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Today I’m introducing a new series to the podcast! Welcome to Unscripted, episodes of The Poe Show audio horror story podcast where I talk in greater detail about Edgar Allan Poe, 19th century literature and all manner of horror! This series will be much more laid back and won’t feature audio stories. It will have a much more regular podcast format, allowing for you to learn all the delicious details of Edgar Allan Poe’s life, literature and more.

In today’s episode, I’m discussing some of Edgar Allan Poe’s biggest controversies: his marriage, his alleged affair, the feud with his arch nemesis Rufus Griswold, his infamous obituary, and - probably most controversial of all in the scholarly world - Poe’s implied racist themes in his stories. Be sure to listen to all of his stories in other episodes!

TRIGGER WARNING: discussions of Edgar Allan Poe’s CHILD MARRIAGE, DEATH and RACISM

Research resources:

• Edgar Allan Poe: A Life by Richard Kopley
• Poe's Double Marriage
• In Her Own Words: A Valentine for Edgar Allan Poe
• Today Marks Edgar Poe’s 177th Wedding Anniversary
• MARRIAGE: The public scandals and private tragedies of Virginia & Edgar Allan Poe’s marriage
• Edgar Allan Poe and His Tumultuous Romances
• The Women in Poe’s Life
• Grave-side chat with Lynn Cullen, author of “Mrs. Poe”
• To Frances S. Osgood
• The Loves of Edgar A. Poe
• The Long-simmering Feud Between Edgar Allan Poe and Rufus Griswold
• Edgar Allan Poe and Rufus Wilmot Griswold
• Rufus Wilmot Griswold-Poe’s Literary Executor
• Poe’s Character Under Attack
• The Defamation of Poe’s Character
• Death of Edgar A. Poe - obituary written by Rufus Griswold
• Other Obituaries of Edgar Allan Poe
• A Gift for Dr. Griswold
• Black Skin, Red Masques: Reading Frantz Fanon and Audre Lorde in Tension with Edgar Allan Poe
• Jingle Bells by the Edison Male Quartette from 1898
• Age of Consent in the United States (19th century)
• “The story I must tell”: “Jingle Bells” in the Minstrel Repertoire by Kyna Hamill

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Today's horror audio story is the intriguing tale of a lost lover dealing with a personal illness. Eleonora is one of Edgar Allan Poe’s most well criticized Victorian ghost stories, and as you’ll see in this episode, for good reason. Not only does it show the extent of Poe’s masterful use of powerful prose and ravishing rhetoric to create an unforgettable narrative, it also demonstrates the layers of hidden meaning he was able to construct within the ongoing story. As a master of scary stories and horror, Poe here seems to take a break from the grotesque and focus on the tragic and the beautiful. Truly, this is a gem, among some of Poe’s best work.

Research sources for this episode:

• The History of Men by Prof. Michael S. Kimmel
• Walden by Henry David Thoreau
• Moby Dick by Herman Melville
• The Poetic Principle by Edgar Allan Poe

(https://www.eapoe.org/works/essays/poetprnb.htm)

• Agricultural Changes in the Midwest (OR see History of agriculture in the United States on Wikipedia as well)

(https://resources.finalsite.net/images/v1560187343/troyk12mius/izy3gyiyjdjy3mcbtx12/Chapter09.pdf)

• Rise of Crime in the Period 1830-1860 by Paul Dolan

(https://scholarlycommons.law.northwestern.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2921&context=jclc)

• Poesian Feminism: Triumph or Tragedy by Debra Johanyak

(https://www.jstor.org/stable/44322928?read-now=1&seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents)

• Love and Death in the American Novel by Leslie A. Fiedler

(https://archive.org/details/lovedeathinameri00fied)

• Edgar Allan Poe and Female Victimization by Xi Li

(https://etd.ohiolink.edu/acprod/odb_etd/ws/send_file/send?accession=dayton1544130664085232&disposition=inline)

• A Damsel with a Dulcimer: An Interpretation of Poe’s “Eleonora” by Sam S. Baskett

(https://www.jstor.org/stable/3043539?read-now=1&seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents)

• An Analyzing the Portrayal of Women in Victorian Literature by Rani Rathore

(https://www.airo.co.in/publications/64348-victorian-women-(1)-(1)-new.pdf)

This audiobook podcast is perfect for educators, teachers, students and schools/colleges looking to educate themselves and others on the works of Edgar Allan Poe, Victorian era writing, old ghost stories and classic horror fiction. As it is a horror podcast, it is also great for fans of horror, lore of H.P. Lovecraft, Gothic fiction, poetry, short horror fiction, and timeless classic scary stories. Be sure to share with any fans of horror audio stories, horror audiobooks and spooky tales.

Music and narration by Tynan Portillo.

TikTok: @poeshowpodcast

Support The Poe Show! https://ko-fi.com/thepoeshow

Website: https://www

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TRIGGER WARNING: this episode will discuss themes of DEATH OF A LOVED ONE and MOURNING.

Today’s episode helped me in very personal ways that I can’t express enough gratitude to Edgar Allan Poe for. Although he wrote this poem all the way back in 1831, it resonates with this fellow creative artist nearly two centuries in the future. It is yet another testament that while writing America’s greatest scary stories and creepy tales, Edgar Allan Poe still found time to write some of the most touching and beautiful poems about love and loss that we’ve yet seen in human history. May this poem also help carry you through any loss you have or will experience.

This podcast is perfect for educators, teachers, students and schools/colleges looking to educate themselves and others on the works of Edgar Allan Poe, Victorian era writing, old ghost stories and classic horror fiction. Also great for fans of horror, Lovecraftian lore, Gothic fiction, poetry, short horror fiction, and timeless classic scary stories.

Music and narration by Tynan Portillo.

Support The Poe Show! https://ko-fi.com/thepoeshow

Website: https://www.thepoeshow.com/

Horror Movie Reviews on The Poe Show YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@thepoeshowpodcast

Bluesky: thepoeshow.bsky.social

TikTok: @poeshowpodcast

Instagram & Threads: @thepoeshowpodcast

Email: poeshowpod@gmail.com

Intro music by Emmett Cooke on PremiumBeat.

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