Essential Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe (Barnes & Noble Classics Series) (110 page)
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Authors: Edgar Allan Poe
BOOK: Essential Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe (Barnes & Noble Classics Series)
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jl
Went over the side.
jm
Musselmen are Muslims; the old Islamic belief described here is recorded in George Sale’s “Preliminary Discourse” to his translation of the
Koran
(1734). Poe drew upon Sale’s work elsewhere.
Koran
(1734). Poe drew upon Sale’s work elsewhere.
jn
See Archimedes, “De
Incidentibus in Fluido?
—lib. 2 (Poe’s note). This quotation does not come from the Greek mathematician and inventor (c.287-212 B.C.); Poe made it up as a joke.
Incidentibus in Fluido?
—lib. 2 (Poe’s note). This quotation does not come from the Greek mathematician and inventor (c.287-212 B.C.); Poe made it up as a joke.
jo
Poe’s translation from the Spanish—of T. H. Hermenegildo de las Torres’s
Cuentos en verso castellano
(1828)—is accurate, if free.
Cuentos en verso castellano
(1828)—is accurate, if free.
jp
The entire listing of historic authors comes from Henry N. Coleridge’s
Introductions to the Study of the Greek Classic Poets
(1831).
Introductions to the Study of the Greek Classic Poets
(1831).
jq
Writers of explanations concerning authors or writings; annotators.
jr
The Antediluvians
(1829, 1831): a book-length poem by American author James McHenry;
Powhatan: A Metrical Romance
(1841): a poem by American author Seba Smith, negatively reviewed by Poe; “Cock Robin” and “Hop 0’ My Thumb”: children’s stories.
(1829, 1831): a book-length poem by American author James McHenry;
Powhatan: A Metrical Romance
(1841): a poem by American author Seba Smith, negatively reviewed by Poe; “Cock Robin” and “Hop 0’ My Thumb”: children’s stories.
js
The
Dial
(founded 1842) was the main periodical of American transcendentalism;
Down-Easter
is Poe’s imaginary, comic takeoff on New England (“Down East”) periodicals.
Dial
(founded 1842) was the main periodical of American transcendentalism;
Down-Easter
is Poe’s imaginary, comic takeoff on New England (“Down East”) periodicals.
jt
A comic stab at the prestigious
North American Review
and its presumed ponderous articles. This and the preceding notes establish Poe’s comic foundation for this tale.
North American Review
and its presumed ponderous articles. This and the preceding notes establish Poe’s comic foundation for this tale.
ju
French poet Jean de la Fontaine derived his
Fables
(1668-1694) from those of Aesop.
Fag end,
from cloth measurement, is the last bit of fabric on a bolt; thus the scrap left once the best has been used.
Fables
(1668-1694) from those of Aesop.
Fag end,
from cloth measurement, is the last bit of fabric on a bolt; thus the scrap left once the best has been used.
jv
“Let the dead suffer no injury” ... “Of the dead [say] nothing but good” (Latin). The first phrase does not appear in old Roman tables of law; the second originated with the early Greek philosopher Chilon (sixth century B.C.). ll Low-grade beer.
jw
Comic name sounding like “To be damned.” Throughout this story Poe engages in deft wordplay—for example, using “stile” for [an author‘s] “style.”
jx
That is, he refused to sign a promise to abstain from alcohol.
jy
Hypochondriac, morbid (as many of Poe’s narrators are).
jz
That is, with confused idealism; referring to the philosophy of transcendentalism, which emphasizes the spiritual over the material.
ka
Merry-Andrewism
and
Tomfoolery
both mean “buffoonery” or “clowning.”
and
Tomfoolery
both mean “buffoonery” or “clowning.”
kb
Fancy dance step.
kc
Braggart, boaster.
kd
Close-fitting knee breeches.
ke
Quarterly Review
was a nineteenth-century British magazine notorious for its slashing critiques;
Fudge
means “nonsense”; Poe may also allude to books by Irish Romantic writer Thomas Moore (1779-1852) that chronicle adventures of the Fudge family.
was a nineteenth-century British magazine notorious for its slashing critiques;
Fudge
means “nonsense”; Poe may also allude to books by Irish Romantic writer Thomas Moore (1779-1852) that chronicle adventures of the Fudge family.
kf
Named for French general Henri-Joseph Paixhans (1783-1854), inventor of a gun that throws explosives.
kg
Title of a large anthology of American poetry (1842), edited by Rufus W. Griswold, who later edited a collection of Poe’s writings (1850-1856).
kh
William W. Lord (1819-1907), minor American poet reviewed savagely by Poe.
ki
Person with a wooden or lame leg.
kj
Doctors who treat illness with small amounts of medicine (“physic”).
kk
Mark on a family coat of arms indicating illegitimacy; here it creates a double pun because Toby’s death is caused by a sinister bar.
kl
The soul’s safety lies in the preservation of the specific form (Latin); quotation by Ramon Llull (c.1235-1315), Spanish
philosopher
and clergyman. Poe’s source, however, is probably
Notre-Dame de Paris
(1831; The
Hunchback of Notre Dame),
a novel by French writer Victor Hugo.
philosopher
and clergyman. Poe’s source, however, is probably
Notre-Dame de Paris
(1831; The
Hunchback of Notre Dame),
a novel by French writer Victor Hugo.
km
“They entered the sea of darkness so they might explore what was in it” (Latin); sea of darkness refers to uncharted regions of the North Atlantic Ocean (see note on page 230). “Adventures” is a misprint for “adventurers.”
kn
Eleonora has the same root meaning as
Lenore
(in “The Raven”) and
Helen
(in “To Helen”), all suggesting beauty and dazzling light. The lovely and enchanting Valley of Many-Colored Grass symbolizes life and idyllic relationships.
Lenore
(in “The Raven”) and
Helen
(in “To Helen”), all suggesting beauty and dazzling light. The lovely and enchanting Valley of Many-Colored Grass symbolizes life and idyllic relationships.
ko
Asphodels symbolize death and immortality. (These flowers can also symbolize death; see footnote on p. 101).
kp
Zephyrs are gentle west winds. No source has been located for the “giant serpents of Syria.”
kq
Five-year span.
kr
God of love in Greek mythology.
ks
Instrument of the Greek god of wind; also a wind chime popular in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
kt
The evening star.
ku
Graceful angels who hover near God’s heavenly throne.
kv
Perhaps a reference to Sa‘di (c.1213-1292) or Hafez (c.1326-1389), Persian poets born in
.
.kw
Or ephemerid; a mayfly that lives less than a day.
kx
Or Elysium; in classical mythology, the world of the good after death.
ky
An
avatar
is a dynamic figure or character symbolizing some idea or principle;
seal,
in this case, represents an official approval supplied, perhaps, by a notary’s seal or a wax seal bearing a family crest.
avatar
is a dynamic figure or character symbolizing some idea or principle;
seal,
in this case, represents an official approval supplied, perhaps, by a notary’s seal or a wax seal bearing a family crest.
kz
One of Poe’s ironic names—this prince does not prosper.
la
Improvisers.
lb
Beauty or arrangement (Latin). In English,
decor
may mean “a stage setting,” which would also be appropriate and ironic in context of Prospero’s wish for an elaborate “show.”
decor
may mean “a stage setting,” which would also be appropriate and ironic in context of Prospero’s wish for an elaborate “show.”
lc
Lavish party or entertainment (French).
ld
Title of a stage play (1830) by French writer Victor Hugo.
le
Delusory appearances. Again Poe blurs flesh-and-blood tangibility with an element of mind, reinforcing the idea that these characters symbolize mental elements or states.
lf
See note 2 of
Tales.
Tales.
lg
As in a theatrical part or role (French).
lh
Whirring sound.
li
Phraseology, expression.
lj
See note on p. 188.
lk
Followed unexpectedly.
ll
Gloomy underground world of the dead in Greek mythology.
lm
Literally, act of faith (Portuguese); colloquialism for the public burnings of heretics condemned by the Inquisition, the Roman Catholic court that dealt with heresy from the fifteenth to the early nineteenth centuries.
ln
City in Spain, capital of Toledo province; a center for the work of the Spanish Inquisition.
lo
Belt fastened around a horse to secure a saddle or pack; also the belt securing a priest’s robe.
lp
Lantern with metal doors that close to conceal light.
lq
That is, the eye that overpowers or kills; a long-standing folk tradition.
lr
Deathwatch beetles, which commonly live in the walls of old houses; in folklore, their tapping noises foretell a death in the house.
ls
Rapid rhythmic rapping.
lt
These lines are not from Irish playwright Arthur Murphy’s comedy
All in the Wrong
(1761); Poe made them up. In folklore of medieval Europe, a tarantula’s bite was thought to cause hysterical dancing, a phenomenon known as tarantism.
All in the Wrong
(1761); Poe made them up. In folklore of medieval Europe, a tarantula’s bite was thought to cause hysterical dancing, a phenomenon known as tarantism.
lu
U.S. Army site at the entrance to Charleston Harbor, where Poe was stationed in 1827.
lv
Dutch naturalist Jan Swammerdam (1637-1680), author of
Historia insectorum generalis
(A
General History of Insects).
Historia insectorum generalis
(A
General History of Insects).
lw
Scarab beetle, considered sacred by ancient Egyptians.
lx
The misunderstanding comes from a Southern pronunciation of “antennae” as “an-tin-y.”
ly
Gold-bug.
lz
Term for the former standard-size writing paper in Great Britain (16 x 13 inches); the sheets had the watermark of a fool’s cap—that is, a hat worn by court jesters or lazy students (also “dunce cap”).
ma
Reference to the death’s head sphinx moth, which has a skull-like design on the rear of its body. Poe uses this insect again in “The Sphinx” (1846).
mb
Man’s head scarabaeus (Latin).
mc
Jupiter’s term for “cipher.”
md
His maneuvers.
me
Epistle.
mf
Brusqueness, bluntness.
mg
Alone.
mh
Eagerness, earnestness (French).
mi
Large tree of the magnolia family that does not grow on Sullivan’s Island.
mj
Extremely poisonous substance long used to slow or prevent rot.
mk
Former English coins.
ml
Tokens or odd coins.
mm
Animal skin prepared for writing, or high-grade paper that resembles genuine parchment.
mn
Zaffre
is a blue pigment that derives from cobalt;
aqua regia
refers to a blend of hydrochloric and nitric acids used for dissolving gold;
regulus
is a term for impure metal that lies beneath slag during smelting;
nitre
is potassium nitrate.
is a blue pigment that derives from cobalt;
aqua regia
refers to a blend of hydrochloric and nitric acids used for dissolving gold;
regulus
is a term for impure metal that lies beneath slag during smelting;
nitre
is potassium nitrate.
mo
Fine grade of parchment.
mp
Ancient ruined city in India, reputedly holding vast treasures, particularly diamonds.
mq
Digging tool resembling a pick and adze.
mr
Assistants.
ms
Bizarre (French).
mt
Ruler of the underworld in Greek mythology; the narrator’s close attachment to the cat may symbolize his own emotional dark interior.
mu
Sculptured figures, usually in profile, raised slightly above the background surface; the gallows figure here and on the second cat foreshadows the narrator’s fate.
mv
Delusory appearance (see note on p. 264); this is another “mind word,” so to speak, which shifts perspective from a horror tale calculated for mere shoddy thrills to more subtle psychological fiction.
mw
Passenger vessel transporting mail and other goods regularly between two ports.
mx
Military term for hidden artillery.
my
One of a chain of islands off the coast of North Carolina, near Pamlico Sound; notorious for bad storms.
mz
Below.
na
Galley, or kitchen.
nb
Waterway near Cape Hatteras, where a disastrous shipwreck occurred in October 1837.
nc
Medium-size ship’s boat used for rough work.
nd
Region of low hills southwest of Charlottesville, Virginia.
ne
Saratoga Springs, New York, a town renowned in Poe’s day for its medicinal mineral waters.
nf
Franz Anton Mesmer (1734-1815), German physician whose theory of “animal magnetism” (a drawing force between persons) developed into a method of inducing hypnotism known as “mesmerism,” a forerunner of modern hypnotism.
ng
Comfortable relationship; affinity.
nh
Temperament.
ni
Unbroken.
nj
Reference to the Bible, 1 Thessalonians 4:16: “For the Lord... shall descend... with a shout, with the voice of the archangel [angel of high rank], and with the trump[et] of God” (King James Version).
nk
Probably
The Arabian Nights or Tales of the Genii.
The Arabian Nights or Tales of the Genii.
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