A Descent Into The Maelström
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"A Descent into the Maelström" is an 1841
short story A short story is a piece of prose fiction. It can typically be read in a single 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 old ...
by American writer
Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic who is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales involving mystery and the macabre. He is widely re ...
. In the tale, a man recounts how he survived a shipwreck and a
whirlpool A whirlpool is a body of rotating water produced by opposing currents or a current running into an obstacle. Small whirlpools form when a bath or a sink is draining. More powerful ones formed in seas or oceans may be called maelstroms ( ). ''Vo ...
. It has been grouped with Poe's tales of
ratiocination Reason is the capacity of consciously applying logic by drawing valid conclusions from new or existing information, with the aim of seeking the truth. It is associated with such characteristically human activities as philosophy, religion, scien ...
and also labeled an early form of
science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...
.


Plot

Inspired by the Moskstraumen, it is couched as a
story within a story A story within a story, also referred to as an embedded narrative, is a literary device in which a character within a story becomes the narrator of a second story (within the first one). Multiple layers of stories within stories are sometime ...
, a tale told at the summit of a mountain climb in
Lofoten Lofoten ( , ; ; ) is an archipelago and a Districts of Norway, traditional district in the county of Nordland, Norway. Lofoten has distinctive scenery with dramatic mountains and peaks, open sea and sheltered bays, beaches, and untouched lands. T ...
,
Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...
. The story is told by an old man who reveals that he only appears old—"You suppose me a ''very'' old man," he says, "but I am not. It took less than a single day to change these hairs from a jetty black to white, to weaken my limbs, and to unstring my nerves." The narrator, convinced by the power of the
whirlpool A whirlpool is a body of rotating water produced by opposing currents or a current running into an obstacle. Small whirlpools form when a bath or a sink is draining. More powerful ones formed in seas or oceans may be called maelstroms ( ). ''Vo ...
s he sees in the ocean beyond, is then told of the "old" man's fishing trip with his two brothers a few years ago. Driven by "the most terrible hurricane that ever came out of the heavens", their ship was caught in the
vortex In fluid dynamics, a vortex (: vortices or vortexes) is a region in a fluid in which the flow revolves around an axis line, which may be straight or curved. Vortices form in stirred fluids, and may be observed in smoke rings, whirlpools in th ...
. One brother was pulled into the waves; the other was driven mad by the horror of the spectacle, and drowned as the ship was pulled under. At first the narrator only saw hideous terror in the spectacle. In a moment of revelation, he saw that the Maelström is a beautiful and awesome creation. Observing how objects around him were attracted and pulled into it, he deduced that "the larger the bodies, the more rapid their descent" and that spherical-shaped objects were pulled in the fastest. Unlike his brother, he abandoned ship and held on to a cylindrical barrel until he was saved several hours later when the whirlpool temporarily subsided, and he was rescued by some fishermen. The "old" man tells the story to the narrator without any hope that the narrator will believe it.


Publication history

The story first appeared in the May 1841 edition of ''
Graham's Magazine ''Graham's Magazine'' was a nineteenth-century periodical based in Philadelphia established by George Rex Graham and published from 1840 to 1858. It was alternatively referred to as ''Graham's Lady's and Gentleman's Magazine'' (1841–1842, and J ...
'', published in April. Poe rushed to complete the story in time and later admitted that the conclusion was imperfect. Shortly after Poe's story "
The Murders in the Rue Morgue "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" is a short story by Edgar Allan Poe published in ''Graham's Magazine'' in 1841. It has been described as the first modern detective fiction, detective story; Poe referred to it as one of his "tales of wikt:ratio ...
" was translated into French without acknowledgment, French readers sought out other works by Poe, of which "A Descent into the Maelström" was amongst the earliest translated. Like his other sea adventure works ''
The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket ''The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket'', written and published in 1838, is the only complete novel by the American writer Edgar Allan Poe. The novel is set between 1827 and 1828 and relates the tale of the young Arthur Gordon Pym, wh ...
'' and '' The Journal of Julius Rodman'', "A Descent into the Maelström" was believed by readers to be true. One passage was reprinted in the ninth edition of the ''
Encyclopædia Britannica The is a general knowledge, general-knowledge English-language encyclopaedia. It has been published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. since 1768, although the company has changed ownership seven times. The 2010 version of the 15th edition, ...
''—but it was based on a passage that Poe had lifted from an earlier edition of that same encyclopedia. In June 1845, "A Descent into the Maelström" was collected for the first time in Poe's ''Tales'', published by G. P. Putnam's Sons Wiley & Putnam.


Analysis

The story's opening bears a similarity to
Samuel Taylor Coleridge Samuel Taylor Coleridge ( ; 21 October 177225 July 1834) was an English poet, literary critic, philosopher, and theologian who was a founder of the Romantic Movement in England and a member of the Lake Poets with his friend William Wordsworth ...
's ''
The Rime of the Ancient Mariner ''The Rime of the Ancient Mariner'' (originally ''The Rime of the Ancyent Marinere''), written by English poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge in 1797–98 and published in 1798 in the first edition of '' Lyrical Ballads'', is a poem that recounts th ...
'' (1798): in both, an excited old man tells his story of shipwreck and survival. The tale is one of sensation, emphasizing the narrator's thoughts and feelings, especially his terror of being killed in the whirlpool. The narrator uses his reasoning skills to survive and the story is considered one of Poe's early examples of
science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...
.


Major themes

*
Ratiocination Reason is the capacity of consciously applying logic by drawing valid conclusions from new or existing information, with the aim of seeking the truth. It is associated with such characteristically human activities as philosophy, religion, scien ...
(see also " The Mystery of Marie Rogêt", " The Purloined Letter", C. Auguste Dupin) * Sea tale (see also ''
The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket ''The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket'', written and published in 1838, is the only complete novel by the American writer Edgar Allan Poe. The novel is set between 1827 and 1828 and relates the tale of the young Arthur Gordon Pym, wh ...
'', " MS. Found in a Bottle", " The Oblong Box") *
Story within a story A story within a story, also referred to as an embedded narrative, is a literary device in which a character within a story becomes the narrator of a second story (within the first one). Multiple layers of stories within stories are sometime ...
(see also " The Oval Portrait")


Allusions

The story mentions Jonas Danilssønn Ramus, a man from Norway who wrote about a famous maelström at
Saltstraumen or is a small strait with one of the strongest Tide, tidal currents in the world. It is located in Bodø Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is located about southeast of the Bodø (town), town of Bodø. The narrow channel connects the ...
. The opening epigraph is quoted from an essay by
Joseph Glanvill Joseph Glanvill (1636 – 4 November 1680) was an English writer, philosopher, and clergyman. Not himself a scientist, he has been called "the most skillful apologist of the virtuosi", or in other words the leading propagandist for the appr ...
called "Against Confidence in Philosophy and Matters of Speculation" (1676), though Poe altered the wording significantly.


Critical response

Shortly after its publication, the April 28 issue of the ''Daily Chronicle'' included the notice "The 'Descent into the Maelstroom' by Edgar A. Poe, Esq., is unworthy of the pen of one whose talents allow him a wider and more ample range." Mordecai M. Noah in ''Evening Star'', however, said the tale "appears to be equal in interest with the powerful article from his pen in the last number, 'The Murder in the Rue Morgue'". In 1911, Richmond professor Robert Armistead Stewart said the story was "the most enthralling of that trio of tales of pseudo-science that demonstrate Poe's wizard power" along with " MS. Found in a Bottle" and " The Unparalleled Adventure of One Hans Pfaall".


Adaptations

In 1953, pianist
Lennie Tristano Leonard Joseph Tristano (March 19, 1919 – November 18, 1978) was an American jazz pianist, composer, arranger, and teacher of jazz improvisation. Tristano studied for bachelor's and master's degrees in music in Chicago before moving to New Yo ...
recorded "Descent into the Maelstrom", inspired by the short story. It was an improvised solo piano piece that used multitracking and had no preconceived
harmonic structure In music, harmony is the concept of combining different sounds in order to create new, distinct musical ideas. Theories of harmony seek to describe or explain the effects created by distinct pitches or tones coinciding with one another; harm ...
, being based instead on the development of motifs. In 1968, Editora Taika (Brazil) published a comic adaptation by Francisco De Assis, with art by Edegar and Ignacio Justo, entitled "Descida No Maelstrom!" in ''Album Classicos De Terror #7''. It was reprinted in ''Zarapelho #3'' in 1976. In 1974, Skywald published a comic adaptation by Al Hewetson in ''Psycho #18'' with art by Cesar Lopez Vera. It was reprinted by Ibero Mundial De Ediciones (Spain) in ''Dossier Negro #66'' (1974) and by Eternity Comics in ''Edgar Allan Poe: The Pit and the Pendulum and Other Stories #1'' in 1988. In 1975, Warren Publishing released a comic adaptation by Richard Margopoulos, with art by Adolpho Usero Abellan, in ''Creepy #70''. This version has been reprinted multiple times. In 1979, Crack released their first and only album, ''Si Todo Hiciera Crack'', which included "Descenso en el Maelström," an instrumental track based on the short story. In 1986, American composer
Philip Glass Philip Glass (born January 31, 1937) is an American composer and pianist. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential composers of the late 20th century. Glass's work has been associated with minimal music, minimalism, being built up fr ...
was commissioned by the Australian Dance Theatre to write a piece inspired by the story. In 1993, Novedades Editores (Mexico) published a comic adaptation in ''Clasicos De Terror #4'', "Cayendo En El Maestrom". Adapter and artist are unknown.


References in literary works

In 1962, British science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke wrote the short story "Maelstrom II" inspired by Poe's story. It was first published by ''
Playboy ''Playboy'' (stylized in all caps) is an American men's Lifestyle journalism, lifestyle and entertainment magazine, available both online and in print. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, funded in part by a $ ...
'' and can also be found in Clarke's anthology, '' The Wind from the Sun''. The story is set in the orbit of the Moon rather than at sea. In 1970, Czechoslovak writer
Ludvík Vaculík Ludvík Vaculík (23 July 1926 – 6 June 2015) was a Czech writer and journalist. He was born in Brumov, Moravian Wallachia. A prominent samizdat writer, he was best known as the author of the " Two Thousand Words" manifesto of June 1968 ...
made many references to "A Descent into the Maelström" as well as " The Black Cat" in his novel '' The Guinea Pigs''. In
Kurt Vonnegut Kurt Vonnegut ( ; November 11, 1922 – April 11, 2007) was an American author known for his Satire, satirical and darkly humorous novels. His published work includes fourteen novels, three short-story collections, five plays, and five nonfict ...
's ''
Player Piano A player piano is a self-playing piano with a pneumatic or electromechanical mechanism that operates the piano action using perforated paper or metallic rolls. Modern versions use MIDI. The player piano gained popularity as mass-produced home ...
'', Paul Proteus thinks to himself "Descent into the Maelstrom" as he succumbs to the will of his wife. In
Liu Cixin Liu Cixin (, pronounced ; born 23 June 1963) is a Chinese computer engineer and science fiction writer. In English translations of his works, his name is given as Cixin Liu. He is sometimes called "''Da'' Liu" ("Big Liu") by his fellow sc ...
's '' Death's End'', Poe and this short story are both referenced, and some of the characters visit Moskstraumen.


References


Sources

* * * * * * *


External links


Publication history of "A Descent into the Maelström"
at th
Edgar Allan Poe Society

Information about Philip Glass's musical interpretation.
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Descent Into The Maelstrom, A 1841 short stories Short stories by Edgar Allan Poe Short stories set in the Arctic Short stories set in Norway Works originally published in Graham's Magazine