The Thousand-and-Second Tale of Scheherazade by Edgar Allan Poe (1845): A Review
Title: The Thousand-and-Second Tale of Scheherazade
Author: Edgar Allan Poe
Publication Year: 1845
Pages: 19
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Genre: Satire, Humor, Parody
Source: EBook
In “The Thousand-and-Second Tale of Scheherazade,” Edgar Allan Poe imagines a scenario where "One Thousand and One Nights" was not the final night that Scheherazade told her stories and lived happily ever after! This concept is quite unsettling, especially considering that Poe is known for his dead heroines. Please leave our beloved character from the ancient tales of the Middle East alone. It’s clear that his take on this story is not meant to bring good.
If you're curious about the original "One Thousand and One Nights," I suggest reading Poe’s summary. It’s hilarious and fun—definitely skip Wikipedia since it can be quite dull! We can agree that Poe's work is a parody and satire. After the summary, he playfully prompts his readers to imagine if it were not just 1001 nights but 1002 nights, with Scheherazade telling the king one more story, one that was omitted from Sinbad’s adventures.
I'm not going to reveal the nature of those wild adventures or how they end! However, I will say that all the seemingly outlandish tales the king deemed absurd actually relate to real events or discoveries that occurred before or during Poe’s lifetime. (Courtesy of Wikipedia). It’s all quite absurd, and you might find it really funny!
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