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Post by wireman on Mar 24, 2021 13:39:42 GMT
Today we will discuss William Wilson by Edgar Allen Poe
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Post by wireman on Mar 24, 2021 17:54:26 GMT
This is a fascinating story. Is it a tale of supernatural of of delusion? Is William Wilson the narrator's conscience? You can view this story different ways and not be wrong. I think it's a tale of a man battling with his conscience or a man slowly going mad and battling with his conscience. It works as a supernatural tale or a psychological tale.
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Post by edwardjohn on Mar 24, 2021 20:50:45 GMT
Poe really was ahead of his time in so many regards, probably the greatest American author who ever lived in my opinion. This is one of his London stories. I had no idea, until we decided upon this story, that Poe had actually spent parts of his youth near London. I knew he had been to Britain but did not know where specifically. This story deals with so much, ideas about identity, dualism etc. I love how he was a master, and this was something his protégé Lovecraft was a master of as well, is how he makes a comment about the real in the form of the macabre. Lovecraft and Poe also shared the final page twist, where the story you have read becomes something far more sinister than what you expected and is very different from how you thought it would end.
Its funny, last week I mentioned that Wells must have been inspired by a Robert Louis Stevenson tale, and in this case it was likely Stevenson who was inspired by Poe, The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde being end product of that inspiration of course.
The churches noted in the story are still around today.
Poe had actually been to the church to the right.
#/media/File:Stoke_newington_two_churches_1.jpg) 
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Post by wireman on Mar 24, 2021 21:22:59 GMT
Poe really was ahead of his time in so many regards, probably the greatest American author who ever lived in my opinion. This is one of his London stories. I had no idea, until we decided upon this story, that Poe had actually spent parts of his youth near London. I knew he had been to Britain but did not know where specifically. This story deals with so much, ideas about identity, dualism etc. I love how he was a master, and this was something his protégé Lovecraft was a master of as well, is how he makes a comment about the real in the form of the macabre. Lovecraft and Poe also shared the final page twist, where the story you have read becomes something far more sinister than what you expected and is very different from how you thought it would end.
Its funny, last week I mentioned that Wells must have been inspired by a Robert Louis Stevenson tale, and in this case it was likely Stevenson who was inspired by Poe, The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde being end product of that inspiration of course.
The churches noted in the story are still around today.
Poe had actually been to the church to the right.
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Post by wireman on Mar 24, 2021 21:30:12 GMT
The narrator never mentions if others see Mr Wilson or if they deny that they see Mr Wilson.
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Post by spideyman on Mar 24, 2021 21:40:26 GMT
William Wilson felt as though he was losing his identity. His solution was to get rid of his "rival". In doing so, he actually murders himself. Was the narrator double his alter ego?
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Post by wireman on Mar 24, 2021 22:15:32 GMT
William Wilson felt as though he was losing his identity. His solution was to get rid of his "rival". In doing so, he actually murders himself. Was the narrator double his alter ego? |
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Post by edwardjohn on Mar 24, 2021 22:17:29 GMT
Poe really was ahead of his time in so many regards, probably the greatest American author who ever lived in my opinion. This is one of his London stories. I had no idea, until we decided upon this story, that Poe had actually spent parts of his youth near London. I knew he had been to Britain but did not know where specifically. This story deals with so much, ideas about identity, dualism etc. I love how he was a master, and this was something his protégé Lovecraft was a master of as well, is how he makes a comment about the real in the form of the macabre. Lovecraft and Poe also shared the final page twist, where the story you have read becomes something far more sinister than what you expected and is very different from how you thought it would end.
Its funny, last week I mentioned that Wells must have been inspired by a Robert Louis Stevenson tale, and in this case it was likely Stevenson who was inspired by Poe, The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde being end product of that inspiration of course.
The churches noted in the story are still around today.
Poe had actually been to the church to the right.
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Post by wireman on Mar 25, 2021 12:33:33 GMT
Discussion for next Wednesday will be Ashputtle by Peter Straub from Interior Darkness
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Post by cat on May 31, 2021 21:51:30 GMT
This one I did start when it was the week's read but I was not in the right mindset, I guess. I gave up not very far into it. Read it from the beginning today.
I agree it us ambiguous in that you do not know whether the second William is real or not. I am on the side that says he is not real. So was he the product of madness or was he meant to be some sort of moral compass? I think it can be both. The second William only shows up at times William is well aware he is doing something wrong.
At the first school, where once the second William "arrives," he is a constant burr in William's side...could be where the mental split or whatever happened, he got in some kind of trouble with the headmaster, who he saw as iron fisted, but in his role as preacher, he saw him as a good man. But after that, the second William only shows up in time to spoil his fun or make others aware of his wrongdoing.
Interesting and challenging story, for me anyway.
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