The Best of Edgar A. Poe (D'apres Moi)

In honor of his birthday, I've created a list of Edgar Allan Poe's best stories/poems in my opinion.  With Poe, it's pretty universal that he had mental health issues and his stories were odd with deranged characters, but I think they're really interessant!

Happy Birthday!

1. Annabel Lee

In short, it's a beautiful poem about the narrator's love for his dead lover, Annabel Lee.

I've found really neat and modern photos/ drawings when I Google searched "Edgar Allan Poe Annabel Lee."  They all are very dark and and show the "kingdom by the sea."

2. The Oval Portrait

I don't think too many people like this one, but it's about a painter that obsessively devotes his time with creating a beautiful portrait, but ends up taking away a stroke of life from the real woman each time he paints a stroke of the portrait.  Definitely depressing, but I still find it beautiful.

3. The Cask of Amontillado

Now we're getting into the vengeful, crazy characters and plots we all love!  This is about a man who brings another into the cellar, I believe, while the latter is intoxicated and traps him behind a wall.  But he's alive...

4. The Raven

There's a lot of controversy about what the heck this poem's even about.  Was the narrator just dreaming the entire thing?  Was he mentally unstable because Lenore left him?

I admire the fact that he had everybody so confused and interested in the real meaning of it that he had to write an essay on the matter. 

And don't you forget, Nevermore!

 5. The Black Cat

Oh, man.  This was absolutely animal cruelty! Poe knew exactly how to make me cringe at the sickness of the psycho cat torturer.  Now that requires skill what with the diction and clear imagery which is why I put it on this list.  No, I'm not an animal torturer.  I LOVE CATS!