Edgar Allan Poe, a great of his age, brought so much to literature, inspiring new forms and styles and genres. Of course I have questions about the character, and I do not know enough about him to lay down definitive thoughts on the subject. I have read that at the age of 26 he married his 13-year-old cousin. What can I think of this? I cannot judge the past by the morals of today, true, but I cannot ignore the past nor its crimes and nor its distastefulness. Too many people will forgive crimes of the past citing how different things were back then. I cannot join their number. When we refer to figures of the past we should call out their deficiencies, their errors and their crimes. Talent should not hide inadequacies, no matter who the person or people may be. The same standards should be applied today.

There is trouble in his works and I feel it here too. He always felt himself to be different, since his childhood. One wonders what he is referring to. What passions of his were uncommon? He clearly danced to a different tune, yet we know not what tune it is. Was he being autobiographical? Was this an assessment of himself or a fictional character? Why would he lay down such depth where anyone might view it? Or was he writing this as observations of others or AN other? What mystery, binding or torrent? We know his life was challenging and unsettled, so how much of himself was he pouring into these words?

I wonder of the “demon” in his view, was it he himself or was the demon perched on his shoulder? Or was the demon someone else he had to contend with? Or was the demon alcohol, an addiction that caused him to miss out on opportunities.

Poe was a complicated character and a much deeper analysis of him and his work is needed to understand the depths of what drove him…

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PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content.