Lionizing by Edgar Allan Poe (1835): A Review

Title: Lionizing

Author: Edgar Allan Poe

Publication Year: 1835

Pages: 6

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Genre: Satire

Source: eBook & audiobook @storytel.tr

Opening Sentence: I am, — that is to say I was — a great man, but I am neither the author of Junius nor the man in the mask, for my name, I believe, is Robert Jones, and I was born somewhere in the city of Fum-Fudge.

This is an absurd satirical work by Edgar Allan Poe. It's so absurd that I'm not quite sure what to make of it. I gave it three stars because the level of absurdity is beyond what one typically encounters, and it had me laughing out loud.

So, what’s the story? It revolves around a character named Robert Jones, who is admired in the fictional town of Fum-Fudge for his perfect nose and his scholarship in Nosology. However, the plot takes a turn when Jones experiences a downfall, this time due to someone else's nose!

Though the text is quite short, it's filled with countless amusing names and terms. If the names were real and not concocted by Poe, you could also get the summary of literature and philosophy in no time! I'm not entirely sure what the underlying message is, but perhaps it suggests that superficial admiration is fleeting.