Poe's Enigma

I was in college when I heard a reading of The Raven on the radio. It was John Astin interpreting, and he blew me away. I'd always liked the poem, but he gave it life, suspense and an urgency I hadn't read into it before.

As I learned over the years, Poe became a sort of symbol of the unresolved. There's a frustration, a feeling of helplessness that I get from him. The Raven ends with the narrator unable to rid himself of the infamous bird. Metaphoric or not, the sense of impotence is acute.

Then there's the mystery of Poe, himself, and the questions behind his death. I'm currently reading The Poe Shadow, which addresses this, but I'm constantly aware that this is a book of fiction and that the reality is that it is likely that the circumstances behind his death will always be a riddle. Then there's the rose at his tombstone every year.

I don't do well with the unanswered. I like things resolved, wrapped up in a nice little bow. It is in my nature to believe that a methodical approach yields answers. I guess that is why I always come back to Poe. I always feel like I'm not done with him. Maybe if I read the Raven one more time, that damned bird will leave the pallid bust of Pallas once and for all. Maybe the answer to Poe's death will one day be discovered and I'll get to see a two hour documentary on the whole thing on the History Channel. Maybe the woman with the rose will make herself known.

Then, of course, there's that tiny bit of me that understands that it's good for me to not always know all the answers. And sometimes a bit of mystery is better cherished for its anticipation than for the possibility of resolution. Maybe there are some things we just shouldn't know. Maybe the mystery is what gives it the appeal that it has, so without it, it would cease to be attractive.

I guess it doesn't matter. I think of Poe every day because there are plenty of crows in our region. I like to watch them, they're quite intelligent.

Watch John Astin recite The Raven.

So seemlessly is the poem's influence on me, that I forgot to mention the obvious: the name of this blog is directly derived from the poem.