Evermore : Edgar Allan Poe and the mystery of the universe /

Edgar Allan Poe's position in American literature is unstable, as his indirect, distant cousin Harry Lee Poe (faith and culture, Union Univ.) points out. Some critics (mostly French) regard E. A. Poe with something close to veneration. Others, such as T. S. Eliot and Allen Tate, considered the writer a limited thinker and a vulgar, talentless poet. In a balanced appraisal of E. A. Poe's fiction, poetry, and essays, H. L. Poe argues that the deeper elements of his relative's thinking have been neglected and undervalued. Of particular interest is H. L. Poe's claim that in Eureka, a largely dismissed "prose poem," E. A. Poe intuited modern scientific ideas such as relativity and the big bang theory. The least convincing stance in this book, however, is the suggestion that E. A. Poe might have converted to Christianity; H. L. Poe admits that this assertion is mostly speculative. Overall, this book does a creditable job of rescuing E. A. Poe from the idea that he was merely a mad, alcoholic drug addict. Perhaps the book's most valuable scholarly component is the notes, which serve well as an introduction and overview of the range and nature of Poe criticism. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower- and upper-division undergraduates; general readers. L. A. Brewer Fortis College

Part biography and part polemic, this brief, passionate look at the life of Edgar Allan Poe (written by the descendant of one of Poe's cousins) offers yet another perspective on one of America's most beloved and controversial authors. The author is at his best when he's tackling Poe's life story and the ways in which it has been distorted. His case against Rufus Griswold's (largely successful) attempt to hijack Poe's reputation after his death is especially compelling, as are his efforts to cut through the mystique and legend to reveal an individual of good manners and strong principles. The portrait that emerges is of a multi-dimensional man who was capable of both experiencing and writing about a full range of emotions-and wasn't merely enthralled with the horrific or grotesque themes for which he's so well remembered. Where the book flounders, however, is when the author tries to defend (and in some cases, divine) Poe's religious and scientific beliefs as outlined in Eureka! With few biographical records beyond the text to rely on, the writer is left to gropingly speculate and interpret a text that has confounded many a critic before him. Readers looking to better understand the Gothic/Romantic master will find this book enlightening, though folks looking to understand his views on the universe would do better to consult Eureka! themselves. (Mar.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.