A Crawling Shape

Mr. Bartley - plain font

Mr. Poe - italics font

Welcome to Celebrate Poe - Episode 376 - A Crawling Shape

In this episode, I would like to slightly change the subject to early Gothic novels such as The Castle of Otrano - literature that most scholars believed influenced Edgar Poe’s works.

Ah, Mr. Bartley - I know that some scholars have said that I must have been familiar with the The Castle of Otranto from 1764, which many have said was the first Gothic novel,and influenced such individuals as Ann Radcliffe and Mary Shelley, whose works I greatly admired and even referenced. My own Gothic tales, such as The Fall of the House of Usher, share thematic and stylistic elements with Walpole’s work, including haunted settings, supernatural events, and psychological terror.

Ah yes, Mr. Poe - what about E.T.A. Hoffman?

Ah, Mr. Bartley, Mr. Hoffman definitely influenced my works - due to his
use of first-person narratives and exploration of madness, align with techniques pioneered in Otranto.  And I must point out how Otranto’s Gothic tropes - —haunted castles, doomed aristocrats, and supernatural 

Thank you for experiencing Celebrate Poe.

Transcript

Welcome to Celebrate Poe - Episode 376 - A Crawling Shape

In this episode, I would like to slightly change the subject to early Gothic novels such as The Castle of Otrano - literature that most scholars believed influenced Edgar Poe’s works.

Ah, Mr. Bartley - I know that some scholars have said that I must have been familiar with the The Castle of Otranto from 1764, which many have said was the first Gothic novel,and influenced such individuals as Ann Radcliffe and Mary Shelley, whose works I greatly admired and even referenced. My own Gothic tales, such as The Fall of the House of Usher, share thematic and stylistic elements with Walpole’s work, including haunted settings, supernatural events, and psychological terror.

Ah yes, Mr. Poe - what about E.T.A. Hoffman?

Ah, Mr. Bartley, Mr. Hoffman definitely influenced my works - due to his
use of first-person narratives and exploration of madness, align with techniques pioneered in Otranto.  And I must point out how Otranto’s Gothic tropes - —haunted castles, doomed aristocrats, and supernatural curses—permeated 19th-century Gothic fiction, which I hope I both critiqued and advanced.

Interesting, Mr. Poe - what about the influences of Ann Radcliffe?

Ah, Mr. Bartley - As you may know, Radcliffe was a pioneer of the "female Gothic," and established tropes such haunted castles, psychological terror, and the "explained supernatural" (where seemingly supernatural events are later rationalized). I adapted these elements but often subverted them by embracing ambiguity, as seen in The Fall of the House of Usher, where decay and madness blur reality.

Radcliffe’s emphasis on mood (e.g., The Mysteries of Udolpho) influenced my immersive settings, though I must admit that I attempted to intensify their psychological horror.

I strongly believe that Radcliffe’s popularity legitimized Gothic fiction, paving the way for my darker, more metaphysical approach.

Mr. Poe - later this podcast will definitely delve in E.T.A.Hoffmann’s tales of madness and the uncanny - such as The Sandman.

Ah, Mr. Bartley - you might say that such works inspired my Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque. Mr. Hoffman explored duality, doppelgängers, and the irrational, though I firmly believe that I systematized these themes with tighter narratives.  And granted, Mr. Hoffmann’s blurring of reality and hallucination resonated in my unreliable narrators such as The Tell-Tale Heart and Ligeia.  In fact, I believe that I encountered Hoffmann through secondary sources such as Walter Scott’s critiques, adopting terms like "phantasy-pieces" while denying direct “Germanism".

Why were so opposed to what you call Germanism.

Ah, Mr. Bartley - surely you realize that Germanism was considered synonymous with horror in the minds of many people.

Well, actually I didn’t know that.  

Ah, well I will admit that Mr. Hoffmann offered thematic and stylistic models, though my work was more controlled and less fantastical.  One might say that I utilized Hoffmann’s psychological complexity while pioneering my own brand of existential horror.

Ok, Mr. Poe - if you say so.   And Mr. Poe - I know that later, this podcast will be delving into E.T.A. Hoffman’s The Sandman because of its similarities to some of your work. Do you believe that is valid?

Ah, Mr. Bartley - Hoffmann’s The Sandman (with its blurred reality/hallucination) could have served as inspiration for my inspired unreliable narrators. Both use madness as a narrative device, but I must admit that my protagonists - especially The Tell-Tale Heart - obsessively rationalize their insanity, while Hoffmann’s characters succumb to surreal chaos - a far more problematic - and in my opinion - less convincing - situation.  And I do believe that the Oval Portrait specifically mirrors Hoffmann’s themes of art consuming life, though my version is more macabre and concise.

And more interesting, Mr. Poe.

Thank you, Mr. Bartley - that is very kind of you to say. The madness in Hoffmann’s works was certainly fantastical; I would like to think that mine was clinical and introspective.

But don’t forget, Mr. Poe - your works were distinguished by a psychological precision.

Ah, thank you, Mr. Bartley. I sincerely believe that I - how should I put it -
embraced terror’s psychological depth but rejected its resolution. In The Fall of the House of Usher, the decaying mansion and Roderick’s madness create relentless unease—tension without any seeming resolution.  And I tried to weaponized horror by often grounding it in human evil. Ah, Mr. Bartley - our discussion reminds me of my story The Tell Tale Heart.

Ah, Mr. Poe - as you probably know, when I was a historical re-enactor as you, I always ended my programs with The Tell Tale Heart - as you know, the story is not terribly long …

Ah, yes - an excellent example of a story that can be easily read at one sitting -

And great for students today in high schools who might not have a very long attention span.

Not terribly different from my potential audiences … in The Tell Tale Heart, 
terror dominates as the narrator’s paranoia crescendos—the sound of the beating heart (unseen and intangible) triggers fear and even existential dread.

Yes, Mr. Poe - that is one story that this podcast will REALLY delve into in the future - as well as "The Fall of the House of Usher”

Ah, Mr. Bartley - in that story, the decaying mansion and Roderick’s hypersensitivity create an atmosphere of looming doom. The terror lies in what might happen—the reader’s imagination fuels fear until the climactic collapse.
And of course, we will not forget "The Cask of Amontillado”

Ah, Mr. Bartley - I am especially proud of that story - one where horror erupts when the character of Fortunato is bricked into the wall—a tangible, irreversible act of violence.

And then, of course, ”The Black Cat”

Ah, Mr. Bartley - a story where the narrator’s gruesome act of gouging out the cat’s eye and later murdering his wife with an axe embodies horror’s "freezing" effect, stripping away ambiguity.

Ah, Mr. Poe - we could go on and on - and probably will in this podcast- but I personally enjoy The Premature Burial.

Ah, Mr. Bartley - a story that combines terror (the protagonist’s obsessive fear of being buried alive) with horror (graphic descriptions of suffocation).
Now Mr. Bartley, if I may be permitted to slightly delve in my story The Fall of the House of Usher.

Mr. Poe - by all means.

Ah, Mr. Bartley - I that story I attempted to blend terror (psychological dread) and horror (visceral shock) them into a unified vision.

Mr. Poe - that is an extremely articulate way of putting it.

Thank you, Mr. Bartley. The story opens with the narrator’s description of the mansion’s "iciness, a sinking, a sickening of the heart"—an intangible unease mirroring Radcliffe’s terror, which thrives on anticipation and the unknown.

Mr. Poe - already you developing psychological suspense.

Mr. Bartley, I am most glad that you detected that.  You see, Roderick Usher’s hypersensitivity to sound and light creates a crescendo of unease. His fear of the house’s almost human characteristics - such as its ("eye-like windows") evokes terror through ambiguity.
And note that the narrator’s growing paranoia about Madeline’s burial—her muffled sounds and eventual return—builds terror through imagined horrors rather than explicit violence.

Mr. Poe - events leading to a horrible climax.

Ah, Mr. Bartley - that climax—Madeline’s bloodied reappearance and the house’s literal collapse—fulfills Radcliffe’s definition of horror as a "shock to the senses." The fissure in the mansion’s wall, earlier a symbol of decay, becomes an almost human rupture.  And Madeline’s corpse, "blood upon her white robes," is a concrete horror, contrasting with the story’s earlier psychological tension.

Mr. Poe - it is as though you are combining psychological terror with physical horror.

Ah, Mr. Bartley - for once, you are most perceptive - The house’s collapse merges psychological terror (the Ushers’ shared madness) with physical horror (structural annihilation) The house is not solely a backdrop but an active participant in horror, its decay mirroring Roderick’s mind.

So Mr. Poe - my interpretation of The Fall of the House of Usher is that the narrator’s perception of the house changes from what you might call 
initial unease to overwhelming dread, mirroring his psychological unraveling. 

Ah, Mr. Bartley - that also is most perceptive. Permit me to point out the progression:

First - 1. Initial Unease (Skeptical Observation)
The narrator approaches the mansion with a rational mindset but immediately notes its "insufferable gloom," comparing his depression to an "after-dream of the reveller upon opium”. He dismisses his fear as "childish" yet admits the house’s "vacant eyelike windows" and decaying landscape unsettle him.

2. Growing Absorption (Shared Dread)
As he stays with Roderick, the narrator adopts Usher’s superstitions, confessing: "the wild influences of his own fantastic yet impressive superstitions" infect him.

3. Climactic Horror (Loss of Rationality)
Madeline’s bloody reappearance shatters his skepticism. Though he clings to logic ("electrical phenomena" for the house’s glow), his terror peaks as the house collapses—a physical manifestation of his mental breakdown.

The narrator’s final flight underscores his total surrender to the house’s malevolence, abandoning reason for survival.

So, Mr. Poe - if I understand correctly, Roderick progresses

Or regresses, Mr. Bartley

Your point is well take, Mr. Poe From unease, but rational dismissal to shared paranoia with Roderick to horror overcoming skepticism and finally fleeing the house’s total collapse.

Ah, Mr. Poe - I am most impressed at how the house in the Fall of the House of Usher becomes the narrator’s psyche—its fissures and collapse reflecting his fractured sanity.  The terror is not resolved, and Mr. Poe leaves both house and narrator in irredeemable ruin.

Very astute, especially for you, Mr. Bartley.

Yes, Mr. Poe - it seems to me that your approach to the Gothic style was distinctive in its focus on the internal rather than external sources of fear. 

Ah, Yes, Mr. Bartley - I often delved into - what you call - the subconscious mind, portraying characters consumed by madness, moral ambiguity, or overpowering desires.  I also emphasized mood and atmosphere through vivid descriptions and symbolism. I used settings such as decaying mansions, dark vaults, and eerie landscapes to create an oppressive sense of dread. My language often evoked feelings of isolation, decay, and doom, aligning with traditional Gothic themes while adding his unique psychological depth. Furthermore, my Gothic style was not merely about evoking fear; it also served as a means to explore profound philosophical and aesthetic ideas. 

Well, Mr. Poe - then permit me to ask a very basic question - how did you see horror?

Ah, Mr. Bartley, I saw horror as an emotional response that transcends ordinary experience—and believed that art should prioritize emotional impact over moral instruction.

I know that some of your stories deal - at least partially - with feminine beauty.  Was that conscious?

Ah, yes, Mr. Bartley - my use of feminine beauty in my Gothic stories significantly enhances the atmosphere of dread, mystery, and psychological complexity. By intertwining beauty with mortality, I feel that I created a haunting and melancholic aesthetic that is central to the Gothic tradition.

Remember that I stated that "the death of a beautiful woman is, unquestionably, the most poetical topic in the world." This idea is evident in many of my works, where the beauty of women is closely tied to their untimely deaths. Characters such as  Annabel Lee and Morella embody this ideal. Their deaths are not merely tragic but are elevated to a form of sublime beauty, creating an eerie juxtaposition between life and death that deepens the Gothic tone of my stories.

Note the treatment of the death of a beautiful woman in my poem Annabel Lee:

It was many and many a year ago,
   In a kingdom by the sea,
That a maiden there lived whom you may know
   By the name of Annabel Lee;
And this maiden she lived with no other thought
   Than to love and be loved by me.

I was a child and she was a child,
   In this kingdom by the sea,
But we loved with a love that was more than love—
   I and my Annabel Lee—
With a love that the wingèd seraphs of Heaven
   Coveted her and me.

And this was the reason that, long ago,
   In this kingdom by the sea,
A wind blew out of a cloud, chilling
   My beautiful Annabel Lee;
So that her highborn kinsmen came
   And bore her away from me,
To shut her up in a sepulchre
   In this kingdom by the sea.

The angels, not half so happy in Heaven,
   Went envying her and me—
Yes!—that was the reason (as all men know,
   In this kingdom by the sea)
That the wind came out of the cloud by night,
   Chilling and killing my Annabel Lee.

But our love it was stronger by far than the love
   Of those who were older than we—
   Of many far wiser than we—
And neither the angels in Heaven above
   Nor the demons down under the sea
Can ever dissever my soul from the soul
   Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;

For the moon never beams, without bringing me dreams
   Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
And the stars never rise, but I feel the bright eyes
   Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side
   Of my darling—my darling—my life and my bride,
   In her sepulchre there by the sea—
   In her tomb by the sounding sea.
And, Mr. Bartley - note that a in several of my tales, my female characters transcend death, either through resurrection or lingering as supernatural entities. For instance, in Ligeia, the title character defies mortality by seemingly returning to life in another woman’s body. I believe that this blending of beauty with the supernatural emphasizes themes of obsession and the uncanny, hallmarks of Gothic literature.

Impressive, Mr. Poe.

One must remember that My male narrators often obsess over the physical beauty and memory of deceased women, not only in my poems, but in many of my stories. In The Fall of the House of Usher, Madeline Usher’s ethereal presence haunts her brother Roderick and symbolizes both decay and allure. Similarly, in Ligeia, the narrator fixates on Ligeia’s dark hair and mysterious eyes, reducing her to an object of desire while grappling with her spectral return. This fixation adds psychological depth and reinforces the Gothic themes of madness and despair.

And Mr. Poe - this podcast would be most honored if you read a brief section from Ligeia - unfortunately the time we have allotted for this episode is almost up - so why not open the following episode with an excerpt form LIgeia - one of my favorites.

Thank would be most acceptable, Mr. Bartley - and I look forward to that opportunity.  

Join Celebrate Poe for Episode 377 -  Chilled Into Stone

Sources include: Edgar Allan Poe: A Critical Biography by Arthur Hobson Quinn, The Poe Log: A Documentary Life of Edgar Allan Poe by Dwight R. Thomas and David K. Jackson, The Complete Works of Edgar Allan Poe by Edgar Poe, Evermore by Harry Lee Poe, and the online site of the Edgar Allan Poe Society of Baltimore.

Thank you for listening to Celebrate Poe.