30 pages 1 hour read

Edgar Allan Poe

The Man of the Crowd

Fiction | Short Story | Adult | Published in 1840

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Background

Literary Context: Gothic Fiction

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

blurred text

blurred text

Related Titles

By Edgar Allan Poe

Study Guide
logo

A Dream Within a Dream

Edgar Allan Poe

A Dream Within a Dream

Edgar Allan Poe

STUDY + TEACHING GUIDE
logo

Annabel Lee

Edgar Allan Poe

Annabel Lee

Edgar Allan Poe

Study Guide
logo

Berenice

Edgar Allan Poe

Berenice

Edgar Allan Poe

Study Guide
logo

Hop-Frog

Edgar Allan Poe

Hop-Frog

Edgar Allan Poe

Study Guide
logo

Ligeia

Edgar Allan Poe

Ligeia

Edgar Allan Poe

Study Guide
logo

Tamerlane

Edgar Allan Poe

Tamerlane

Edgar Allan Poe

Study Guide
logo

The Black Cat

Edgar Allan Poe

The Black Cat

Edgar Allan Poe

STUDY + TEACHING GUIDE
logo

The Cask of Amontillado

Edgar Allan Poe

The Cask of Amontillado

Edgar Allan Poe

Study Guide
logo

The Conqueror Worm

Edgar Allan Poe

The Conqueror Worm

Edgar Allan Poe

Study Guide
logo

The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar

Edgar Allan Poe

The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar

Edgar Allan Poe

STUDY + TEACHING GUIDE
logo

The Fall of the House of Usher

Edgar Allan Poe

The Fall of the House of Usher

Edgar Allan Poe

Study Guide
logo

The Gold Bug

Edgar Allan Poe

The Gold Bug

Edgar Allan Poe

Study Guide
logo

The Haunted Palace

Edgar Allan Poe

The Haunted Palace

Edgar Allan Poe

Study Guide
logo

The Imp of the Perverse

Edgar Allan Poe

The Imp of the Perverse

Edgar Allan Poe

Study Guide
logo

The Lake

Edgar Allan Poe

The Lake

Edgar Allan Poe

STUDY + TEACHING GUIDE
logo

The Masque of the Red Death

Edgar Allan Poe

The Masque of the Red Death

Edgar Allan Poe

STUDY + TEACHING GUIDE
logo

The Murders in the Rue Morgue

Edgar Allan Poe

The Murders in the Rue Morgue

Edgar Allan Poe

Study Guide
logo

The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket

Edgar Allan Poe

The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket

Edgar Allan Poe

Study Guide
logo

The Oval Portrait

Edgar Allan Poe

The Oval Portrait

Edgar Allan Poe

Study Guide
logo

The Philosophy of Composition

Edgar Allan Poe

The Philosophy of Composition

Edgar Allan Poe