“I was never kinder to the old man than during the whole week before I killed him.” So says the plagued with guilt narrator of Edgar Allan Poe’s classic, “The Tell-Tale Heart.” It is a statement, however, that is not merely applicable to the literal so much as the more abstract, emotional death blow that can be delivered to a person right before you do … Continue reading Emotional Death Blows in The Tell-Tale Heart
Whenever a spooky or sinister holiday arrives (one that isn’t Valentine’s Day), literary enthusiasts tend to proudly bandy Edgar Allan Poe as the author to read for celebrating said balefulness. And sure, reveling in your The Fall of the House of Usher here or your The Tell-Tale Heart there is all well and good for getting in the spirit of the macabre. But ultimately, what’s going … Continue reading The Most Sinister Friday the 13th Literature Isn’t From Poe, But V.C. Andrews
An alarming quote from Lana Del Rey in an interview for The Guardian back in June of 2014 found her asserting, “I wish I was dead already.” Alluding to her idols, Kurt Cobain and Amy Winehouse, Del Rey’s wistfulness over the freedom one can achieve through death poses the question: Does an artist need to be tragic to succeed? Seeming to intuit that, yes, an … Continue reading Does An Artist Need to Be Tragic to Succeed?
