Myriads Of Me: Tellur's Journal

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Wanderlust Project to moje muzyczne alter ego – projekt, nad którym pracuję od końca 2008 roku. Zapraszam Was do przesłuchania mojej twórczości!

6.2.09

Gotyk... (Część I)

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Zamieszczam mój esej o motywach gotyckich w opowiadaniu "The Purloined Letter" Edgara Allana Poe, chociaż bezpośrednio ów autor nie ma niczego wspólnego z moimi zainteresowaniami, którymi dzielę się na co dzień na Myriads Of Me. Jednak Poe uważany jest za jednego z inspiratorów współczesnej fantastyki oraz powieści detektywistycznej. Od jego opowiadań można naturalnie przejść do powieści Philipa K. Dicka lub Agathy Christie, nie wspominając nawet o Lovecraftcie. Jeżeli macie ochotę przeczytać mój esej, to możecie bez trudu zapoznać się na Sieci z opowiadaniem "The Purloined Letter" bądź jego polskim przekładem. Esej zamieszczę w kilku częściach. Zapraszam!

The Distribution of Power Within and Without The Gothic Mode in Edgar Allan Poe's The Purloined Letter

PART I:
THE PURLOINED LETTER AS GOTHIC FICTION

Edgar Allan Poe's "The Purloined Letter" does not manifest itself as Gothic fiction in any obvious matter. In fact, if one were to confine it to one literary genre, then judging by its subject matter and idiom it would be fair to characterize "The Purloined Letter" as a detective story, or, as Poe himself described the story before publication, as a tale of ratiocination (1) — reason. Although such an approach to subject matter is far removed from the Gothic mode in literature, which more often deals with the abandonment of reason instead, "The Purloined Letter" nevertheless shares certain similarities with Poe's stories of a more apparent Gothic mode, like "The Tell−Tale Heart" or "The Cask of Amontillado", thus making it possible to read the tale as a cross−genre narrative. Its similarities with Gothic fiction range from certain stylistic choices to the depiction of power struggles within the narrative in particular. Indeed, some psychoanalytical readings of Poe go as far as to insist that Poe's fascination with logic would thus be merely an attempt to prove himself rational when he felt he was going insane (...) (2). Therefore, following this mode of thinking, beneath the surface of reason in Poe's tales of ratiocination exists an underlying layer of madness, not unlike that of the Gothic mode.

"The Purloined Letter" is a rather peculiar forerunner to detective fiction, as its narrative does not concern itself with issues crucial to later detective stories — the mysteries of who committed the crime of stealing the letter and in what matter. In fact, the culprit, Minister D—, and the modus operandi of his crime are known from the very onset of the tale. Instead, "The Purloined Letter" concerns itself with the struggles of crude power and refined intellect, although the latter, as becomes apparent in the tale, leads to power as well. Such a depiction of various relations of power and oppression is the very quality which allows for "The Purloined Letter" to be read and interpreted for its Gothic qualities.

(1) Ollive Mabbot, Thomas. "Text of The Purloined Letter, with Notes." The Purloined Poe. Lacan, Derrida & Psychoanalytic Reading. Edited by John P. Muller & William J. Richardson. The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1988. P. 3.
(2) Felman, Shohana. "On Reading Poetry: Reflections on the Limits and Possibilities of Psychoanalytical Approaches." The Purloined Poe... P. 138.

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