The Year Without a Summer, Part Two

Welcome to Celebrate Poe - episode 331 - The Year Without a Summer, Part Two

In the previous episode, I talked about the basic background behind the eruption of Mount Tamboro - but in this episode I would like to delve into not only the volcanic eruption, but the literary effects - especially the Gothic influences on Edgar Poe.

Thank you for experiencing Celebrate Poe.

Transcript

Welcome to Celebrate Poe - episode 331 - The Year Without a Summer, Part Two

In the previous episode, I talked about the basic background behind the eruption of Mount Tamboro - but in this episode I would like to delve into not only the volcanic eruption, but the literary effects - especially the Gothic influences on Edgar Poe - and is Mr. Poe - 

Greetings, Mr. Bartley 

Hello, Mr. Poe.

Mr. Poe - I would like to delve into a discussion about what many refer to as The Year Without a Summer.

Ah yes, Mr. Bartley - that would be 1816 - a year marked by extreme and abnormal weather conditions caused by the eruption of Mount Tambora in Indonesia in April 1815. That eruption released vast amounts of ash and sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere, creating a volcanic winter that greatly cooled global temperatures. 

Yes, those were the conditions, Mr. Poe.

Ah, Mr. Bartley - I believe that frost persisted across New England and other eastern states well into May, with snow falling as late as June. Rivers and lakes in Pennsylvania remained frozen in July, and frost was even reported in Virginia in August.

Shall I continue?

Certainly, Mr. Poe.

In New England, snowstorms brought over a foot of snow in May and June, killing crops and forcing many residents to migrate westward. Temperatures fluctuated dramatically, sometimes dropping from summer-like warmth to near-freezing within hours.

Torrential rains plagued much of Europe, with Ireland experiencing eight consecutive weeks of rain. Crop failures were widespread due to the cold and wet conditions.  And In England, hailstorms and freezing rain were common even during summer months. The usual monsoon season was disrupted in Asia, leading to droughts in parts of India and China.

Mr. Poe, I had no idea you were so aware of planet conditions.  

And the effects of Mount Tambora were not confined to areas far away from me.
What do you mean, by that, Mr. Poe?  

The Allan family were certainly were cognizant of the relative scarcity of food, and inclement weather.  Food shortages resulted in riots, looting, and increased migration, particularly in Europe and North America.In the northeastern U.S., many families faced starvation or malnutrition, while others moved westward seeking better conditions.  And I was to later learn that Mr. Thomas Jefferson, founder of the University of Virginia, especially suffered financially due to a very poor season regarding his crops.

Let me point out these climatic anomalies also inspired cultural works such as Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and Polidor’s The Vampire.

Ah yes, Mr. Bartley, I would be most remiss if I did not mention Lord Byron’s composition, Darkness. The Year Without a Summer - as you know, Darkness was written during the Year Without a Summer, and serves as a stark reminder of how volcanic activity can disrupt global climate systems and human societies.

Yes, Mr. Poe, this podcast will certainly delve into the creation of those works in the near future. At the time, people lacked even the most basic understanding of the link between volcanic eruptions and climate anomalies. Many believed that visible sunspots were blocking solar radiation. Other speculations included earthquakes or deforestation as potential causes.

Mr.. Poe, from what I understand, The agricultural impacts were quite. profound: Shortened growing seasons and repeated frosts devastated staple crops like wheat, corn, and potatoes across Europe and North America. Farmers in New England abandoned their lands for more fertile regions 

And Mr. Poe - The Year Without a Summer had far-reaching social and political consequences. For example, In Europe, food scarcity fueled riots and uprisings, such as the "Bread or Blood" protests in England and revolutionary movements across France and Germany.  And again, migration patterns shifted significantly, with many Europeans emigrating to North America for better opportunities.

Mr. Bartley - they were only doing what they felt was best - not really understanding what had happened to cause the environmental upset.

So Mr. Poe, basically what you are saying is that the eruption of Mount Tambora demonstrated how environmental disasters can profoundly affect global climate systems, economies, societies, and even cultural developments - and constitute a incident that we should remember today.

Ah, yes - Mr. Poe - that brings up the subject of Influence on Weather Patterns in Different Regions.  You see, The eruption of Mount Tambora in 1815 released massive amounts of sulfur dioxide and ash into the stratosphere, creating a global aerosol cloud that reflected sunlight and caused significant cooling.

Mr. Bartley - I am following your logic.

Yes, Mr. Poe - and in North America, Killing frosts occurred throughout the summer of 1816, with snow reported in June in New England and frozen rivers as far south as Pennsylvania in July. Temperature fluctuations were extreme, with sudden drops to near-freezing. Torrential rains and unseasonably cold weather plagued much of Western and Central Europe. Ireland experienced eight weeks of continuous rain, while Switzerland and Germany saw heavy snow in June.

Mr. Bartley, Snow in June and eight weeks of rain.

Yes, Mr. Poe - Monsoon disruptions led to droughts in India and famine-inducing rice crop failures in China. Flooding also increased in parts of East Asia. Crops failed globally due to shortened growing seasons, frost damage, and lack of sunlight. Staple crops like wheat, corn, and rice were particularly affected.

Mr. Bartley - you do seem to have a grasp of the environmental consequences.

I should hope so. Tree growth slowed significantly in high  latitudes, as evidenced by tree-ring data showing almost a 33 per cent reduction in growth.  And Wildlife suffered due to food shortages caused by crop failures. For example, small migratory birds died en masse in New England. Ecosystems experienced stress from both cold temperatures and altered precipitation patterns. Forest resilience was weakened, particularly at high altitudes where tree growth nearly halted.

Mr. Bartley - no wonder that so many people thought is was the end of the world.

Exactly, Mr. Poe. And individuals would do almost anything to survive.
Many resorted to eating unconventional foods such as nettles, hedgehogs, and wild turnips. In the U.S., families moved westward to regions with less severe weather, accelerating westward expansion.  And due to firewood shortages, people burned furniture or parts of their homes for warmth.

Farmers started planting cold-resistant crops like rye and potatoes where possible.

The dreary conditions of 1816 inspired significant cultural works:
For example in literature, Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein during a rainy summer at Lake Geneva. Lord Byron penned Darkness, while John Polidori’s The Vampyre laid the foundation for modern vampire fiction - all literary works that will be the subjects of future episodes in this podcast.

Painters such as J.M.W. Turner captured the vivid sunsets caused by volcanic aerosols, while Caspar David Friedrich's works reflected the somber mood of the time.

In other words, The eruption of Mount Tambora reshaped global climate, ecosystems, societies, and culture profoundly, leaving a legacy that continues to inform our understanding of climate impacts today.

Well, to slightly change the topic - How did the Year Without a Summer affect the young Edgar Allan Poe?

Ah, Mr. Bartley - I was only seven years old at the time.  Most scholars believe the Allans (my foster family) was in England at the time. The crop failures and food shortages caused by the extreme weather would certainly have affected the region's economy and possibly strained household finances. This might have even contributed to the tensions between me and my foster father, John Allan.

Mr. Poe - that certainly is possible.

Ah yes, Mr. Bartley. One must note that The bleak and unsettling atmosphere of 1816 may have left an impression on my sensitive and imaginative mind. Themes of despair, isolation, and environmental chaos—present in my later works—could have been shaped by early exposure to such an unusual year.

And looking back, I can see that The Gothic and Romantic movements were significantly influenced by the "Year Without a Summer." Writers such as Lord Byron and Mary Shelley created works such as Darkness and Frankenstein during this period of atmospheric gloom. Mr. Poe, I guess it is safe to say that such literary trends likely shaped your own Gothic style as you matured as a writer.

Yes, Mr. Bartley - possibly my worldview and artistic sensibilities.  Remember that I was only 7 years old at the time.

Yes, but would you care to address how the Year Without a Summer influenced your early writings?

Ah, Mr. Bartley, I believe it is fair to say that The unusual weather of 1816, caused by the eruption of Mount Tambora, indirectly shaped my early literary development. The societal and cultural shifts resulting from the "Year Without a Summer" likely influenced my later fascination with themes of darkness, despair, and nature's mysterious power. Romanticism, which gained momentum during this period, emphasized nature's sublime and terrifying aspects—elements that became central to my future Gothic style.

I would be remiss if I did not ask about the direct impact of The Year Without a Summer on your family.

As you know, In 1816, I was living in England with my foster family, the Allans. The global agricultural crisis caused by the extreme weather may have contributed to financial strain on John Allan's business ventures abroad, which were already struggling during this period. However, I do not have definite proof linking the weather to specific hardships faced by the individuals who raised me. 

Mr. Poe - this may seem ominous, but how did the extreme weather conditions affect your views on nature - especially in your future writings.

Ah, Mr. Bartley - that question may be more relevant than you think.  You see, my later works often depicted nature as both beautiful and menacing, reflecting a duality that aligns with Romantic notions of the sublime. While there is no direct record of how the 1816 climate anomalies influenced my views, my writings frequently explore nature’s darker, mysterious qualities, such as in The Fall of the House of Usher and Sonnet—To Science. These themes suggest an appreciation for nature’s power to evoke awe and terror—possibly shaped by early exposure to environmental unpredictability.

Note these passage from the opening, as well as the conclusion of my story The Fall of the House of Usher -

First the opening - 

DURING the whole of a dull, dark, and soundless day in the autumn of the year, when the clouds hung oppressively low in the heavens, I had been passing alone, on horseback, through a singularly dreary tract of country; and at length found myself, as the shades of the evening drew on, within view of the melancholy House of Usher. I know not how it was --but, with the first glimpse of the building, a sense of insufferable gloom pervaded my spirit. I say insufferable; for the feeling was unrelieved by any of that half-pleasurable, because poetic, sentiment, with which the mind usually receives even the sternest natural images of the desolate or terrible. I looked upon the scene before me --upon the mere house, and the simple landscape features of the domain --upon the bleak walls --upon the vacant eye-like windows --upon a few rank sedges --and upon a few white trunks of decayed trees --with an utter depression of soul which I can compare to no earthly sensation more properly than to the after-dream of the reveller upon opium --the bitter lapse into everyday life --the hideous dropping off of the veil. There was an iciness, a sinking, a sickening of the heart --an unredeemed dreariness of thought which no goading of the imagination could torture into aught of the sublime. What was it --I paused to think --what was it that so unnerved me in the contemplation of the House of Usher? It was a mystery all insoluble; nor could I grapple with the shadowy fancies that crowded upon me as I pondered. I was forced to fall back upon the unsatisfactory conclusion, that while, beyond doubt, there are combinations of very simple natural objects which have the power of thus affecting us, still the analysis of this power lies among considerations beyond our depth. It was possible, I reflected, that a mere different arrangement of the particulars of the scene, of the details of the picture, would be sufficient to modify, or perhaps to annihilate its capacity for sorrowful impression; and, acting upon this idea, I reined my horse to the precipitous brink of a black and lurid tarn that lay in unruffled lustre by the dwelling, and gazed down --but with a shudder even more thrilling than before --upon the remodelled and inverted images of the gray sedge, and the ghastly tree-stems, and the vacant and eye-like windows.

And now the conclusion - 

From that chamber, and from that mansion, I fled aghast. The storm was still abroad in all its wrath as I found myself crossing the old causeway. Suddenly there shot along the path a wild light, and I turned to see whence a gleam so unusual could have issued; for the vast house and its shadows were alone behind me. The radiance was that of the full, setting, and blood-red moon which now shone vividly through that once barely-discernible fissure of which I have before spoken as extending from the roof of the building, in a zig-zag direction, to the base. While I gazed, this fissure rapidly widened --there came a fierce breath of the whirlwind --the entire orb of the satellite burst at once upon my sight --my brain reeled as I saw the mighty walls rushing asunder --there was a long tumultuous shouting sound like the voice of a thousand waters --and the deep and dank tarn at my feet closed sullenly and silently over the fragments of the "HOUSE OF USHER.”

Yes, Mr. Poe - you have a lot going on there.

Now, Mr. Poe - I must admit that for several years I did not talk about your important role in the development of Gothic literature - and I do hope I am starting to make up for that. 

Ah, Mr. Bartley - no one is perfect.

Thank you, Mr. Poe - but let me continue by asking how th extreme weather of 1816 likely reinforced your - let’s be honest - your preoccupation with mortality, decay, and human vulnerability.  It would seem logical that the widespread famine, disease, and societal unrest caused by the agricultural disasters of the "Year Without a Summer" resonate with the Gothic themes central to many of your future works - stories that explore the inevitability of death.

Ah yes, Mr. Bartley - as though my stories echo the human helplessness experienced during 1816’s climate crisis.

And Mr. Poe, you must admit that the agricultural failures and famine of 1816 highlighted humanity's dependence on nature and its inability to control it. While as a child, you may not have directly experienced these hardships, they could have shaped your later philosophical musings on human frailty and existential despair. You must admit that your works often depict characters grappling with uncontrollable forces, reflecting a Romantic-era awareness of nature’s power over human life.

Ah, Mr. Bartley - your point is well-taken.  During 1816, I WAS enrolled at Stoke Newington Manor School House, and I was exposed to an education steeped in Romantic literature and Gothic traditions. This formative period likely contributed to my later thematic focus on gloom, decay, and isolation.
Very perceptive, Mr. Poe.  And the - how should I put it - the cultural disquiet following 1816—marked by increased religious fervor, apocalyptic fears, and a surge in Gothic literature—resonated with your literary style. I believe that the Romantic movement’s fascination with nature’s sublime terror and human vulnerability became central to your works. 

Ah, Mr. Bartley - you are most perceptive today.  While I certainly was too young to fully process the events of 1816 at the time, its environmental and cultural aftermath profoundly influenced my thematic focus on mortality, decay, and humanity's fragile place in an unpredictable world.

Mr. Poe - I would like to ask you if you used any specific literary techniques to reflect the harsh weather conditions of 1816?

That is a most interesting question, Mr. Bartley.  I must admit that I frequently created oppressive and eerie atmospheres, often using descriptions of decayed landscapes, darkened skies, and unnatural weather to evoke dread.

In The Fall of the House of Usher, I describe "vacant, eyelike windows" and a "black and lurid tarn," which mirror the gloomy and unsettling weather conditions that characterized 1816.  My use of descriptive language—such as "decayed," "pestilent," and "sluggish"—creates a mood reminiscent of the volcanic ash clouds and dim sunlight experienced during the "Year Without a Summer”.

What about mortality and decay?

Ah, Mr. Bartley, I strongly believe that the agricultural disasters and widespread famine of 1816 highlighted humanity's vulnerability to nature, themes that resonate in my works. Stories such The Masque of the Red Death explore the inevitability of death and decay, reflecting anxieties about survival in the face of uncontrollable environmental forces.  If I may be permitted to read a very brief passage?

Certainly, go ahead, Mr. Poe.

And now was acknowledged the presence of the Red Death. He had come like a thief in the night. And one by one dropped the revellers in the blood-bedewed halls of their revel, and died each in the despairing posture of his fall. And the life of the ebony clock went out with that of the last of the gay. And the flames of the tripods expired. And Darkness and Decay and the Red Death held illimitable dominion over all.

And I must also admit that I may have used natural elements symbolically to represent psychological states or existential crises. The chaotic weather patterns of 1816—marked by frosts, red snow, and storms—may have influenced my symbolic use of turbulent natural imagery to reflect inner turmoil or societal collapse.

That certainly is possible.

Ah, yes - Mr. Bartley - One might even make a case that The darkened skies and barren landscapes caused by Mount Tambora’s eruption align with Gothic conventions that I began to utilize extensively. My ruined mansions, shadowy corridors, and storm-laden settings evoke a sense of isolation and despair. 

Mr. Bartley - let me conclude with this - The Romantic fascination with nature’s sublime terror becomes evident throughout my works, where landscapes evoke both awe and fear.  And while I did not write directly about the Year Without a Summer, its cultural legacy and environmental conditions likely shaped my Gothic style. My use of imagery, themes of decay, and portrayals of nature reflect a worldview influenced by humanity's vulnerability to uncontrollable forces—a perspective deeply resonant with the events surrounding The Year Without a Summer.

Join Celebrate Poe for episode 332 as this podcast delves into Lord Byron’s classic poem - Darkness.

Sources include - Mount Tambora: The Eruption That Changed the World’s Climate by Alicia Castaneda, Tambora: The Eruption That Changed the World by Gillen D'Arcy Wood,  Tambora and the Year without a Summer: How a Volcano Plunged the World into Crisis by Wolfgang Behringer, and The Year Without Summer: 1816 and the Volcano That Darkened the World and Changed History by William K. Klingaman and Nicholas P. Klingaman,

Thank you for listening to Celebrate Poe.