EA Poe, The Pit and the Pendulum - Page 2 - Historum

**Rosi** · November 10th, 2010, 11:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sebastien Melmoth

Also, apparently he was allergic to alcohol.

That's strange, it runs counter to most accounts on him. Welcome to the forum, by the way.

**Rosi** · November 10th, 2010, 11:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by avon

An interesting possibility from the opening paragraph:

And then my vision fell upon the seven tall candles upon the table. At first they wore the aspect of charity, and seemed white and slender angels who would save me; but then, all at once, there came a most deadly nausea over my spirit, and I felt every fibre in my frame thrill as if I had touched the wire of a galvanic battery, while the angel forms became meaningless spectres, with heads of flame, and I saw that from them there would be no help. ....

Does anyone else see a parallel with the Book of Revelations from the Bible?:

I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and among the lampstands was someone like a son of man, dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, and coming out of his mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.

Is Poe making a point with this similarity?

I've no idea what "Book of Revelations", or "Revelation" as Sebastian said, might be so can't comment. But from what you've posted from the Book, it seems more than a coincidence about Poe using the figure seven regarding the candles and the thought of angels. That might fit with the theme of the story too.

**avon** · November 10th, 2010, 12:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rosi

I've no idea what "Book of Revelations", or "Revelation" as Sebastian said, might be so can't comment. But from what you've posted from the Book, it seems more than a coincidence about Poe using the figure seven regarding the candles and the thought of angels. That might fit with the theme of the story too.

The Book of Revelation is the fire and brimstone part of the Bible ... the 'end of the World' ...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religi...velation.shtml

... Armageddon and Horsemen of the Apocalypse ... pain and suffering.

Of course, the possible corollary with the Poe is the religious context of the narrator's suffering. I'm not sure that Poe's story contains any promise of salvation, that's a possible point of departure.

Maybe someone else has some thoughts on this theme!

**avon** · November 10th, 2010, 12:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rosi

Sorry for the late reply. I was quite confused by the way the pendulum has been deployed in the story. I had to re-read the bit about it descending on the narrator to make sense of it, as it from where it originated, and the mechanism of its descent, where exactly was the narrator stood, and how exactly was the pendulum threatening him, etc. Even then it seems to me that the spatial aspect of the descent wasn't very well depicted. So for a bit I could not make much sense of it.

Yup, I know what you're saying. What got me to thinking was the mechanics of having a heavy swinging object slowly descend in the manner described and still maintain its accuracy. I'm no engineer, but I should think that it would be an engineering feat worthy of an accomplished technician.

No matter, I found the allusion to time and the pendulum interesting.

**Rosi** · November 11th, 2010, 04:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by avon

The Book of Revelation is the fire and brimstone part of the Bible ... the 'end of the World' ...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religi...velation.shtml

... Armageddon and Horsemen of the Apocalypse ... pain and suffering.

Of course, the possible corollary with the Poe is the religious context of the narrator's suffering. I'm not sure that Poe's story contains any promise of salvation, that's a possible point of departure.

Maybe someone else has some thoughts on this theme!

Thanks for that! I'm of course familiar with 'Four horsemen of the Apocalypse'. The drink, I mean.

Now that I'm thinking about it, I remember someone once telling me that the Book of revelation is a great read if only because of the language and the imagery, so I should give it a try. But I doubt I'd be able to since I have no patience at all for religious gobbledygook.

BulgarianPrime · May 10th, 2012, 04:54 AM

Shouldn't we proceed to the short story.

mansamusa · January 6th, 2013, 03:58 AM

I have always found the literary criticism and theories of Edgar Allan Poe more admirable than his short stories and poetry. You should read his essays on the short stories of Hawthorne.

he was a merciless critic though. Much of his criticism was aimed at big fish. The most important literary figures in the US like Longfellow which he constantly accussed of plagiarism. Poe exemplified the American concept of gaining fame through notoriety. He increased the circulation of every magazine he edited by dissing the most respectable members of American literati. It eventually destroyed him.

The language of his short stories are just too highly technical and affected. He gives perfect advise on how to writea good short story as his reviews of Nathaniel Hawthorne show. However he himself fell frequently short of his own high standards.

skizzerflake · April 30th, 2013, 07:33 PM

Poe is one of my favorite icons. So much in horror and sci-fi is derived from his stories. The Pit, in spite of it's various implications, at the bottom line, evokes pure fear of being dismembered slowly...what can be a worse thought.

One of my favorite spots on a busy corner of downtown Baltimore is the incredibly atmospheric boneyard where Edgar and several family members (along with a lot of other old Baltimore illuminati from the Revolution and the decades after) are buried. It has a crypt with old bones, a pyramid, a stone that has melted into a curve and various creepy vaults. For fans, visiting this spot is local ritual and a thrill for visitors. For about 50 years and unknown person sneaked into this place under cover of darkness and left a bottle brandy and a rose on his birthday...The Poe Toaster. In the 1870's a collection of pennies given by school kids bought him a better grave stone plus a marker for his old grave. His child bride shares the newer grave site.

Since 1875 ---

and before 1875 ---