When Alex Easton, a retired soldier, receives word that their childhood friend Madeline Usher is dying, they race to the ancestral home of the Ushers in the remote countryside of Ruritania. What they find there is a nightmare of fungal growths and possessed wildlife surrounding a dark, pulsing lake. It also feels strange to remember that Poe and many of the U.S. Founding Fathers were alive at the same time; a 15-year-old Poe served in the Richmond, VA, youth honor guard for a visit by the Marquis de Lafayette, and both Thomas Jefferson and John Addams died when Poe was 17. He also died before the Civil War began, which means that he regularly would have encountered enslaved people as part of daily life. Much of Poe’s work is a direct counter to the ideals of The Enlightenment and Transcendentalism; his writings focus on the horrors of death, decay — both literal and hypothetical, and satires. His work has fascinated readers for nearly two full centuries, spawning innumerable satires, retellings, and genres all on their own.
Edgar Allan Poe Retellings
Edgar Allan Poe Readalikes
At this point in the list, I’m shifting into less direct retellings. These are tales of gothic horror, of which Poe was an uncontested master. While they may not refer directly to Poe’s published works, his particular brand of creepiness is evident; his stamp is undeniable.
It is absolutely wild to me that one relatively young man’s writing career, spanning roughly 15 years, could result in an entire genre of books nearly 200 years later. What could have been accomplished had Poe not died mysteriously, wearing clothes that didn’t belong to him, on October 7th, 1849? As they say, it will be a mystery evermore. (I’m not sorry.) You might also be interested in: Edgar Allan Poe in Popular Culture24 Edgar Allan Poe Quotes On Love, Death, Madness, and More17 Signs That Your Tinder Date Might Be Edgar Allan Poe
