Poe and Psyche

I was reading Poe's "Ulalume" again and again over the past few days and I quickly became curious about Poe's reference to Psyche. The poem takes place on a night in the "lonesome October" with a gray sky as the leaves are withering for the autumn season. In the region of Weir, by the lake of Auber, the narrator roams with a "volcanic" heart. He has a "serious and sober" talk with his soul, though he does not realize it is October or where his roaming is leading him. He remarks on the stars as night fades away, remarking on the brightest one, and wonders if it knows that the tears on his cheeks have not yet dried. His soul, however, mistrusts the star and where it is leading them. Just as the narrator calms his soul, he realizes he has unconsciously walked to the vault of his "lost Ulalume" on the very night he had buried her a year before.

Poe presents a narrator who is not aware of his return to the burial place of his beloved, unlike in the case of "Annabel Lee". Much work has been done by scholars to identify all of Poe's allusions, most notably by Thomas Ollive Mabbott. The narrator personifies his soul as the ancient Greek Psyche, representing the irrational but careful part of his subconsciousness. It is Psyche who first feels concerned about where they are walking and makes the first recognition that they have reached Ulalume's vault. I observe that whenever Edgar Allan Poe tries to delve into his inner self he always alludes to Psyche. See, for instance, "A Predicament" whose main protagonist is Psyche Zenobia; or "To Helen" where Poe attempts to identify true beauty and he does so by directly referring to Psyche in one of his lines. Did Poe make these allusions on purpose? Yes, in my view. Perhaps he did so to show us that his idea of the mind, the conscious and the subconscious was exactly as these are found in Hellenic thought.
 

Poe's "The Black Cat", and the god of the Underworld

Poe's "The Black Cat" is undeniably one of the most eerie tales the author has to offer. Its unreliable narrator is led by the spirit of PERVERSENESS into committing horrible crimes which he recollects as he awaits for his demise in death row. 

Among his crimes, the removal of one of his black cat's eyes is perhaps the one that terrifies readers the most, and I have noticed that from reactions that I have obtained while being next to people who were reading the story in the past. 

Many critics have considered the second cat to be a doppelganger, whereas others have claimed that it is Pluto that has come back to life. Beyond doubt, Pluto bears a number of supernatural features; or at least that's what Poe intended to achieve. Even though the narrator tries to logically figure out the answer to occurences that seem to be out of this world, he also comes to realize that the cat is "a phantasm", as he calls it. 

Is Pluto a regular cat just like those you see in every neighborhood? That question could only be answered by Poe himself. Yet, if one observes closely, they may observe that Poe's choice of name might be an reference to the ancient Pluto himself. That idea has been remarked on in one of Mabbott's notes, but no one has ever delved its depth. The god of death fed upon his subjects to prolong his ruling just like the black cat fed upon the dead wife to stay alive in the 'tomb'. Have you noticed how Poe describes the moment of the corpse's reappearance? The cat has a red mouth, hinting that it fed had been devouring the dead wife without even saying a word. That is why this tale is among my favourites. Do you believe that the cat is an allusion to Classical literature? Let me know on your thoughts.

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"A Predicament"

Poe's “A Predicament” has diachronically elicited a number of different interpretations, and critics have stressed the story's obvious satiric tone. “A Predicament” had another initial title, “The Scythe of Time”, which was later changed by Poe to its current one. Like most critics, I have tried hard to observe Poe's satire, but despite these efforts I constantly fail to find any extensive research that delves into the significance of Poe's allusions to the ancient past and his plain use of Greek words in the text.

Poe once again alludes to Psyche who now appears to be walking her dog through a city along with her black servant, Pompey. She is soon led to a large Gothic cathedral and, standing on Pompey's shoulders, she places her head in a small opening. However, she soon realizes that she is inside an enormous clock. As she observes the city, she becomes aware of the fact that the knifelike minute hand has begun to touch her neck. Unable to escape, she is ultimately decapitated. 

Why does Poe use the Hellenic word Ψυχή once more? Is it a mere coincidence that the Hellenic Psyche, the mythological character, also passes away on the top of a tall tower? Why has no study sufficiently delved the depths of Poe's use of Time in the narrative? All these questions remain unanswered. 

I am open to any ideas, suggestions and feedback through comments or via email (tsokd12@gmail.com).

Poe and Hellenic Allusions

Despite the fact that seminal studies such as that of Kenneth Silverman (1991) clearly indicate Poe's Hellenic education, his ability to read ancient Greek texts, and his fondness of Lord Byron — a renowned member of the 1821 Hellenic Revolution against the Turks — there have been merely a few scholars who have delved into the presence of Greece in Poe in a systematic manner. Below you will find the link to one of my first published articles that barely scratches the surface of the topic.

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Welcome

Hello and welcome to my blog! 

This page is an attempt to come in contact with readers of Poe who are particularly fond of some, if not all, of the American author's tales and poems. 

I am a Ph.D. Candidate of the University of Almeria and my research focuses on the Hellenic presence in Poe's storytelling. I am particularly interested in deciphering Poe's Hellenic allusions, his tendency to lie about having travelled to Greece, and his constant and inaccurate efforts to write in Greek, as one can easily observe in a number of his works. My aim is to publish polls, relevant concepts, queries and interesting articles in an effort to exchange ideas with all of you.I welcome your thoughts on any of my published articles and other academic activities. 

I want to thank my fellow Ph.D. Candidates: Germán Asensio for his kind help in changing the appearance of the main page of this blog, and Marina Asián for her truly useful advice.