Poe’s first published story was “Metzengerstein”
(1832), the story of a family rivalry that reaches a
critical point of violence, after which a demonic
horse appears. Probably the most famous of Poe’s
horror stories is “The Pit and the Pendulum,” which
contains no fantastic elements at all and is not even
a true story but rather a description of a series of
mental tortures followed by a tacked on rescue. He
was at his best in “THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF
USHER” (1839), in which a brother and sister are
caught in a psychological trap that will eventually
doom them both. Another excellent psychological
tale is “The Black Cat” (1845), wherein a man mur-
ders his wife but inadvertently walls up the family
cat when he attempts to conceal the body. The story
is generally interpreted to mean that he did so delib-
erately, if unconsciously, in response to his feelings
of guilt. “WILLIAM WILSON” is also one of his most
sophisticated stories. The protagonist lives a dissi-
pated life until the mysterious advent of an apparent
doppelgänger who exposes his activities but who
might actually be his own alter ego.
“The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar”
(1845) involves a man who dies while in a hyp-
notic trance. The trance state allows him to con-
tinue to speak even after death, and he expounds
upon the need to experience adversity in order to
appreciate pleasure. When finally released, Valde-
mar immediately subsides into a puddle of corrup-
tion. A group of nobles lock themselves in a castle
to keep out the plague that is ravaging the coun-
tryside in “The Masque of the Red Death” (1842),
but the figure that appears at their costume ball is
not a welcome guest after all but the personifica-
tion of the disease they had hoped to avoid.
“Morella” (1835) is a story of reincarnation. A
strong-willed woman of that name dies, leaving be-
hind her unnamed daughter, who is nearly grown
before she recognizes that she is also Morella and
promptly dies. Her mother’s grave proves to be
empty. A similar situation arises in “LIGEIA”
(1838), wherein another indomitable woman re-
turns from the grave to supplant the personality of
her husband’s second wife.
There is a ghost ship of sorts in “Ms Found in
a Bottle” (1833). “The Murders in the Rue
Morgue,” though often included in horror antholo-
gies, is a detective story. Most of Poe’s remaining
fantastic fiction is minor. “The Devil in the Belfry”
(1839) is a mildly humorous story about the ap-
pearance of the devil in a small village. The devil
also appears in “Never Bet the Devil Your Head”
(1841) and in “Bon-Bon” (1832), in the latter case
to discuss philosophy, and a demon does likewise in
“Silence—A Fable” (1838). Another conversation
takes place between supernatural entities in outer
space in “Conversation of Einos and Charmion”
(1839), and still another with a dead Egyptian in
“Some Words with a Mummy” (1845). “Mesmeric
Revelation” (1844) was an early treatment of “The
Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar.” “Eleanora”
(1842) is a gentle ghost story.
Many of Poe’s stories have been brought to
the screen, although often in a form the author
might not have recognized. His marginal tales are
only curiosities now, but his best work still holds up
well and is constantly reprinted. Although all of
his fiction can be collected in a single volume, it
has been shuffled and arranged in more than 100
separate collections under various titles since it
first appeared. Poe also wrote a number of macabre
poems, of which “The Raven” is the most famous.
He is acknowledged as a classic American writer
by mainstream as well as genre critics.“The Pomegranate Seed”Edith Wharton
(1931)
Edith Wharton is best known for her mainstream
novels, but she was also the author of a small but
highly respected body of short supernatural stories,
most involving ghosts, of which this subtle, soft-
spoken story is an excellent example. Charlotte
and Kenneth Ashby are happily married, her first
and his second marriage following the death of his
first wife. They are relatively well-off, though not
rich; they employ servants, but cannot afford to
move to a larger home or to redecorate their pre-
sent apartment. Kenneth regrets this because
Charlotte has no choice but to accept the design of
her predecessor, but Charlotte is content and does
not feel threatened by his memories of a lost love.
She accepts that he will always miss his first wife
but knows that he loves her truly.
Everything seems ideal except for one very
minor detail. From time to time she finds a letter“The Pomegranate Seed” 277