INTRODUCTION

This anthology collects interpretive editions of famous stories by Edgar Allan Poe, based on a semester’s worth of intensive study. They interpret the tales in at least two ways: through critical analysis and through creative revisioning. The editors combine their presentation of the story with detailed commentary found as annotations, as prefatory material, and as visual illustrations. Indeed, in the spirit of dialogue, participation, and strong reading, the bulk of the commentary happens alongside or within the main text.

In the following pages, you will find readings that range from Poe’s horror at women’s autonomy to Poe’s intersection with folk persona Ethel Cain and the goth-metal band Ghost, from the ecological complex of “The Fall of the House of Usher” to the fairy-tale tone of “Hop-Frog,” from pre-internet catfishing to raging cats. The versions orbit the following topics:

• Inheritance and Influence
• Dualities and Craft
• Gendered Meanings
• Popular Culture
• Horror and Sensation
• The Problem of Comedy

Cover image by Helena Valeriano.

Introduction by Matthew Brown