A Tale of the Ragged Mountains by Edgar Allan Poe (1844): A Review

Title: A Tale of the Ragged Mountains

Author: Edgar Allan Poe

Publication Year: 1844

Pages: 13

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Genre: Adventure, Science Fiction, Mystery

Source: eBook and audiobook @storytel.tr

Opening Sentence: During the fall of the year 1827, while residing near Charlottesville, Virginia, I casually made the acquaintance of Mr. Augustus Bedloe.

First of all, dear Mr. Poe, this is not the tale of the Ragged Mountains, but rather that of Mr. Augustus Bedloe. Secondly, I believe "mystery" would be a more fitting title for this story. At the beginning, you may think you understand what you are dealing with, but you will find you are mistaken at every stage of your imagined discovery.

As the story unfolds, you might initially believe you are encountering a supernatural being—perhaps a vampire, a zombie, or something similar. However, you are soon informed that the situation has a medical nature. Then, it shifts again, leading you to consider concepts like time travel, reincarnation, and longevity. What is real, and what isn’t? Only God knows.

It’s an intriguing mystery that leaves you questioning whether Mr. Augustus Bedloe is hallucinating, whether Dr. Templeton is hallucinating, or if Mr. Augustus Bedloe is simply a figment of Dr. Templeton’s imagination. After all, you are presented with solid evidence regarding the reality behind what’s happening. By the end of the story, you still have no clear understanding of the true nature of the events and Mr. Augustus Bedloe, or even if reality exists at all. Are we all part of a collective dream? Who is dreaming it? Is there a rational explanation for all of this, or is it simply fiction meant to be enjoyed without burdening ourselves with unnecessary questions?

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Short Story through Years (1830 - 1839)

  1830s 1830 The Blizzard by Alexander Pushkin  ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 1830 St. John's Eve by Nikolai Gogol  ⭐ ⭐ 1830 The Iron Shroud by William Mudford  ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 1830 The Evil Eye by Mary S helley  ⭐ ⭐ 1831 The Shot by Alexander Pushkin  ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 1831 May Night, or the Drowned Maiden by Nikolai Gogol 1831 The Lost Letter by Nikolai Gogol 1831 The Fair at Sorochyntsi by Nikolai Gogol 1831 Transformation by Mary Shelley  ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 1832 Roger Malvin's Burial by Nathaniel Hawthorne  ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 1832 My Kinsman, Major Molineux by Nathaniel Hawthorne  ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 1832 Metzengerstein: A Tale in Imitation of the German by Edgar Allan Poe  ⭐ ⭐ 1832 The Duc de L'Omelette by Edgar Allan Poe  ⭐ 1832 The Dream by Mary Shelley  ⭐ ⭐ 1832 Bon-Bon by Edgar Allan Poe  ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 1832  Loss of Breath by Edgar Allan Poe   ⭐ ⭐ 1833 Sketches by Boz by Charles Dickens 1833 MS. Found in a Bottle by Edgar Allan Poe  ⭐ ⭐ 1833 The Invisible Girl by Ma...
Read more

Edgar Allen Poe's "The Duc de L'Omelette" (1832): A Review

Image
Let me tell you, without Wikipedia, I would have thought I had accidentally picked up a menu from a French bistro instead of an Edgar Allan Poe short story! Seriously, what was Poe thinking? A story that’s half in French? Am I supposed to be reading literature or planning my next trip to Paris? I tackled those French portions as if I were deciphering ancient hieroglyphs, and all I got was a headache and a feeling of insecurity. Congratulations, Poe! You’ve officially crushed my self-esteem and my hopes of being an elite reader. If this tale had been written in just one language, I might have laughed and enjoyed it. But no! Instead, I finished it feeling like I had just survived a mental obstacle course, only to cross the finish line and ask myself, “What on Earth did I just read?”
Read more

The Feminist by Tony Tulathimutte (2024): A Review

Image
Title : The Feminist (Rejections) Author : Tony Tulathimutte Publication Year : 2024 Pages : — Rating : ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Genre : Satire? Source : Audiobook @everand_us Warning : A little bit confused After reading “The Ice People,” reading “The Feminist” felt like I was in a bizarre déjà vu where the same male character was having a mental monologue—only this time, me with more eye rolls. Tony Tulathimutte seems to wield satire like a lightsaber, and I couldn’t help but feel he’s actually criticizing our protagonist (he is, isn’t he?): a self-proclaimed male feminist who seems to think that advocating for women automatically earns him VIP access to their hearts. Spoiler alert: he’s basically striking out with every woman he encounters and being rejected by every single one of them. So the whole story is a long rant by this guy, which is so cringe-inducing that it makes you really uncomfortable and start cursing and, of course, facepalming yourself repeatedly to the extent that your husban...
Read more