''Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque'' is a collection of previously published

short stories A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest t ...

Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; Edgar Poe; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic. Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre. He is wid ...

, first published in

1840 Events January–March * January 3 – One of the predecessor papers of the ''Herald Sun'' of Melbourne, Australia, ''The Port Phillip Herald'', is founded. * January 10 – Uniform Penny Post is introduced in the United Kingdom. * Janu ...

Publication

It was published by the

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

firm Lea & Blanchard and released in two volumes. The publisher was willing to print the collection based on the recent success of Poe's story "

The Fall of the House of Usher "The Fall of the House of Usher" is a short story by American writer Edgar Allan Poe, first published in 1839 in ''Burton's Gentleman's Magazine'', then included in the collection ''Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque'' in 1840. The short story ...

". Even so, Lea & Blanchard would not pay Poe any royalties; his only payment was 20 free copies. Poe had sought

Washington Irving Washington Irving (April 3, 1783 – November 28, 1859) was an American short-story writer, essayist, biographer, historian, and diplomat of the early 19th century. He is best known for his short stories "Rip Van Winkle" (1819) and " The Legen ...

to endorse the book, writing to him, "If I could be permitted to add ''even a word or two'' from yourself... ''my fortune would be made''". In his

preface __NOTOC__ A preface () or proem () is an introduction to a book or other literary work written by the work's author. An introductory essay written by a different person is a '' foreword'' and precedes an author's preface. The preface often close ...

, Poe wrote the now-famous quote defending himself from the criticism that his tales were part of "Germanism". He wrote, "If in many of my productions terror has been the thesis, I maintain that terror is not of

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

but of the

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun '' soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest atte ...

". The collection was dedicated to Colonel

William Drayton William Drayton (December 30, 1776May 24, 1846) was an American politician, banker, and writer who grew up in Charleston, South Carolina. He was the son of William Drayton Sr., who served as justice of the Province of East Florida (1765–17 ...

, anonymous author of ''The South Vindicated from the Treason and Fanaticism of the Northern Abolitionists'' (Philadelphia: H. Manly, 1836), whom Poe likely met while stationed in Charleston, South Carolina; when Drayton moved to

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, Poe continued to correspond with him. Drayton was a former member of Congress turned judge and may have

subsidized A subsidy or government incentive is a form of financial aid or support extended to an economic sector (business, or individual) generally with the aim of promoting economic and social policy. Although commonly extended from the government, the ter ...

the book's publication.

Critical response

Contemporary reviews were mixed. The anonymous critic in the ''Boston Notion'' suggested that Poe's work was better suited for readers of the future; people of the time should consider it "below the average of newspaper trash... wild, unmeaning, pointless, aimless... without anything of elevated fancy or fine humor". ''Alexander's Weekly Messenger'', on the other hand, remarked that the stories were the "playful effusion of a remarkable and powerful intellect". Likewise, the ''New York Mirror'' complimented the author's intellectual capacity, his vivid descriptions, and his opulent imagination. Even with those positive reviews, the edition did not sell well. When Poe requested a second release in 1841 with eight additional tales included, the publisher declined.

"Grotesque" and "Arabesque"

When its publication was announced in ''

Burton's Gentleman's Magazine ''Burton's Gentleman's Magazine and American Monthly Review'' (sometimes ''...and Monthly American Review'' or, more simply, ''Burton's Magazine''), was a literary publication published in Philadelphia from 1837 to 1840. Its founder was William Ev ...

'', its one-line description said that its title "pretty well indicates their tories'character". There has been some debate, however, over the meaning of Poe's terms "

Grotesque Since at least the 18th century (in French and German as well as English), grotesque has come to be used as a general adjective for the strange, mysterious, magnificent, fantastic, hideous, ugly, incongruous, unpleasant, or disgusting, and thus ...

" and "

Arabesque The arabesque is a form of artistic decoration consisting of "surface decorations based on rhythmic linear patterns of scrolling and interlacing foliage, tendrils" or plain lines, often combined with other elements. Another definition is "Foli ...

". Poe probably had seen the terms used by Sir

Walter Scott Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet, playwright and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European and Scottish literature, notably the novels '' Ivanhoe'', '' Rob Roy ...

in his essay "On the Supernatural in Fictitious Composition". Both terms refer to a type of

Islamic art Islamic art is a part of Islamic culture and encompasses the visual arts produced since the 7th century CE by people who lived within territories inhabited or ruled by Muslim populations. Referring to characteristic traditions across a wide ra ...

used to decorate walls, especially in

mosque A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, ...

s. These art styles are known for their complex nature. Poe had used the term "arabesque" in this sense in his essay " The Philosophy of Furniture". Poe may have been using these terms as subdivisions of

Gothic art Gothic art was a style of medieval art that developed in Northern France out of Romanesque art in the 12th century AD, led by the concurrent development of Gothic architecture. It spread to all of Western Europe, and much of Northern, Southern and ...

Gothic architecture Gothic architecture (or pointed architecture) is an architectural style that was prevalent in Europe from the late 12th to the 16th century, during the High and Late Middle Ages, surviving into the 17th and 18th centuries in some areas. It ...

in an attempt to establish similar subdivisions in

Gothic fiction Gothic fiction, sometimes called Gothic horror in the 20th century, is a loose literary aesthetic of fear and haunting. The name is a reference to Gothic architecture of the European Middle Ages, which was characteristic of the settings of e ...

. For example, the "grotesque" stories are those where the character becomes a caricature or

satire Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of shaming ...

, as in " The Man That Was Used Up". The "arabesque" stories focus on a single aspect of a character, often psychological, such as "

". A distant relative of Poe, modern scholar

Harry Lee Poe Harry Lee Poe (born 1950) is an American academic. He is the Charles Colson Chair of Faith and Culture at Union University in Jackson, Tennessee, and author of a number of books. He is a relative of the family of Edgar Allan Poe and president of ...

, wrote that "grotesque" means "horror", which is gory and often disgusting, and "arabesque" means "terror", which forsakes the blood and gore for the sake of frightening the reader.Poe, Harry Lee. ''Edgar Allan Poe: An Illustrated Companion to His Tell-Tale Stories''. New York: Metro Books, 2008: 65–66. Even so, accurately defining Poe's intentions for the terms is difficult and subdividing his tales into one category or another is even more difficult.

Vol. I *" Morella" *" Lionizing" *" William Wilson" *" The Man That Was Used Up: A Tale of the Late Bugaboo and Kickapoo Campaign" *"

" *" The Duc de L'Omelette" *" MS. Found in a Bottle" *"

Bon-Bon A bonbon is a small chocolate confection. They are usually filled with liqueur or other sweet alcoholic ingredients, and sold wrapped in coloured foil. Ingredients Through the Western world, bonbons are usually small candies but vary by region i ...

" *" Shadow: A Parable" *" The Devil in the Belfry" *"

Ligeia "Ligeia" () is an early short story by American writer Edgar Allan Poe, first published in 1838. The story follows an unnamed narrator and his wife Ligeia, a beautiful and intelligent raven-haired woman. She falls ill, composes "The Conqueror Wor ...

" *" King Pest: A Tale Containing an Allegory" *" The Signora Zenobia" *" The Scythe of Time" Vol. II *" Epimanes" *" Siope" *"

The Unparalleled Adventure of One Hans Pfaall "The Unparalleled Adventure of One Hans Pfaall" (1835) is a short story by Edgar Allan Poe published in the June 1835 issue of the monthly magazine ''Southern Literary Messenger'' as "Hans Phaall -- A Tale", intended by Poe to be a hoax. The stor ...

" *" A Tale of Jerusalem" *" Von Jung" *" Loss of Breath" *" Metzengerstein" *"

Berenice Berenice ( grc, Βερενίκη, ''Bereníkē'') is the Ancient Macedonian form of the Attic Greek name ''Pherenikē'', which means "bearer of victory" . Berenika, priestess of Demeter in Lete ca. 350 BC, is the oldest epigraphical evidence. ...

" *" Why the Little Frenchman Wears His Hand in a Sling" *"The Visionary" *"

The Conversation of Eiros and Charmion "The Conversation of Eiros and Charmion" is a short story by Edgar Allan Poe, an apocalyptic science fiction story first published in ''Burton's Gentleman's Magazine'' in December 1839. Plot summary Two people, who have been renamed Eiros and C ...

" *"Appendix" (to be appended to the "Hans Pfaall" story). Poe later revised several of these tales and republished them under new titles: :"The Visionary" as "The Assignation" :"Siope: A Fable" as "Silence: A Fable" :"Von Jung" as "Mystification" :"The Signora Zenobia" as "How to Write a Blackwood Article" :"The Scythe of Time" as "A Predicament" :"Epimanes" as "Four Beasts in One: The Homo-Cameleopard" :"Shadow: A Fable" as "Shadow: A Parable"

References

External links

''Tales of the grotesque and arabesque'' V1V2
at Internet Archive {{Authority control Short stories by Edgar Allan Poe 1840 short story collections American short story collections Horror short story collections

Publication

Critical response

"Grotesque" and "Arabesque"

Contents

References

External links