Poe Short Story Discussion Group

[Nikhar]

Hi everyone, sorry for dropping in like this but I was just curious to know a thing.

I have read only one Poe short story and that was quite some time back. The problem is that I can't recall it's title.

The storyline is as follows:- (Spoilers ahead)

Well, a man is about to be hanged. The rope is tied around his neck. He somehow manages to escape his hanging and runs away into wilderness. To cut it short, in the end he feels a great pang of pain and dies. The reader then knows that all the while, the man had not managed to excape and he eventually was hanged

[Dark Muse]

By far the greater number of those who went by had a satisfied, business-like demeanor, and seemed to be thinking only of making their way through the press.

Interesting use of the word press here, considering the previous mention of the way in which newspapers and advertisements are used in this story in connection to the narrator, perhaps press is meant to have double meaning here? Referring to press, as both "media" as well as the press of the crowd. Or perhaps that is overreaching the connection.

Their brows were knit, and their eyes rolled quickly; when pushed against by fellow-wayfarers they evinced no symptom of impatience, but adjusted their clothes and hurried on. Others, still a numerous class, were restless in their movements, had flushed faces, and talked and gesticulated to themselves, as if feeling in solitude on account of the very denseness of the company around. When impeded in their progress, these people suddenly ceased muttering; but redoubled their gesticulations, and awaited, with an absent and overdone smile upon their lips, the course of the persons impeding them. If jostled, they bowed profusely to the jostlers, and appeared overwhelmed with confusion.

This is a great description of people in a crowd I think. This could represent any city street even today, the hustle and bustle of people going on their way, moving among each other without establishing a real connection, except to chastise when they interfere with each other. There is a bit of humor here I think, as well this might also reflect some of the ideas of isolationism that can be found among the crowd which will later grow to be a more important part of the story.

Here we can see also how the narrator is still working on a general level. He is not yet attributing particularly characteristics to these figures, just noting their actions and behavior, but they still reaming nameless and faceless for the most part to the narrator.

Another interesting thing which struck me when considering this story, was about this time, the industrial revolution was taking place, in which cities were becoming more populace, and more people were leaving there homes and families to move to the city to engage in work that was very isolated and disconnected. At this time there was a lot of anxiety about displacement and dissociation, perhaps the idea of this getting lost within the crowd, and the bleak image that is shown is some refection of the fears and anxieties which were born out of this age and the changes taking place.

There was nothing very distinctive about these two large classes beyond what I have noted. Their habiliments belonged to that order which is pointedly termed the decent. They were undoubtedly noblemen, merchants, attorneys, tradesmen, stock-jobbers-the Eupatrids and the common-places of society-men of leisure and men actively engaged in affairs of their own-conducting business upon their own responsibility. They did not greatly excite my attention.

There is a suggestion here, that in fact the narrator is searching for something among the crowd, and his attentions might be more then just casual observation. He discounts this first group of people he sees because they do not interest him, and interestingly considering what will emerge later, one of the reasons why he has no interest in them, is because they are "noblemen" and "society-men" it seems he is purposely trying to find that glimpse of the grotesque, the underbelly as it were, perhaps this says something about his own character, or something he is searching for within himself, or maybe he just seeks something that is so far removed from himself.

The fascination with criminality does mark a vast majority of Poe's work and he is particularly interested in how seemingly average every day people can in fact be the ones to be caught up in such an abstraction from morals.

The tribe of clerks was an obvious one; and here I discerned two remarkable divisions. There were the junior clerks of flash houses- young gentlemen with tight coats, bright boots, well-oiled hair, and supercilious lips. Setting aside a certain dapperness of carriage, which may be termed deskism for want of a better word, the manner of these persons seemed to be an exact facsimile of what had been the perfection of bon ton about twelve or eighteen months before. They wore the castoff graces of the gentry;-and this, I believe, involves the best definition of the class.

The division of the upper clerks of staunch firms, or of the "steady old fellows," it was not possible to mistake. These were known by their coats and pantaloons of black or brown, made to sit comfortably, with white cravats and waistcoats, broad solid-looking shoes, and thick hose or gaiters. They had all slightly bald heads, from which the right ears, long used to pen-holding, had an odd habit of standing off on end. I observed that they always removed or settled their hats with both bands, and wore watches, with short gold chains of a substantial and ancient pattern. Theirs was the affectation of respectability-if indeed there be an affectation so honorable.

For some reason, I just really like his use of the word "Tribe" here, The Tribe of clerks really sticks out in my mind for some reason, and it almost makes me think of The Inferno and the way in which Dante observers and classifies the various different types of sinners which he encounters during his trip to hell.

The narrator here is going to walk is through this crowd, and its various different "levels" and much as with The inferno, it will become progressively worth, the clerks starting out as the most harmless here, as he will move on to the gamblers and continue to decline further within society.

Also in the way in which the sinners are known for their various different punishments, and how they become contorted within these punishments in different ways physically so they can be recognized for what they are, here the members of the crowd can be marked by how they dress, and their mannerisms.

[weltanschauung]

im reading this last discussion, i'll probably post something later.

[Dark Muse]

I would love to have you join in and look forward to hearing your thoughts.

[weltanschauung]

i found this story cunning in the way poe describes the two opposites from the crowd. one extremity of these opposites would be the obvious man, that one which allows you to make a loyal mental profile only through distant observation. he wears his heart on his face and he goes about taking care of his duties as a regular man should.

the other extremity of the opposition would be the mysterious man; he differs from all the others without too much effort, his looks are deceiving and inspire curiosity because of that, but unlike the regular man, you cant read him.

i thought this contrast was curious, because as the narrator follows the man of the crowd around, he gathers absolutely no significant information to saciate his curiosity, information that he had right on his hands and in relative abundance while looking at the ordinary man.

to me, the man of the crowd is the leech, always (also) looking for something, never knowing what it is, he can't be alone as the narrator said, but this is quite curious because if you think a little bit about this clue, that is exactly what the narrator is. the man of the crowd is the narrator.

am i crazy? probably.

[JCamilo]

Dark Muse, seriously, I woud love to follow the thread, but right it is impossible, so what have been said so sar about CHesterton?

[Dark Muse]

i found this story cunning in the way poe describes the two opposites from the crowd. one extremity of these opposites would be the obvious man, that one which allows you to make a loyal mental profile only through distant observation. he wears his heart on his face and he goes about taking care of his duties as a regular man should.

the other extremity of the opposition would be the mysterious man; he differs from all the others without too much effort, his looks are deceiving and inspire curiosity because of that, but unlike the regular man, you cant read him..

Yes, you make a good point, in how so completely opposite these two figures are from each other, which does play with Poe's concepts regarding the double which he is found of bringing out in his stories.

This mysterious unknown figure who seems to have something almost grotesque about him, represents perhaps the other part of the narrator, the dark side of the conscious you might say, the thing lurking inside of him, that he can never really know. As Poe calls it the "imp of the perverse" that all of us have.

i thought this contrast was curious, because as the narrator follows the man of the crowd around, he gathers absolutely no significant information to saciate his curiosity, information that he had right on his hands and in relative abundance while looking at the ordinary man.

Yes it is interesting the way in which you never really learn anything at all about this man in the crowd, as he is followed through the streets, nothing about him is ever really revealed, but perhaps something about the narrator does come to be revealed in this adventure.

to me, the man of the crowd is the leech, always (also) looking for something, never knowing what it is, he can't be alone as the narrator said, but this is quite curious because if you think a little bit about this clue, that is exactly what the narrator is. the man of the crowd is the narrator.

Yes I agree that the narrator is the man of the crowd

[laymonite]

I love Poe! Just recently finished an essay on Psychoanalysis of "William Wilson." Sadly, I have not read "The Man of the Crowd" yet, but I plan to read this sometime tomorrow. Thereafter, I will revisit this thread and post my thoughts! Thanks for bringing this one to my attention. I look forward to reading through everyone's thoughts when I finish!

[Dark Muse]

I hope you enjoy the story and look forward to hearing your thoughts upon it once you have read it. Thank you for dropping by here. Glad to have you.

[LC_Lancer]

What is the next story? You chose very good stories for the thread.

[Dark Muse]

What is the next story? You chose very good stories for the thread.

Hey, this thread has been been dormant but if there is renwed interest I can begin to consider a new story.

[Quark]

If you pick something under twenty-five pages, I'll definitely give it a read. Something like Gordon Pym, though, might be beyond me at this point.

[Dark Muse]

If you pick something under twenty-five pages, I'll definitely give it a read. Something like Gordon Pym, though, might be beyond me at this point.

Most of Poe's stories are less than 25 pages. I do have one in mind, and though off the top of my head I do not know ezaztly how many pages it is, I don't belive it is really all that long.

[Dark Muse]

I just checked and the story in mind is only 10 pages. I will post an offical introduction at the first of next month.

[Quark]

Sounds good. Which story are you set on?