The Pit and the Pendulum and Other Tales

Edgar Allan Poe; Ed: David Van Leer Oxford University Press 2018 Hb, 338pp, bib, chron, notes, £14.99, ISBN 9780198827290

Whether you believe Poe to be justly associated with visionaries such as Nathaniel Hawthorne or Hermann Melville, or among the skilled technicians of the supernatural short story, one cannot doubt his literary perennialism.

This volume contains no surprises and many favourites – ‘Ligeia’, ‘The Masque of the Red Death’ and ‘MS. Found in a Bottle’, to name but three.

Van Leer’s introduction throws light upon the problematic position Poe occupied in 19th century literary life as he reminds us of the unpalatable behaviour and questionable family life that for many define Poe’s celebrity. Whether one enjoys a well sculpted tale of psychological or physical dread, or is appreciative of Poe’s unique subjectivity, Van Leer stresses the sacrosanct nature of his writing for many writers and philosophers to follow.

For the Symbolists, Surrealists and the heavyweight thinkers of French literary theory, Barthes and Lacan, Poe stands alongside Freud as a magus of the unconscious drive and the reign of the Id.

The select bibliography may also suggest how a new generation of writers – PoMosavvy and working within the New Weird genre – remain indebted to his spectral insights.

The 24 tales from the 1902 ‘Virginia’ edition present newcomers to Poe’s incredible tales of otherness and remind existing readers of his significance across the broader spectrum of American and European writing, and critical theory.

With scholarly annotations and bibliography, an informative introduction and useful chronology, Oxford University Press has produced a highly attractive volume suitable for all species of reader.

Chris Hill

★★★★★