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Edgar Allan PoeA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Especially popular in the 18th and 19th centuries, Gothic fiction typically aims to scare or unsettle its readers. Works of Gothic fiction are characterized by dark and ominous settings, a fascination with the darker side of human nature, and a mysterious or suspenseful tone. In addition, they are closely associated with Romanticism, a literary movement that emphasized the power of the imagination over reason.
Much of Poe’s work falls into the category of Gothic fiction, and “The Man of the Crowd” is no exception. In it, the mystery of the old man’s identity creates an air of suspense and secrecy. The narrator follows the old man out of a desire to solve the mystery of his identity, but ultimately discovers this mystery to be unsolvable. The unsettling lack of resolution at the end reflects The Complexity of the Human Mind.
The urban setting of this story is different from many Gothic tales, which are often set in remote, decaying castles or ancestral houses (as in Poe’s “The Fall of the House of Usher”). However, in his description of the narrator’s pursuit of the old man, Poe gives a dark, creepy, and almost claustrophobic
By Edgar Allan Poe
A Dream Within a Dream
A Dream Within a Dream
Edgar Allan Poe
Annabel Lee
Annabel Lee
Edgar Allan Poe
Berenice
Berenice
Edgar Allan Poe
Hop-Frog
Hop-Frog
Edgar Allan Poe
Ligeia
Ligeia
Edgar Allan Poe
Tamerlane
Tamerlane
Edgar Allan Poe
The Black Cat
The Black Cat
Edgar Allan Poe
The Cask of Amontillado
The Cask of Amontillado
Edgar Allan Poe
The Conqueror Worm
The Conqueror Worm
Edgar Allan Poe
The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar
The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar
Edgar Allan Poe
The Fall of the House of Usher
The Fall of the House of Usher
Edgar Allan Poe
The Gold Bug
The Gold Bug
Edgar Allan Poe
The Haunted Palace
The Haunted Palace
Edgar Allan Poe
The Imp of the Perverse
The Imp of the Perverse
Edgar Allan Poe
The Lake
The Lake
Edgar Allan Poe
The Masque of the Red Death
The Masque of the Red Death
Edgar Allan Poe
The Murders in the Rue Morgue
The Murders in the Rue Morgue
Edgar Allan Poe
The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket
The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket
Edgar Allan Poe
The Oval Portrait
The Oval Portrait
Edgar Allan Poe
The Philosophy of Composition
The Philosophy of Composition
Edgar Allan Poe