Ninety - The Raven and the Eye
Sources for this episode include A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, Barnaby Rudge by Charles Dickens, The Pale Blue Eye by Louis Bayard, Edgar Allan Poe: A Critical Biography by Arthur Hobson Quinn, The Reason for the Darkness of the Night. by John Tresch, Poe and Place by Phillip Edward Phillips, and the Complete Works of Edgar Allan Poe by Edgar Allan Poe, edited by Thomas Ollive Mabbott.
Ninety - The Raven and the Eye
Sources for this episode include A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, Barnaby Rudge by Charles Dickens, The Pale Blue Eye by Louis Bayard, Edgar Allan Poe: A Critical Biography by Arthur Hobson Quinn, The Reason for the Darkness of the Night. by John Tresch, Poe and Place by Phillip Edward Phillips, and the Complete Works of Edgar Allan Poe by Edgar Allan Poe, edited by Thomas Ollive Mabbott.
Ninety - The Raven and the Eye
00:01 Introduction to podcast
Welcome to Celebrate Poe. My name is George Bartley, and this is episode Ninety - The Raven and the Eye
Think of this episode as part two of a look at historical fiction. It seems that most novelists end up trying their hand at historical fiction in some form in one way or another, so I’m certainly not going into depth about the world of historical fiction in detail - just a few examples of the genre. For example, take Charles Dickens. He is generally considered the greatest novelist in the English language, and actually wrote two lengthy novels that are definitely historical fiction.
00:53 Introduction to A Tale of Two Cities
One novel is considered one of the greatest books ever written - tho it is a little bit too sentimental for my tastes. The novel is A Tale of Two Cities - the two cities being London, England and Paris, France before and during the French Revolution.
A Tale of Two Cities begins with one of the most famous passages in all literature:
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way—in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only. There were a king with a large jaw and a queen with a plain face, on the throne of England; there were a king with a large jaw and a queen with a fair face, on the throne of France. In both countries it was clearer then crystal that things in general were settled for ever.
Dickens starts in an atmosphere of relative calm, but goes on to describe an atmosphere of complete chaos in both countries. The novel is set in two very real places with a very real Revolution taking place, but the leading characters are fictional.
The violence and oppression that was characteristic of the French Revolution runs throughout A Tale of Two Cities - starting with the storming of the Bastille.
03:02 Conclusion of A Tale of Two Cities
At the end of the novel, the story focuses on the characters of Sidney Carton and Charles Darnay - two gentlemen who bear a strong resemblance to each other. The character of Charles Darnay is always trying to make the most of his life, but Sidney Carton is not as noble a person as Charles Darney. Sidney Carton often uses blackmail and trickery to obtain what he wants. In other words, Sidney Carton is often a sleazeball who thinks only of himself. But just before the execution of Charles Darnay, Sidney Carlton shows his noble side and puts into action a plan to save his friend’s life. Sidny Carton obtains access to Charles Darnay’s prison cell, drugs him, and trades clothes with Darnay. A carriage is waiting for Charles Darney to take him to England, and he gradually regains consciousness during the journey. The closing section of the book relates how Sidney Carton goes to the guillotine and gives his life for his friend:
They said of Carton that his was the peacefullest man’s face ever beheld there. Many added that he looked sublime and prophetic.
One of the most remarkable sufferers by the same axe—a woman—had asked at the foot of the same scaffold, not long before, to be allowed to write down the thoughts that were inspiring her. If he had given any utterance to his, and they were prophetic, they would have been these:
“I see long ranks of the new oppressors who have risen on the destruction of the old, perishing by this retributive instrument, before it shall cease out of its present use. I see a beautiful city and a brilliant people rising from this abyss, and, in their struggles to be truly free, in their triumphs and defeats, through long years to come, I see the evil of this time and of the previous time of which this is the natural birth, gradually wearing out. “I see the lives for which I lay down my life, peaceful, useful, prosperous and happy, in that England which I shall see no more. I see Her with a child upon her bosom, who bears my name. I see her father, aged and bent, but otherwise restored, and faithful to all men in his healing office, and at peace. I see the good old man, so long their friend, in ten years’ time enriching them with all he has, and passing tranquilly to his reward.
“I see that I hold a sanctuary in their hearts, and in the hearts of their descendants, generations hence. I see her, an old woman, weeping for me on the anniversary of this day. I see her and her husband, their course done, lying side by side in their last earthly bed, and I know that each was not more honoured and held sacred in the other’s soul, than I was in the souls of both.
“I see that child who lay upon her bosom and who bears my name, a man winning his way up in that path of life which once was mine. I see him winning it so well, that my name is made illustrious there by the light of his. I see the blots I threw upon it, faded away. I see him, fore-most of just judges and honoured men, bringing a boy of my name, with a forehead that I know and golden hair, to this place—then fair to look upon, with not a trace of this day’s disfigurement—and I hear him tell the child my story, with a tender and a faltering voice.
“It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known.”
Info and Preface to Barnaby Rudge
Charles Dickens also wrote a novel in the historical fiction genre called Barnaby Rudge: A Tale of the Riots of Eighty. The Gordon Riots were a a violent and bloody clash between fanatical, anti-Catholic Protestants, who strongly opposed Parliament's recent legislation, the Catholic Relief Act of 1778. Sounds like something from a history book.
Anyway, the Gordon Riots of 1780 serve as the historical background for Barnaby Rudge. The imaginative fictional plot is a murder mystery interwoven with the historical events of the Gordon riots. And some scholars believe that Barnaby Rudge played a major part in inspiring Poe’s best known work - the Raven. You see, the character of Barnaby Rudge has a talking pet raven, and Poe and Dickens were friends. Poe even predicted how the story would develop before Dickens wrote it. - a prediction by Poe that impressed Dickens.
9:06 Talking raven
The raven in this story is a compound of two great originals, of whom I was, at different times, the proud possessor. The first was in the bloom of his youth, when he was discovered in a modest retirement in London, by a friend of mine, and given to me. He slept in a stable—generally on horseback—and so terrified a Newfoundland dog by his preternatural sagacity, that he has been known, by the mere superiority of his genius, to walk off unmolested with the dog’s dinner, from before his face. He was rapidly rising in acquirements and virtues, when, in an evil hour, his stable was newly painted. He observed the workmen closely, saw that they were careful of the paint, and immediately burned to possess it. On their going to dinner, he ate up all they had left behind, consisting of a pound or two of white lead; and this youthful indiscretion terminated in death.
While I was yet inconsolable for his loss, another friend of mine in Yorkshire discovered an older and more gifted raven at a village public-house, which he prevailed upon the landlord to part with for a consideration, and sent up to me. The first act of this Sage, was, to administer to the effects of his predecessor, by disinterring all the cheese and halfpence he had buried in the garden—a work of immense labour and research, to which he devoted all the energies of his mind. When he had achieved this task, he applied himself to the acquisition of stable language, in which he soon became such an adept, that he would perch outside my window and drive imaginary horses with great skill, all day.
11:24 Dickens writes further about Grip the Raven
Dickens goes on to say about the raven:
Yes, the speaker of the words was a large raven, who had perched upon the top of an easy-chair and listened with a polite attention and a most extraordinary appearance of comprehending every word, to all they had said up to this point; turning his head from one to the other, as if his office were to judge between them, and it were of the very last importance that he should not lose a word.
The raven, with his head very much on one side, and his bright eye shining like a diamond, preserved a thoughtful silence for a few seconds, and then replied in a voice so hoarse and distant, that it seemed to come through his thick feathers rather than out of his mouth.
‘Halloa, halloa, halloa! What’s the matter here! Keep up your spirits. Never say die. Bow wow wow. I’m a devil, I’m a devil, I’m a devil. Hurrah!’—And then, as if exulting in his infernal character, he began to whistle.
Later in the novel -
And the bird, balancing himself on tiptoe, as it were, and moving his body up and down in a sort of grave dance, rejoined, ‘I’m a devil, I’m a devil, I’m a devil,’ and flapped his wings against his sides as if he were bursting with laughter.
But the bird had not the least respect, I am sorry to say, for me in return, or for anybody but the cook; to whom he was attached—but only, I fear, as a Policeman might have been. Once, I met him unexpectedly, about half-a-mile from my house, walking down the middle of a public street, attended by a pretty large crowd, and spontaneously exhibiting the whole of his accomplishments. His gravity under those trying circumstances, I can never forget, nor the extraordinary gallantry with which, refusing to be brought home, he defended himself behind a pump, until overpowered by numbers. It may have been that he was too bright a genius to live long, or it may have been that he took some pernicious substance into his bill, and thence into his maw—which is not improbable, seeing that he dug out the greater part of the garden-wall by digging out the mortar, broke countless squares of glass by scraping away the putty all round the frames, and tore up and swallowed, in splinters, the greater part of a wooden staircase of six steps and a landing—but after some three years he too was taken ill, and died before the kitchen fire. He kept his eye to the last upon the meat as it roasted, and suddenly turned over on his back with a cry of ‘Cuckoo!’
Since then I have been ravenless.
When Edgar Poe reviewed Barnaby Rudge in Graham’s Magazine for February 1842, Poe wrote: “The raven ... might have been made ... a portion of the conception of the fantastic Barnaby. Its croakings might have been prophetically heard in the course of the drama.” Poe also points out that Dickens’ raven Grip is fond of saying “I’m a devil,” and on one occasion when Barnaby says, “Grip hopes, but who cares for Grip?” the raven plainly answers, “Nobody.” Dickens also mentions that a bright red light shines in the raven's eye while London buildings burn during the Gordon riots. So it is certainly not unreasonable that Dickens placed the idea of a prophetic raven in Poe’s mind when Poe wrote his most famous work three years later.
Note - and this is just my impression - when Dicken’s raven is asked who cares about him, the raven says Nobody - when Poe’s raven is basically asked will the narrator be loved again - the raven answers with an even stronger negative - Nevermore.
16:22 Father Time from Barnaby Rudge
While I am on the subject of Barnaby Rudge, a few hours ago, I was cleaning out my office - I like to clean out my office every two or three years, whether it needs is or not. And I ran across a paragraph from Barnaby Rudge that I had put down on a piece of paper to keep. Of course, I had not seen it for years, and it thought it was a real coincidence that I ran across the quote when I had the subject of Barnaby Rudge on my mind. It really doesn’t have that much to do with Edgar Poe, but I really like it. And when Dickens refers to the old fellow’s hand in this passage, he means the creator.
Father Time is not always a hard parent, and, though he tarries for none of his children, often lays his hand lightly upon those who have used him well; inevitably making them old men and women soon enough, but leaving their hearts and spirits young and in full vigour. With such people the grey head is but the impression of the old fellow's hand in giving them his blessing, and every wrinkle but a notch in the quiet calendar of a well-spent life.
I like the idea of thinking of wrinkles as notches in the quiet calender of a well-spent life.
I think it is fascinating (and a little bit ominous) that the many disagreements and societal divisions between Catholics and Protestants in Barnaby Rudge are interwoven into the basic attitudes of the characters in the novel. This is very similar to the divisions in society today. Unfortunately today’s United States, as well as the England of Barnaby Rudge are divided countries.
MUSICAL TRANSITION
18:31 The Pale Blue Eye (Netflix)
When I was much younger, I did not found solace in reading Edgar Allan Poe I think I lived in an uptight culture where Poe was considered somehow not suitable - instead when I would feel down, I would find comfort in readinIg Fydor Doestoevski and especially Charles Dickens. If I found things hard, I could go to Dickens and was transformed into another world. I was a wierd kid. Years later I started getting that same feeling from reading The Pale Blue Eye - oh Louis Bayard and Charles Dickens are vastly different writers, but both writers have the ability to establish their visions through language, describe compelling events that draw you in, and create compelling characters that you wish you knew, as well as villians that you love to hate. I know lately I might be eating or doing some other routine activity, and was eager to stop what I was doing and get back to reading The Pale Blue Eye. The plot was so engaging that I couldn’t wait to see what happened next.
Later in this podcast, I would like to talk more extensively about Charles Dickens - largely because of his further connections to Poe, but today I would like to try and finish my thoughts about The Pale Blue Eye by Louis Bayard - at least for this year.
I think it is pretty obvious that I am a real fan of The Pale Blue Eye. Even last week, I was reading some sections several times, wondering “did THAT happen.” And just when I would think the book couldn’t get any better - it topped itself.
The novel has the basic characteristics of good historical fiction, the background is real, extremely believeable, and based on through research - Edgar Poe as a cadet at West Point - but the plot deals with a murder at the school - tho the author points out at the end of the book that he does not know of a murder at the school actually taking place.
There is a lot more that I planned to say about an upcoming Netflix version of The Pale Blue Eye planned for the future. The Netflix version is scheduled to star Christian Bale, Robert Duvall, Gillian Anderson, and is a high-budget affair - apparently the world wide rights went for 55 million dollars.
21:27 The Fall of the House of Usher
And Netflix has also announced an eight episode series based on The Fall of the House of Usher, with leads from two of the highest grossing movies in history - Henry Thomas, who played Elliott in Stephen Speilberg’s ET, and Mark Hammill - Hans Solo in Star Wars. But more about these two productions in Celebrate Poe next year - as this podcast gives you more information about two productions that have the potential to become major events in the Poe universe.
22:06 Outro
Congrats for making it this far, as we take a deep dive into the life, works, and influences of America’s Shakespeare.
As usual, this podcast began and ends with the melody of Come Rest in This Bosom - said to be Edgar Allan Poe’s favorite song.
22:29 Future episodes
On Tuesday, December 21, I will begin a series about one of Poe’s literary competitors,, Washington Irving. Episode 91 will have a brief introduction to Washington Irving, his importance, and the first part of his classic work - Old Christmas. Written 30 years before Dickens wrote A Christmas Carol - Irving’s Old Christmas deals with similar subject matter, and is a classic of Christmas literature. The next day Episode 92 will deal with the next portion of Old Christmas - The Stage Coach. And on the day of Christmas Eve, the episode will deal with - you guessed it - Christmas Eve. Then Celebrate Poe will release Irving’s Christmas Day ON Christmas Day. And since I like to keep episodes around 35 minutes or less, I will release the next section of Old Christmas - The Christmas Dinner - a few minutes later by itself on Christmas Day, Then on the day after Christmas, the podcast episode is The Festival by H.P. Lovecraft. It would hardly be accurate to call The Festival a Christmas story in the traditional sense - it is FAR too dark - but, as you probably know, Lovecraft was greatly influenced by Poe, and The Festival is a really cool story.
24:01 Sources
Sources for this episode include A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, Barnaby Rudge by Charles Dickens, The Pale Blue Eye by Louis Bayard, Edgar Allan Poe: A Critical Biography by Arthur Hobson Quinn, The Reason for the Darkness of the Night. by John Tresch, Poe and Place by Phillip Edward Phillips, and the Complete Works of Edgar Allan Poe by Edgar Allan Poe, edited by Thomas Alive Mabbott.
Thank you for listening to Celebrate Poe.