New York City: The Last Stop

Edgar spent his later years in New York City. It was a rather difficult time for Poe and his wife Virgina, as she had been ill for quite some time. Poe had to struggle for money and they were forced to move around from boarding house to boarding house. 

 Other Places Poe lived in NYC:
1837: Sixth Avenue and Waverly Place
1837: 113 ½ Carmine Street
1844: 130 Greenwich Street
1844: West 84th St., btwn Amsterdam Ave. and Broadway
1845: 154 Greenwich St.
1845: 195 E. Broadway
1845: 85 Amity St. (later it was called 85 W. Third St.)
1846: East 47th Street near the East River in what is now Turtle Bay
1846: Poe Cottage, 2460 Grand Concourse and East Kingsbridge Rd., the 
Bronx



Here's a map I made of some places Poe worked which amazingly, was close to where Pace University stands!!! 

The Raven

Here is Vincent Price reading "The Raven". There were several readings I found on youtube including James Earl Jones and Christopher Walken ( after hearing him read "Poker Face" here - I can't take his voice seriously readings anything any more). I chose to post the Vincent Price one instead because of who he is. If you didn't know, Price is famous classic horror movie actor with quite a remarkable voice.

Interestingly enough, I've mentioned Vincent in a post below, a short film by Tim Burton. Not only is the stop-motion film narrated by Vincent Price (also used in Burton's Edward Scissorhands) but it is also inspired by Poe's The Raven!!!

The Black Cat - The Story

The Black Cat is one of Edgar’s most haunting tales. I believe this is the first thing I had read of Edgar’s and if you’re familiar with the story, you too will find a hard time shaking the story off. The story chronicles the unnamed narrator as he spirals down into madness. The narrator tells us in the beginning what we are about to read about and how he thinks himself sane. He’s an animal lover with quite the zoo: he has birds, goldfish, a dog, a monkey, rabbits and a beautiful black cat names Pluto. He also has a wife and talks about how they married when young and how deeply in love the are. The narrator starts to abuse his animals except for Pluto. However later on Pluto's presence starts to bother the drunk man and out of anger and frustration he hangs the cat.

 

 Another cat arrives resembling Pluto except with a splash of white on its coat. He welcomes the cat and is also revisited fondness for the cat and is deeply adored by the wife. The narrator slowly turns against the cat with feelings of anger and contempt as the splash of white reminds him of the gallows which reveals the mode of execution of Pluto. One day, the cat gets in his way as he descends the basements stairs and angers the narrator as he picks up an axe to kill the cat. His wife tries to stop him but before she can the narrator strikes her and kills her instead. 

The narrator then constructs a tomb-like grave within the walls of the basement. When he finishes filling his wife's grave with plaster, he turns to the cat which is now missing. A few days later the Police arrive. While checking the house with the narrator they start to leave seeing everything seems to be alright. The narrator boasts about the fine workman ship in the basement, tapping on the walls to show how well-built they are. However when he taps on the wall where he walled up his wife a deafening scream is heard along with scratching. The police frantically destroy the wall to not only find the narrator's dead wife, but with the missing cat on the wife's head.

  
The thing that one might be able to see as a similarity between this narrator and Edgar himself is the notion of alcohol. We know that Edgar liked his drink a little too much and throughout The Black Cat, we see the narrator pick up the habit too. The more he drinks the worse the story gets. Poe shows the grim side of alcohol to which he too may have battled.

The idea of human companionship with animals is one that is covered by Poe here. We see how rich and happy a healthy relationship with our pets or animals can be at the beginning of the story. But for man to turn against animal is brutally displayed towards the ending. I think that Poe was entertained and fascinated by that idea and am sure as he himself kept drinking those ideas would start to become quite twisted. Nonetheless Poe creates an astonishing and unforgettable tale of The Black Cat.

The Black Cat - A History

    The Black Cat has many myths and legends behind it. The well-known myth about a black cat crossing your path insinuates you will have bad luck is just one of many superstitions. According to Britain black cats are good luck citing that it was once believed that a black cat is a harbinger of good things to come. A woman who owns a black cat meant she will have many suitors.
   In the western world black cats are associated with bad luck. During the witch trials in America, many people believed black cats were symbols of evil omens and owned or powered by witches. In the Middle Ages in Europe when the whole idea of witch hunting started before Salem, MA – people did massive hunts for black cats because of the popular folklore about them. Of course the color black was associated with evil and anarchism. Even today many shelter stop adoption of black cats around Halloween in the belief that people may want to harm them.

   Personally, my neighborhood in NJ has a neighborhood cat – well two, one white and one black. The black cat named Blacky (very creative) who was the first cat I came in contact with that took away my fears of cats. The white one named Lily happens to be the most evil spirited cat. White is not her color - just saying...

• To read more about these fun little facts about other superstitions around black cats visit http://www.petloveshack.com/hallow.html

Revisiting the short story “The Pit and the Pendulum”, I remember what made me love this story and Edgar Allan Poe in the first place. Not only does the story touch on history with the Spanish Inquisition, which as a history buff I loved, but also the dark and eerie story that spooked me when I was a kid. I did start to wonder why such a story was shared with my class at such a young age – but to be fair, others could say the same thing with the Legend of Sleepy Hollow. The story definitely opened up my imagination and as I re-read the short story I seemed to have re-awoken that child-like imagination that gripped me the first time.

I think the other thing that compelled me to this story and Poe, was my admiration for visionary artists like Tim Burton and Robert Wiene (The Cabinet of Doctor of Cagliari) whose twisted and grim sets transport audiences into a new world which must have been inspired by Poe or at least shares the same imagination.

Poe brilliantly has a way with “Pit” to give the reader the feeling their walking along with the narrator as he gropes about his prison as he seems to be submerged in darkness. The intensity created where the narrator is doomed to death by a pendulum swinging closer and closer is gripping and the rats that scurry about him to chew at the ropes binding the narrator setting him free - exhilarating. The idea of suffering from “death anxiety” as the narrator tells his readers catapults one into a dark time in history of the Spanish Inquisition.

Poe’s short story was written in 1842. The narrator, as I mentioned above, is part of the Spanish Inquisition. He is tried at court and punished with death. The character deals a lot with hope and faith. It was around 1842 when Poe’s wife, Virginia, fell ill. It was interesting to read several passages and acknowledge that perhaps Poe used writing as an outlet as well as penning his unique imagination.

Second photo: Set of The Cabinet of Dr. Cagliari
Third photo: From Tim Burton's short film Vincent

     Edgar Allan Poe St. located on 84th st (between West End Ave. and Broadway) on the Upper West Side  (aka the best side) has Edgar's Cafe. I've been there once probably four years ago now. Will be visiting again to take photo's because the cafe is very Edgar-esque. If you're a fan too you must pay a visit! Apparently Edgar stayed in the same building location as the restaurant when it was a mansion where he penned The Raven.

* Was looking for some photo's/maps of 84th st in the 1800s and instead found this http://wirednewyork.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5010&page=1    Pretty cool with MANY black and white photo's from all over the city. Treat for the eyes indeed.

      Edgar Allan Poe was born on January 19, 1809 in Boston Massachusetts. His father abandoned the family when Poe was still quite young and soon after, Edgar’s mother passed away. Joe and Frances Allan adopted Edgar and lived in Richmond, Virginia. Poe is considered one of the earliest American short story writers and is credited as the first detective-fiction genre writer.

     In 1835 Edgar married Virginia Clemm, also his cousin which of course wasn’t a rarity in the 19th century. Sadly Virginia contracted tuberculosis and passed away in 1842. It was in New York City where she and Edgar stayed until her death at the family’s cottage which is located in the Fordham section of the Bronx. The cottage still stands today and is preserved by the Bronx County Historical Society ( my own trip to the cottage is still pending so these photo’s are from the web!)

     It was in this cottage where Poe wrote Annabel Lee and Ulalume. According to Wikipedia, Poe’s short story Landor’s Cottage was inspired by the small and quaint cottage. The cottage was small but had a charm to it that attracted Poe and wife Virginia and Maria, Virginia’s mother who also took care of her daughter while sick.

Edgar Allan Poe has enticed his readers with his whimsical and haunting stories for centuries.  I first came across Poe's grim tales when I was in middle school. His Pit and the Pendulum and The Black Cat kept my mind buzzing at night not with fear but with wonder. Poe seems to leave a mark on all of his readers whether it be the scene of the black cat clawing its way out of a wall or the swinging pendulum swaying closer and closer with its sharpened doom. This is why I've decided to focus on Edgar Allan Poe for my American Literature Blog. I will primarily be focusing on Poe's life as well as his poems and stories that seem to have stemmed from many of his personal woes.