My rating: 4 of 5 stars
First… you must read the introductory stanza from Edgar Allan Poe‘s famous poem, The Raven. And then I’ll provide a short review:
Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore—
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of someone gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.
“’Tis some visitor,” I muttered, “tapping at my chamber door—
Only this and nothing more.”
And this is what will happen to you once you read it:
Yeah, I probably should have told you that part first, huh? But that’s the thing about Mr. Poe. He enjoyed the fact that his writing drove him crazy. And all of us. That tapping… non-stop… reminds you of his other work, The Tell-Tale Heart.
This raven and its real or imaginary appearance is such a powerful image. And here’s the thing about this poem… you need to have a professional read this poem aloud, perhaps with a little music in the background. Just a little bit, as the words in the poem… the rhymes, the images… it’s ghastly. And if the speaker is as brilliant as Poe, (s)he will alter their voice as each line erupts, enticing the rhythm and the beat. And when it happens, the fear will surround you. The words will penetrate you as your eyes ears lay still, absorbing the melody and the lyrics.
It may sound funny, but find a recording of it. Listen to it in a semi-dark room. And just let the poem attack your mind and body. I believe it’s what inspired the boat ride in the Willy Wonka movie… only much darker. You will love it!
About Me
For those new to me or my reviews… here’s the scoop: I read A LOT. I write A LOT. And now I blog A LOT. First the book review goes on Goodreads, and then I send it on over to my WordPress blog at https://thisismytruthnow.com, where you’ll also find TV & Film reviews, the revealing and introspective 365 Daily Challenge and lots of blogging about places I’ve visited all over the world. And you can find all my social media profiles to get the details on the who/what/when/where and my pictures. Leave a comment and let me know what you think. Vote in the poll and ratings. Thanks for stopping by.
…or have fun reading it aloud yourself!
true!
When I was in 8th grade and my Dad was out to sea, my mother and I took down our volume of The Complete Works of Edgar Allen Poe and read aloud to each other, alternating turns, every evening. It was better than TV! We read in our best play-actor’s voices and would have received an A+ in Oral Interpretation. We took turns scaring our selves to death! I had a nightmare about The Masque of the Red Death and later one about The Cask of Amontillado, of course I was the one in the frenetic “conga line” and the one being walled up with bricks. Poe’s poetry moved me strongly, and “The Raven” was one of my favorites. Mother and I both cried over “Annabel Lee.”
Such a beautiful memory. That’s definitely one for you to hand down in journals to future generations.
Mother and I reminisced about those couple of months many times on the phone during her last days of her life. Those long phone calls were some good memories too.