Encountering Poe’s Ghost Revisited

Welcome to Celebrate Poe - Episode 354, Encountering Poe’s Ghost Revisited

I looked at the time I have left for podcasts this month, and realized that I had just enough for one more episode - and this will not be a long episode at all.  So I would like to revisit the first episode, and update it a little bit. 
By the way, this first episode was one of the most listened-to of all 354 episodes of Celebrate Poe.

You see, there was a time when one of my favorite things to do was go to the massive Alderman Library at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville.  One night I was doing some research at the library using some books that I could not find anywhere else. Just being in that library was always a wonderful experience - seated with towering columns of books all around me- volumes brimming with the knowledge of the ages. 

I had no idea that in a few minutes I would encounter the Ghost of Edgar Allan Poe!  And I could have never imagined that he would want me to do a podcast!

Thank you for experiencing Celebrate Poe.

Transcript

Welcome to Celebrate Poe - Episode 354, Encountering Poe’s Ghost Revisited

I looked at the time I have left for podcasts this month, and realized that I had just enough for one more episode - and this will not be a long episode at all.  So I would like to revisit the first episode, and update it a little bit. 
By the way, this first episode was one of the most listened-to of all 354 episodes of Celebrate Poe.

You see, there was a time when one of my favorite things to do was go to the massive Alderman Library at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville.  One night I was doing some research at the library using some books that I could not find anywhere else. Just being in that library was always a wonderful experience - seated with towering columns of books all around me - volumes brimming with the knowledge of the ages. 
 
Snuggled into a big, comfy chair,  I was reading some commentary regarding Shakespeare, but to be honest, the book wasn’t very interesting.

I dozed off - no idea how long I slept - but I remember feeling some cold wind. I slowly opened my eyes and glanced around me.  When I started reading, the room was full, but now there were no students or librarians anywhere - just furniture, desks, and endless stacks of books. 

GHOST ENTERS

A man of medium height with a moustache, piercing eyes, and slightly curly hair stood a few feet in front of me. He was wearing steampunk style clothes - a black cape and white vest that made him look like he would have been at home in a Victorian lecture or reading.

He spoke in a soft voice with a Southern accent - My sincerest greetings, Mr. Bartley. My name is Edgar A. Poe.  How are you?

I assumed that i was dreaming.  Who did you say you were?

I am the ghost - or if you will - spirit or energy of Edgar A. Poe.

I quickly looked around again, and saw no one - that is except for this quirky-looking steampunk character.  It seemed everyone else had gone home.   Maybe I had fallen asleep and was dreaming.  So I pinched myself hard, and sure enough it hurt - and hard.

I thought if I did the smart thing and got up and left quickly, it might set off the security alarm, but right now, that fear was the least of my worries.  So I decided that the best thing to do was to remain calm and humor this person - or whatever it was.

Mr. Bartley, I have come to speak with you tonight about your interest in my life.  I know you are immersed in studying Shakespeare, but I have come to you with a proposal regarding me.

How did you know I was studying Shakespeare?

Oh, I have many methods to accomplish my course of actions.

I thought to myself - I bet he wants money - maybe he”ll say he has a sure-fire business investment and spend any money I give him for drugs.

I can assure you - it is not my intention to be the source of any distress on your part.

Well, let you assure you that I don’t believe in ghosts or anything dealing with the supernatural.

Mr. Bartley, I remember the first time you visited the museum built in my honor in Richmond, Virginia.  You were especially interested in the words from Hamlet that I had copied in a book during my earthly life.

How could you possibly have known THAT?  I never mentioned that to anyone!

And I remember well the many times that you traveled in West Virginia reenacting my life.

This may sound strange, but as a re-enactor I always felt somewhat of a responsibility to represent Edgar Allan Poe as a historical character with utmost respect for historical accuracy - almost as though he were watching. But I…. don’t believe in ghosts. He continued talking as though what I was saying about not believing in ghosts was irrelevant.

And you did a most adequate - reenactment -  for the most part - tho sometimes I found myself wincing.

Ok tell me - if you were there, prove it!

Do you remember Mountaineer Middle School, and you gave your standard narration about me studying in England for five years while still a young boy?

He WAS right about the school name in West Virginia but how did he know about the details in my presentation to the class as a historical re-enactor - - as Poe.  That was years ago, and I naturally wondered where this was going.

A very sincere student asked during a question and answer period for you to name your headmaster in England - that is when you were speaking as though you were me. I will never forget that.  I thought I was prepared, but my mind went totally blank. I had no earthly idea how to answer that.

Yes, you had no EARTHLY idea.

I remember I had a feeling of panic at that school that I hoped didn’t show ,I was ready to say “I forget his name.” 

Of course you could not see me physically, but I realized that you needed help, and caused you to say - “That would be the the Rev. Bransby.”  

I always wondered where that came from - well, thanks, I guess.

And if that ever happens again, remember that I would have never used the word “teenager” like you did.  That word was not used for almost 100 years after my earthly existence.

Well, thank you , Mr. Poe - if that is who you are.

Mr. Bartley - I can sense that you are hesitant to accept my reality and consider my suggestions.   As you may surmise, I have spent an inordinate amount of time in various libraries - reading about my favorite subject - myself  - and those I loved.  Some writers - like Rufus Griswold - infuriate me - others such as Arthur Hobson Quinn are examples of exemplary scholarship - and some - such as Susan Archer Weiss - are interesting, but simultaneously irritating.  And some literary attempts are simply laughable.  I had no idea that I would become so well-known as a writer  - or so misunderstood after my earthly demise. To be specific, I desire to make endeavors to embark on a new form of historical and literary creativity - at least new for me - I would like to begin a podcast regarding my life, works, and times.  Podcasts do seem to be rather popular now among the masses, and you certainly have more knowledge of computers than I.   Though I do insist that I maintain - in the words of your current vernacular - complete creative control regarding the content.

I thought the best thing to do was just humor this guy - and go along with his idea - at least verbally. Yes, I am sure we can work that out.

This would be an opportunity for you to learn more about my life and times, as well as communicate that knowledge to others.

Mr. Poe this would be a gigantic undertaking - I have over 100 books about you, and so many of them contradict each other.

Actually you just have just 97 books about me -  but you will be purchasing more - many more - and you can avail yourself of the many Poe scholars, as well as the local library and other online resources.   And one must admit that you do spend an inordinate amount of time using your computer - experience that I would no doubt find quite useful in doing further research.   And you will no doubt find AI sites useful - ChataGPT, perplexity, and many others …

Mr. Poe - if that is your name - what is an AI?

Ah, Mr. Bartley - Perhaps I should not have mentioned AI - it has not been invented yet - at least humans such as you do not have access.

Whatever, Mr. Poe - or whoever you are…

Please consider my proposal. Farewell, Mr. Bartley.  I will leave you with some words from my story, “The Premature Burial”

He stared at me with hypnotic eyes and slowly said, “The boundaries which divide life from death are, at best, shadowy and vague. Who knows where one ends and where the other begins.”

And Mr. Poe disappeared.

I quickly left the library, and fortunately the security alarm did not go off.
But I left quickly, just in case.  I hadn’t done anything wrong, but if any authority figure asked me what I had been doing, I seriously doubt that he or she would believe me.

I thought that maybe, like Scrooge in Dickens A Christmas Carol, I had eaten a bad bit of beef, and imagined this character.  After all I had just eaten at McDonalds. And the reality of it was that, while I been thinking about starting a podcast, but I was far too busy for such a massive undertaking regarding Poe  - to really do it right.  So I promptly forgot about it for several years.

Now you you don’t have to believe this either but the ghost of Poe visited me again. I was watching a YouTube video, in my current home in Indianapolis, Indiana.  All at once, I and felt some cold air. cold air.  I started feeling the strange sensations that I had experienced at Alderman Library years before.

The figure who had introduced himself as Mr. Edgar A. Poe stood beside me.

Hello, Mr. Bartley.  I am sure you know who I am.

How did you get in here?  The door to my apartment building, and the door to my apartment are both locked.

And he replied with the same words he had used several years ago in Virginia:  Oh, I have many methods to accomplish my course of actions.

Well, either I am hallucinating or this is really happening.

Mr. Bartley - I did not want to bother you regarding a  podcast until you were genuinely ready.
 
Yes, I have thought about it for years. but have never really taken action.  But I think I might be ready in a way that I have never felt before.  Maybe the current COVID crisis has something to do with it.

Mr. Poe - or whoever you are - I do have a desire to eliminate some of the unfair perceptions that have arisen regarding my earthly existence.  A movie, or television program, or even YouTube video might serve as media vehicles in pursuit of this goal - but mine is an extremely complex narrative that will potentially require hundreds of hours at a minimum. A podcast would give me an opportunity to relate the entire story for a novel audience.

Mr. Poe, I am depending on you to see me through this podcast.  I can visualize now that the podcast contents could consist of previous knowledge that I might have regarding your life, as well as a great deal of research.

I thought to myself that this podcast idea might sound ridiculous, but it would be the chance of a lifetime - have Mr. Edgar Allan Poe talk to me about his life - the ultimate primary source.

I have an excellent title for our podcast - what is your opinion regarding my concept - I have condensed my original idea to:

Let us express the highest literary exultation and commemoration regarding the tortured and calamitous life of the celebrated and renowned Edgar A. Poe as a highly renowned and influential writer with emphasis on a tragic Southern life, numerous and debilitating travails, physical maladies, personal fallacies, and emotional states while engaging in (but not limited to) psychological studies of terror, texts of acerbic humor, the invention of the modern science fiction narrative, the devising of the detective story, scathing literary criticism, and the creation of melancholy poetry against a backdrop of early 19th century America, as well as a cursory study of the numerous individuals and events informing the development of the writers’s talents and career as a prominent member of  America’s Romantic and Renaissance movements, and frequently esteemed as America’s Shakespeare.

Mr. Poe, that certainly communicates many ideas, but I doubt that your title will fit on a small cover art graphic, much less a tweet. Why don’t we shorten your title to “Celebrate Poe.”

If you truly feel that it would be more effective.

Mr. Poe, I know you are the literary genius - but trust me on this one.

Mr. Bartley - I sense that you are definitely ready.

Farewell, Mr. Bartley.  Remember, “The boundaries which divide life from death are, at best, shadowy and vague.”  Who knows where one ends and where the other begins.”

He quickly vanished, and has been very - how should I say it - quite dependable - spending hours in relating his narrative - and recommending helpful resources.

And one aspect that has genuinely surprised me is that the ghost of Poe is amazingly self aware - something that Poe did not always show during his earthly existence.  Sometimes he could be impulsive or stubborn or self-pitying during his earthly life - I sense that the? ghost of Poe realizes this and, for the most part, is able to admit when he acted in error.  Maybe being able to look back on your life gives you a great deal of perspective,

And while you are it, please remember to subscribe to this podcast in your favorite pod catcher so you will not miss an episode of Celebrate Poe.

Well, thank you very much for making it this far, as we take a deep dive into learning about America’s Shakespeare, and how he has changed our world.

Join us for episode 355 - yes, 355 - Why All the Fuss about Dracula?

Thank you for listening to Celebrate Poe.