetation. much thanks-Brian.

-- Anonymous, July 30, 2002

Answers

Online at www.eapoe.org there are various articles from Poe Studies. Poedecoder.com has some. Searching through a decent library is still necessary. Though the language is complex and the romanticism is fairly opaque to us in our times, the stories themselves speak pretty well for themselves. Historical context might help a bit. Focus on the plot line, get the basic message of the philosophical discussions that underpin the story, let the effect of the story sink in. Symbolism for Poe is uniting all the descriptive elements of the story as emotional representations, sometimes allegory, as happens often in dreams. The Assignation and the Masque have the setting as an important emotional backdrop that embodies the internal state of the characters and the implacable doom of the plot. High emotionalism rises to shocking climax.

"Diddling" is a foray into Poe's overlooked contribution as a a humorist, delighting in pranks, word plays and a humor that is a trifle overplayed, dark or cruel in its literary performance.

-- Anonymous, July 31, 2002