Episode Transcript
[00:00:00]
Peter B: Hey Amanda, have you seen The Fall of the House of Usher?
Amanda: I have.
Peter B: You have?
Amanda: I have.
Peter B: Okay. So it was released on Netflix like November last year. It's that new limited series that unravels the mysteries hidden in the walls of the Usher estate. It was amazing, wasn't it?
Amanda: It was amazing.
Peter B: About these two ruthless siblings, Roderick and a Madeline Usher, who gain their wealth and build their family legacy through some, I would say, pretty questionable business ethics.
Amanda: Absolutely questionable.
Peter B: Right?
But as success mounts, a series of events begins to unfold that ultimately leads to the destruction of their family. Dun dun dun. And Amanda, who would have suspected that the life, legacy, and literature of one incredibly introverted and super solitary dude who lived over 200 years ago and faced some massive personal demons could have such a profound effect on today's pop culture and still find ways to inspire new stories?
But he did! And today, we're going to tell you all about Mr. Edgar Allan Poe, the man, the myth, the And the legend, people. [00:01:00]
Amanda: But wait, really? Poe? Poe's gonna make me cultured and curious. How so?
Peter B: Uh, cause I said so. Is that an acceptable answer?
Amanda: Mmm, probably not.
Peter B: Cause I'm not sophisticated enough yet?
Amanda: I mean
Peter B: You're killing me.
Alright, fine. So how about studying and understanding Poe's contributions to literature is THE . ultimate sign of cultural literacy. How about that? Period. Mic drop done. His legacy helps us to understand the evolution of different literary genres, and of course, demonstrates the enduring power of storytelling.
And Amanda, I am a storyteller.
Amanda: So I can understand why you're obsessed with Poe, but does he tie into the house of Usher?
Peter B: He, Oh, he's tying in. Oh, don't get spoiler alerts every, don't like, let's go. We're going to tie this all together in some beautiful dance of Poe and Usher.
Amanda: Okay.
Peter B: Let's go.
Amanda: I'm here for it.
Peter B: Hey everyone, welcome to sort of [00:02:00] sophisticated, a podcast rooted in becoming more cultured and curious where we endeavor to suspend judgment, expand our worldview, and learn to appreciate varying perspectives and values,
Amanda: but really it's a show where we hope to enlighten anyone who cares on topics that might make them more interesting and well versed humans and just dangerous enough to hold their own in this sophisticated world, sort of.
Peter B: And today we will be diving into the mysterious and macabre world of one of the most iconic figures in American literature. Good old Eddie Allen Poe, where darkness and mystery blend with poetic brilliance. Poe wrote the original Fall of the House of Usher in 1839 and published it for some gentleman's magazine named Burton's.
It's probably some super famous thing back then, I don't know. Some say as inventor of the short story, it was one of his most iconic stories ever written, showcasing his mastery of gothic fiction and his exploration of psychological and supernatural themes. I say he was just batshit crazy.
Amanda: Can we pause for a second?
Peter B: [00:03:00] Pause.
Amanda: So one, when I hear Poe, I immediately think of the Raven saying nevermore. Two, I had baby lip books that I read to my girls that were Poe based, and now seeing the House of Usher and actually reading up on Poe? Why? Why did I do that? All I'm saying is I'm actually really excited about this episode.
Peter B: Um, first of all, you're amazing. And I wish more people would read cool stuff like that to their kids. Like, good on you, you're awesome, even if they do sleep in your room every night now, right?
Amanda: I mean, they do, but we don't talk about that on the podcast.
Peter B: Sorry, my bad, yo. Um, but for all you grown ups that have to sleep alone like me, in this episode we're going to try to cover just enough about Poe to make you, well, uh, sort of sophisticated, his writing style, some of his famous works, his personal struggles, and ultimately his legacy and contribution to literature, and how it all ties in, Amanda, To the Netflix series.
So grab your blanket, turn down the lights. Amanda, hit the lights. Let's go. And let's explore the life and [00:04:00] works of the master of the macabre. And our word of the day is uplifting. Our challenge is to work this word into the podcast somewhere and make it seem like we meant to.
Amanda: I can't believe you picked the word uplifting.
Peter B: I did it on purpose.
Amanda: Oh, I guessed. I mean, it is Edgar Allan Poe, and you do know who he is, so I'm just gonna think you're a nutso on this one. But what I do think we should do What? is maybe have our viewers give us some recommendations for word of the day.
Peter B: Oh, so I don't screw you anymore like this? This is a good idea.
Amanda: I mean, just a thought
Peter B: Alright, word of the day. Text them to wordoftheday. com. What do they text me to? I don't even know.
Amanda: They can just email it to sortofsophisticatedpodcast at gmail. com.
Peter B: Oh my god. You're so good. Look at that. That's so cool. We have an email address. I didn't realize we were famous. Know what we should have done as word of the day macabre, because I've already said like five times already. Can we just change it? And seriously. Okay. Why is it even pronounced macabre? Shouldn't it be macabre? [00:05:00] I always thought it was macabre.
Amanda: One No, we can't change it because you've already used it So that doesn't count fine and two I didn't even know really what you were talking about when you kept saying macabre I didn't even realize that Macrabe is not how you pronounce it.
Peter B: I thought no, I thought forever like I was like I don't know. I was getting old when I figured out how to say it right
Amanda: today. Years old. I was, yeah. So mission accomplished. Yeah. I'm a little more sophisticated today. Good job. Good job. Let's go. Okay. So why don't you give us a little background to kick things off?
Who was Edgar Allen Poe anyway? And maybe some history. I know you love history. So
Peter B: I hate history. I do that. I just do this for the listeners. I don't even want, okay. My bad.
All right, let's go. Poe was born in England. 1809 in Baston, Massachusetts, Baston, he was a second child of this dude named David and Elizabeth Poe, good old Lizzie Poe.
His parents were both actors, side note, and first fun [00:06:00] fact Amanda giving it to you early, he was named Edgar Allan Poe. After one of the characters in a Shakespeare play, King Lear. Because his parents were, like, totally into that shit, and they were, like, super into acting. Who would have known? But before his life could really start, tragedy struck.
Dun dun dun. Edgar's dad abandons the family in 1810, when he was, like, one year old. Then his mom dies, I shouldn't be laughing, this is terrible, the next year of tuberculosis, when he was two. Bad start. Then, after that, Poe and his siblings get separated. Right? Crazy.
Amanda: Oh, well, I'm gonna need you to have his fairy godmother show up and wave her wand right about now.
So,
Peter B: so tragic. Yeah, she needs to do something. They grew up in different families. So, anyway, Edgar ends up being adopted, air quotes, by John and Francis Allen of Richmond, Virginia. Well, not really adopted, but good enough. John Allen was this rich tobacco guy and him and Francis basically became the foster parents of Edgar.
And that's how Edgar ended up with the name Allen. So there's that, [00:07:00] which. It's crazy. So he was Edgar Poe. And now he's Edgar Allen Poe because of Johnny and Francis.
Amanda: There's a certain rhyme to it.
Peter B: There is. There really is. I don't even know if he saw his brothers and sisters again, so don't even ask me.
Okay, then he goes and gets smart and stuff by going to private school in Richmond, Virginia and then somewhere in England because his foster dad was totally loaded. And because they have smart schools in England. Who are we kidding? He comes back, he attends the University of Virginia, and actually does pretty good for a while.
But then got into like a lot of shit with his foster dad because he spent way too much of his money while he was at college Story of my life, and he also gambled like a mother trucker like a gambling problem totally So it takes a minute But basically his dad well foster dad stops funding his lifestyle and then Edgar's forced to leave school because he couldn't fund his lifestyle any Longer, that's it.
Amanda: Are you ready Pete?
Peter B: What?
Amanda: Well, that just wasn't very uplifting now was it?
Peter B: So easy it took you like two seconds, I used oh I could do it you just nailed it
Amanda: didn't say that we couldn't do it, [00:08:00] but
Peter B: That was so easy for you. It was easy. Job well done. It was easy. Super early. This is probably why we need more people to give us better words.
Like, let's be honest. Okay. Anyway, back to my uplifting history lesson here. So next, he tries the military for a second. Speculation. I think he was trying to figure out how to make his own money. But he gets kicked out because he basically acted like an asshole the whole time. Like, he was really good at it.
Like, he was super good at his job at the military. He just couldn't stay because he was freaking out. So after the military, he focuses on building a career as a writer slash editor and starts publishing some of his early works in magazines. And things start gaining like a little bit of momentum. He starts getting a little recognition.
Like he's not signing autographs or anything like that. Don't get me wrong, Amanda, but he's getting recognized on like street corners every once in a while kind of thing. You know what I mean? Like that. Then shit gets weird. In 1836, he marries his cousin inbreder, Virginia Clem. She was half his age. And while this shouldn't matter if you're like 65 and she's like 32, in this case he was 27 and she was 13 .
Amanda: That's, that's not good. No, it's not. I [00:09:00] mean, I'm sure that was normal back then.
Peter B: I don't think so. Cousin 13 .
Amanda: Maybe. Maybe it was.
Peter B: No. No.
Amanda: Oh, we're gonna have to look that one up, but why is it that all artists or geniuses only become famous after they die?
Peter B: Maybe we'll be famous too, Pete. After we die?
What good is that? I'm gonna be famous right now. This is terrible.
Amanda: That's fair.
Peter B: Right. Trick is we gotta do this before we die, Amanda. Or kill me now. All right. Anyway. Technically. Technically. He was mildly famous before he died. Let's be honest people knew him, but he didn't like get a lot of credibility They really didn't have like did they have famous people back in the olden days?
I don't even know how that worked. Like did people like oh my god, look at him I don't know maybe maybe but anyway, my point is people did know him So there was a modicum of femioso, okay
Amanda: So, he wasn't super famous back in the day. What makes him so famous today? Like, did more people just think, Oh, that was a good story.
Or was it because he was just nuts and people think it's cool to listen to? Like people who are a little crazy.
Peter B: [00:10:00] Oh people think it's cool to like people who are crazy. Everybody loves an outcast nowadays. It's like the whole underdog thing, right?. Alright, speculation. I didn't look this up but I think he probably got famous because of his writing style. It was super new and super weird at the time. You know what Amanda? It was the total opposite of uplifting. Yes, it was really unparalleled for the time. Unparalleled. That should have been our word of the day.
I have two word of the day we're going to add. We're going to add macabre and we're going to add unparalleled. I have, I have plans.
Amanda: But you already nailed them. No, I got plans. I got plans. Okay, okay.
Peter B: The best way to explain, like, why he was, I guess, mildly famous was he was the pioneer of disturbing. His stories were, like, over the top creepy.
And he went to some really dark places in the brain that people just don't like to go to. Or, I guess I should say, like, they don't like to admit to. To go there, but they go there. They just don't want people to know they go there So his settings were super dark like dark dark like scary Airbnb specializing in bad vibes and bad decor dark like cobwebs Everywhere [00:11:00] as soon as you walk in the door dark his themes were darker than his settings like Halloween was clearly this guy's favorite holiday Amanda Every day was Halloween.
It was like it was like Halloween 365 days a year. Everything was about death and Madness or guilt. Always. And the emotion he wrote with was always so intense. Like, imagine Ruth, my lovely and dramatic teenage daughter. Sitting here talking to you right now about her latest bad breakup with her current boyfriend.
And multiply that by like ten. That's about the minimum amount of emotion Poe would pack into each one of his stories. Get the idea?
Amanda: Yeah, that's a lot of emotion.
Peter B: That's because she brings a lot.
Yeah. Times 10.
And that's in like, and that's in like one of his short stories. All right. Yeah, a lot of emotion.
Um, so I don't know. So you had settings, you had like themes, you had emo, these are reason, all these are reasons why like this was super cutting edge for the time. And then like his language, right? It was super rhythmatic, poetic
Peter B: And his narrators were super complex and who are we [00:12:00] kidding? Mostly unreliable and totally mentally unstable.
And I think he did this to mess with us. He wanted us to question whether we could count on what we were really hearing from the narrator. He was a total sociopath. And finally, like the real reason, like the real, real reason I think he got famous was because he understood ADD before it was a thing. He sort of founded the whole short story concept.
Even though we use super long descriptive words, his stories were tight. And really intense, because he knew we would all be cell phone addicts one day and wouldn't pick up a real book anymore.
Amanda: And he'll forever be my hero, coming up with that short story.
Peter B: Yeah, I bet.
Amanda: Making it a thing.
Okay, so here's where we can start to tie in the Netflix series with our buddy Poe. Yes! Because really, that is what the genius of the House of Usher is all about. Because I bet most people didn't even realize that it takes these stories and weaves them into the character's arc. Why does this make us more sophisticated?
Well, when you watch the fall of the house of Usher, you will be more sophisticated.
Peter B: Totally. [00:13:00] Actually each of the eight episodes in the series is named after one of his works, as is the name of the show itself, the fall of the house of Usher.
Let's do a quick refresh on the Netflix series. The story's about the two siblings, Roderick and Madeline Usher, who are trying to get super rich and famous and stuff by building a family dynasty that, well, ultimately all goes to shit when Roderick's kids start to mysteriously die, one by one. Spoiler alert.
And the post short story, Fall of the House of Usher, is about a mentally unstable man named Roderick Usher,
Amanda: Go figure.
Peter B: who lives in a mansion with his sister Madeline and claims that the house exercises some sort of, like, control over them. So, not to give it all away, but Madeline dies unexpectedly, so Roderick buries her in the yard.
But after a few days of chillin in the dirt, Madeline wakes up, climbs out of her grave, and basically tries to kill Roderick for burying her alive.
Amanda: Hey, and fun fact for you, did you know it's believed that the House of Usher was really inspired by an actual real life building?
Peter B: Wait, wait, wait, what?
Amanda: Yep, it was called the Hezekiah Usher House, and it was built [00:14:00] on some estate up in Boston, Massachusetts.
Peter B: Oh my god,
Amanda: that is awesome.
Peter B: Oh, I have like, I have goosebumps. What? I have to totally Google that and find that out. That is so awesome.
Amanda: Alright, well, here's another fun fact then.
Peter B: Wait, you have a super fun fact?
Amanda: Yes, I guess it's a super fun fact.
Peter B: You just went from fun fact to super fun fact? Go.
Amanda: Hezekiah Usher was the first known bookseller in the original Thirteen Colonies.
Peter B: No shit.
Amanda: Super random.
Peter B: That is awesome.
Amanda: But According to some sources, Hezekiah walked in on his wife and her lover together at his property and killed them both and then buried them in the house.
Peter B: In the actual house?
Amanda: In the house.
Peter B: No way. I call BS. Seriously? I call total BS. No, I call BS on that. You're making this up.
Amanda: Nope. In a Boston Opera press release, whatever that is, it was reported that when the Usher House was torn down in 1830.
Where two bodies were found embraced in a cavity in the cellar.
Peter B: That is freaking totally creepy.
I want to go see where this, where this house was built.
Amanda: Yeah. And we should totally go during Halloween [00:15:00] too. I want to, yeah. And then we're just going to do the whole Boston tour.
Peter B: Oh my God. Let's go. That, I think you just nailed the best fun fact in the history of the world. That is awesome. Okay. Thank you.
All right, can we get back on track though?
Amanda: We totally can.
Peter B: Enough with the facts. Don't spoil, don't spoil fun facts for me. You're stealing my fun facts, man. All right.
Amanda: I didn't steal that one. That was a new one.
Peter B: I didn't know that. I had no idea. No, no, that was amazing. You, you like, you like, I don't even know what to say.
You like fun fact, the fun factor. I don't even know what to say there. Okay. Okay, back on track. So without giving too much away about the Netflix series, but still trying to share some info about Poe, let's buzz through like a summary of each episode and its partner Poe short story influence. So how about you do the Netflix episode, And then I'll follow right behind you with the Poe story.
Amanda: Yep, let's go.
Peter B: Alright, hit it. Episode 1.
Amanda: Episode 1. A Midnight Dreary. Actually, the first line of Poe's poem, titled The Raven. The first Netflix episode introduces the Usher family and really just it concentrates on the dialogue between Assistant DA August Dupont, named after [00:16:00] Poe's detective in a number of his short stories, and the wealthy CEO of the Usher estate, Roderick Usher, also one of Poe's characters, is facing a criminal investigation through all his family tragedies.
Peter B: Okay, so this episode was inspired by Poe's poem, The Raven, which is probably, let's be honest, Poe's most famous work. It was published in 1845, and it's noted for its rhythm and stylized language. It's narrated by a totally lost lover who gets visited by a talking raven. After a long conversation with the raven, the narrator basically goes insane at the thought that he will never more forget the memory of his lost love, Lenore.
Oh, it's so awesome. I remember reading it in like fifth grade and being super freaked out by this poem. It was excellent.
Amanda: I've never read it.
Peter B: You gotta read it.
Amanda: I am. I'm gonna have to.
Peter B: You know what, that's part of the one. That's the takeaway of this episode.
Amanda: Yeah. I'm gonna have to. Yeah.
Okay. Because I'm super interested. All right. Episode two is the Mask of the Red Death. This one is about the youngest of the Usher children, Prospero, who [00:17:00] is basically pissed at his dad, Roderick, for not supporting his new business venture. So he decides to host a super exclusive mask rave orgy thing.
Peter B: Say that three times fast. Mask rave orgy, mask rave orgy.
Amanda: Have you been to a masquerade orgy, Peter?
Peter B: No, I haven't. I want To go to a mask rave orgy.
Amanda: Yeah, I feel, no.
Only you would want to do that.
Peter B: Okay, basically like, so basically it goes to this, he has this masquerade of orgy and like some shit goes down, right?
Amanda: Yes, it takes a twisted, very torturous turn. Got it.
Peter B: Okay, good. Okay, so this episode was inspired by Poe's story written in 1842 of the same name, The Mask of the Red Death.
It follows Prince Prospero, As he tries to avoid the dangerous plague known as the Red Death by hiding in his abbey, which is much better than a masquerade orgy, along with many of his other wealthy noble friends. But he does host a special masquerade ball. The story climaxes as the prince walks in one of the bedrooms and sees a new ghostly dressed guest that has just arrived, and then dies.
Some shit goes down, but I'm not telling so read [00:18:00] the story. It's awesome.
Amanda: All right reading it Episode three murders in the Rue morgue This episode focuses on Camille Usher the youngest of ushers three daughters and in charge of ushers publicity campaign she's trying really hard to spin the shit that just happened with her brother Prospero somehow into her family's favor While at the same time trying to screw her older sister that she hates by exposing some ugly details of some experiments She's been running and things just kind of get out of hand.
Peter B: Yeah, this was a good episode This one was inspired by Poe's work in 1841 and is considered one of the first ever Detective stories ever written story opens with the discovery of a violent murder of an old woman and his daughter and her daughter The police can't figure out how the murderer managed to escape because the woman's apartment appears to have been completely sealed from the inside.
And Detective August Dupont solves the case by figuring out some pretty, pretty clever stuff here.
Amanda: That's so ingenious. I love how , how they go together. Episode 4, The Black Cat, only [00:19:00] loosely is based on Poe's short story. So this episode is about Leo, Usher's second son, and how he adopts a black cat that brings evil.
And, a mysterious woman into his home and he's left Trying to find a way to rid his home of all of the evil that ensues
Peter B: Yeah, this one's a little loose because it is inspired by Poe's work published in 1843, but the story's narrator is actually a violent alcoholic and begins mistreating his wife and her black cat named Pluto.
So the cat attacks him one night and he decides to kill it, but his wife intervenes and whoopsie decides to kill his wife instead and calmly bury her in a wall. And the story ends when the narrator hears screeching from behind the wall and the cat reveals his crime to the police. Yay. Right, super dark, weird, twitsy shit.
Okay, go, episode five.
Amanda: Episode five, The Telltale Heart.
Peter B: My favorite, totally, by far, let's go.
Amanda: But this episode is only loosely based on Poe's short story. It tells the story of Victorine, Usher's second daughter, and how she is getting [00:20:00] closer to testing her new heart technology on a human patient. But some shit happens between her and her girlfriend, Alessandra, and Victorine is left pretty psychologically unstable.
Peter B: Yeah, this episode was inspired by Poe's story with yet, yes, another nutbag narrator that insists he's sane. Spoiler alert, he's not sane. Uh, he murders an old man, cuts him up into little pieces, shoves his body parts in the floorboards of the house, but the narrator of course goes insane and hears the old man's heart still beating from underneath the floorboards and ultimately confesses.
Go figure! I love Edgar Allan Poe. Okay, go.
Amanda: All right, episode six, Goldbug. This Netflix episode revolves around Tamerlane Usher, Usher's eldest daughter, and her marriage is falling apart, so she puts all her energy into hosting her new product launch that shatters expectations in more way than one, I might add.
Ooh, I'm not
Peter B: gonna, I'm not gonna give it away, but that was totally cool. Killer that you said it that way
Amanda: and it's around this time in the series We start [00:21:00] getting a good idea why things are unraveling for the usher dynasty in the first place
Peter B: Okay, by the way after watching the series, I mean, I think Tamerlane is by far the creepiest of all the ush
Amanda: Absolutely.
Peter B: She's a total total freak show. Oh my god. Yes, but good acting. Okay So this episode was inspired by Poe's work written in 1843 Follows some dude named William Legrand who shuts himself up on some island somewhere after failing miserably at life, I guess. So he's walking around the island and he finds a little golden beetle.
So he keeps it and plays with it and stuff because that's what you do with golden beetles, I guess and one day He notices it has some markings on its back So somehow he decodes the markings and figures out that it's leading him to some buried treasure. Let's go Legrand
Amanda: super random.
Peter B: It totally is
Amanda: All right, okay, episode 7, The Pit and the Pendulum. This one is all about Frederick, the OG of the Usher kids, and the oldest, also known as Frodrick, to his siblings.
Peter B: I love when they do that.
Amanda: Because he sticks his nose so far up his dad's behind.
[00:22:00] Roderick, Roderick, get it everyone? Alright. Anyway, so he wants to prove to his dad that he can handle the family business. So he decides to have one of the Usher's old, empty buildings torn down. And, well, shit gets sideways.
Peter B: Poe was pretty busy in 1843 because I think I've said like 1843 like five times or something. But I guess that's the beauty of like the short story cuz you can write like a lot of short stories in one year I guess okay Anyway, this is about a prisoner who's in a cell with like a pit in the middle that he's trying to avoid while walking around in absolute darkness While like a razor edged blade of a swinging pendulum keeps trying to chop his head off.
Oh yeah, while the walls are closing in on him to boot. Dude, Poe is insane, man. Who comes up with this shit?
Amanda: Evidently, Edgar Allan Poe.
Peter B: I know. Okay, let's finish this because this is weird, dude. Go. Episode 8. Last episode.
Amanda: Finally! Bringing up that rear, Episode 8, The Raven.
Peter B: I love the rear.
Amanda: As far as final episodes go in the series, it takes us back to 1980, and we figure out how Roderick and Madeline get the chance to build their fortune in [00:23:00] the first place. And who they had to sell their soul to. And in a poetic tribute to the real short story written by Poe, it adds excellent elements of the actual story of the fall of the house of Usher as well.
We also get to understand why and how the Raven was weaved into this whole series in the first place.
Peter B: So to finish it off, as it relates to Poe's poem, The Raven, I'll just say, read the damn thing already. It's awesome. Period.
Amanda: Well there you have it then. I hope we didn't give too much away.
Each episode, like each of Poe's works , is its own masterpiece, revealing Poe's unparalleled into the darkest recesses of the human soul and scare the shit out of you.
But let's be real, he had some serious demons, Pete. It's no wonder that the crap he experienced in his life found its way into his works. But I don't mean to revel in another man's demise but I kind of happy he went through all that stuff because it totally adds a layer of Authenticity and raw emotion to how his writing made him a cut above the rest of the other [00:24:00] writers.
Peter B: I know right You You gotta live through some shit to be excellent, and I, and he did, and I love that.
Amanda: Okay, so real quick, let's recap all the crap he went through in his life. I know you already shared some, but let's sum it up for everyone in one place because it's, it's a lot.
Peter B: Okay, on it. A lot of people died or left when Poe was really young.
His dad left when he was one, his mom died when he was two, and he was separated from his siblings by the time he was three. And they were all raised in different families. Crazy. Then he experienced, uh, not so uplifting relationship with his foster dad, John Allen. And then basically Poe runs away. So then he struggles with finances, cause he didn't have gambler's anonymous back then and was basically a beggar during some parts of his life, so he could support his own family.
Then he marries his baby cousin, Virginia, before she probably even started menstruating. I don't know. And then she died. Nine years later, so naturally he becomes an alcoholic because why not am I right and that's a shit show and finally He's criticized by his friends and critics his whole life Cuz his writing [00:25:00] style and like the way that he used to like shit on everybody else's work fun fact back to the Netflix series Rufus Griswold the Fortunato CEO that Roderick Usher takes over for was totally named after Poe's actual real life Rival who had written a ton of shit about Poe's works during his lifetime.
Amanda: That's good one. I didn't even realize that I know I do like the way, though, how the series spent so much time with the easter eggs. It was, like, brilliant.
Peter B: Everywhere. Totally everywhere.
Amanda: It's wild to think that, I guess it totally makes sense now that Poe's life influenced his work, but I think it's so cool that in spite of all of it, he still left such a massive impact on American literature.
So, yay Poe! speaking of yay, you wanna give me some fun facts, Pete?
Peter B: Oh, dude. Okay, wait. But not just American literature. It was like all sorts of shit, Amanda. Like, in music, he inspired Murder in the Rue Morgue by Iron Maiden. Total classic. Favorite song of all time. Murder in the Rue Morgue. Great song.
In art, French artist, Henri, Matisse like that was the famous caricature portrait of [00:26:00] Edgar Allen Poe in movies Well, it's like a million movies, but like the most recent one the raven with john kuzak released in 2012 Even in opera the voyage of edgar allen poe First staged in 1976.
I think it like still runs from time to time like everywhere dude side note I'm also convinced that without Poe we wouldn't even have the same Stephen King or Sir Arthur Conan Doyle No way, like these people wouldn't even because they were totally inspired by him.
Amanda: I mean, Arthur Conan What
Peter B: sir Arthur Conan Doyle?
Sherlock Holmes Oh, okay. Yeah, yeah. He creates Fun fact! Yeah, no. Okay. Okay, but back to fun facts. Are you ready, Freddie?
Amanda: Let's go! Okay. I was born ready.
Peter B: Number one. Officially, people. He was considered the pioneer of the short story. Didn't exist before him, then bam. Thank you, Edgar. Done unequivocally awesome. Okay, number two He is also credited with the invention of the detective genre like I just said so like the short story wasn't enough So like he had to make his own genre [00:27:00]
Amanda: genius. He's genius
Peter B: So specifically this character we've been talking about August Dupont from murders in the Rue Morgue and some other ones laid the foundation for Sherlock Holmes Which is Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and, uh, Hercule Poirot. Murder on the Orient Express. Um, you know, those newer ones that are coming out.
Number three. The Raven, even though it's the poem that made him famous, Poe's only paid nine bucks for writing it. And he'd already been writing professionally for 20 years. So kind of a slap in the face in my opinion, right? You're already writing 20 years, you're a critic and everything, you get nine bucks to write The Raven?
Amanda: Maybe nine dollars was a lot back then. No,
Peter B: it was probably like fifty dollars. No, no way. All right, number four, little does anyone know, Poe actually wrote a few love poems. Yes, his poem to Helen has been called, and I quote, one of the most beautiful poems ever penned in the English language.
Amanda: And then at the end it said, Die, Helen.
No. I'm just [00:28:00] kidding.
Peter B: You're terrible. I don't even know who Helen was though, because he married Virginia. So now I want to know who this Helen lady was. Okay, number five, he was just as much of a literary critic as he was a writer. And people didn't really know that. Actually, his reviews and essays had a huge impact on literature of his time.
And also, he made a few enemies along the way because of it too.
Amanda: Surprise, surprise.
Peter B: Yes, I was Googling this, and I actually, it says somewhere that he is like the originator of the, of Snark. Like the king of Snarky. Huh. Right, because of the way he used to critique all of his fellow, like, writers at the time.
So I guess that super
Amanda: super super fun fact
Peter B: super super fun fact. Yeah, okay And finally save the best for last in perfect poe fashion. Even his death is shrouded in mystery Hear me out about a week before poe was supposed to leave on a trip to philadelphia for an editing job His new fiancee commented because virginia was already dead at the time commented that he didn't look so well So a doctor tells Poe not to travel, but he does it anyway because he's an idiot.
And he was found a [00:29:00] few days later unconscious in a tavern.
So I guess they try to nurse him back to health or something, but whatever. Four days later, he passes away. And of course, the cause, Amanda, is still unknown. Some theories include alcohol poisoning. Go figure. Maybe a brain tumor. And even murder in a manner fitting to the master of. The macabre, his death has always remained his greatest mystery.
That's all I got. Wrap it up for us. Let's go.
Amanda: Hey, thanks for educating us on the life and times of good old Edgar Allen Poe. I guess I probably should have paid more attention in school and I'm just gonna say I must start reading all this stuff and now that I have a little history it's gonna be a heck of a lot more interesting.
Peter B: Good. I'm glad. Yeah.
Amanda: And I also love that 200 years after his death, this guy still has a lasting impact on the genres of horror and mystery and just a massive influence on pop culture in general.
So from the gloomy streets of 19th century Baltimore to the darkest corners of our human mind, Poe's influence continues [00:30:00] to endure, casting a perpetual shadow over the world of literature. Okay, Pete, you know I need you to tell me what I need to memorize for my next party so I can look like I know what I'm talking about.
Peter B: Here's how we work it in.
First, of course, watch The Fall of the House of Usher on Netflix. Amazing. Get on it now, people. Excellent. Second, at your next social function, ask a friend or colleague what they're binging. Third, listen, and be cool for a few minutes because people like to share their stories. And please, please, please do not forget this step.
Listen to people. Fourth, tell them you just finished a really cool Netflix series called The Fall of the House of Usher, a modern day horror series based on the short stories written by good old Edgar Allan Poe. Then finally share these interesting and relevant details to seem sort of sophisticated. 1.
Poe was an American short story writer, poet, and critic. Who would have known? 2. He lived in the early 1800s in Baltimore. 3. He was a college dropout and became the first ever American professional [00:31:00] writer. 4. He is known as the father of the detective genre and And was a master in horror storytelling.
Five, he created the idea of the short story before that they were just all really long and boring. Number six, the Raven may very well be the most well known poem ever written in the world. Read it people. And finally, he was disturbed as shit and he married his 13 year old cousin, but then she died of tuberculosis after only nine years together and Poe never rallied and he died four years after that in a shroud of mystery.
Amanda: And there you have it. Dear listeners, thank you for joining us into the upliftingly dark world of Edgar Allan Poe. That was for extra credit, by the way. So remember, the next time you find yourself creeping through a spooky mansion or getting irrationally attached to a raven, just take comfort in knowing Poe's ultimate horror might have been seeing his phone battery at 1 percent with no charger in sight.
Right? Yes! We'd like to think we shared just enough information to make you either a flaming [00:32:00] nuisance or a little more sophisticated to your fellow humans. Sort of. And don't forget to keep those lanterns lit.
You never know what lurks in the shadows of your basement. If you enjoyed this episode and found it particularly interesting, don't forget to subscribe, leave a review and share with your peeps. And if you have an idea for a podcast episode, you should let us know. Email us at sort of sophisticated podcast at gmail.
com.
Peter B: Yeah. And they could be our new co host with us
Amanda: and they could be a new, let's go. So until next time, stay mysterious and stay inspired.
