What topics does The Old Man's Podcast cover? ALL OF THEM! Well, just about all of them. If it is positive, upbeat, funny, interesting, yummy, or just plain strange, it is probably covered in the show. I recently joined the team as the Monday morning Guest Co-Host (aka "Monday's Chief Navigator"), and now have accepted "Lead Blogger" status.
In case you missed the Monday show this week (Podcast #571 entitled Last Monday/Week of July), I am here to tell you to go take a listen. The Edgar Allan Poe discussion begins at minute mark 52:18 and goes through to the end. It is about a thirty-nine minute discussion, so if you have dishes to wash, laundry to fold, or a commute to drive, plug in and enjoy the ƈʀɛɛքʏ review of The Tell-Tale Heart.
Spoiler Alert: T.O.M and I do an impromptu reading of much of the story, and it was fabulous fun. Complete with some sound effects!
In a nutshell, The Tell-Tale Heart Summary: "The Tell-Tale Heart is a short story by Edgar Allan Poe first published in 1843. It follows an unnamed, unreliable narrator who insists on his sanity after murdering an old man with a "vulture eye". The murder is carefully calculated..." (Wiki-Summaries) To find out what happened in the story, and to learn the significance of the sound of the beating heart, read the story by following the link below to a pdf copy (the entire story is only a 4-page read), and then listen to our analysis and commentary.
A few fascinating facts about Edgar Allan Poe: Born in 1809 in Boston, Massachusetts, he is considered the originator of the modern short story and of modern detective stories. His parents were actors, and were reportedly acting in King Lear at the time of his birth. He had a tumultuous life, as his mother died when he was a toddler and he was raised by his godfather and godfather's wife. In college, he developed a gambling habit and ran up debts, which caused his godfather to stop funding his college education. He entered the military and was able to exit by way of his godfather purchasing him out of the contract. He later re-entered school at West Point Military academy, and immediately [purposely] got himself expelled by failing to attend any classes.
Edgar Allan Poe drank heavily and it is rumored that he used recreational stimulant drugs. His drinking habit caused more than one job loss. When he was working, he was an editor as well as being a very prolific published author. He was once sued for libel. He died in 1849 at the relatively young age of 40. His cause of death has remained a mystery, but is attributed to his drinking and heart failure.
His most famous poem is The Raven. From a literary structure standpoint, it is a spectacular specimen. "The poem consists of 18 six-line stanzas; the first five lines of each are written in trochaic octameter, the sixth in trochaic tetrameter. The rhyme pattern, abcbbb, enhances the gloom of the lyric; the b rhymes are, or rhyme with, “Lenore” and “Nevermore.” Poe’s 1846 essay “The Philosophy of Composition” describes his careful crafting of the poem." (Poemanalysis.com)
There you have the points to ponder for today. Read the story of the Tell-Tale Heart, if you dare...muahahahahaha... Then, listen to The Old Man's Podcast #571. For, when shall I write again about Edgar Allan Poe on this blog? Perhaps, Nevermore.
Citations & Links:
Podcast #571: https://www.theoldmanspodcast.com/571-last-mondayweek-of-july/
Story Summary: https://wikisummaries.org/the-tell-tale-heart/
PDF Link: https://americanenglish.state.gov/files/ae/resource_files/the_tell-tale_heart_0.pdf
Facts about Poe: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Edgar-Allan-Poe
The Raven structure analysis: https://poemanalysis.com/edgar-allan-poe/the-raven/
