Great Books: Tales of Edgar Allan Poe

Known primarily as a critic in his day (and a vicious one at that), 19th century American author Edgar Allan Poe led an unhappy childhood, invented the detective tale, turned the short story into an art form, married his 13-year-old cousin (perhaps inspiring Jerry Lee Lewis), and drank himself into an early grave (he died at 40). Unfortunately, Great Books: Tales of Edgar Allan Poe, from the popular Discovery Channel-aired series, only touches on a few of these aspects of Poe's life and career, and devotes far more running time to the women close to him who died young (Poe's mother, stepmother, and wife), for instance, than to any real critical analysis of the great book in question (in fact, of the tales only “The Pit and the Pendulum” and “The Tell-Tale Heart” are covered, combining cheesy re-enactments and commentary, and the only other work by Poe mentioned is the classic poem “The Raven”--you'll find nary a whisper here about the junior high lit class staple “The Cask of Amontillado,” or “The Black Cat,” or “The Purloined Letter”). Narrated by Gary Oldman, and featuring interview clips with a slew of biographers, horror director Wes Craven, and author Ray Bradbury, this is a rather scattershot and disappointing introduction to one of America's greatest (and most colorful) authors. A few discussion questions and a resource guide (elaborated on in the accompanying study guide) appear at the end of the tape. A much better choice here would be Edgar Allan Poe: Terror of the Soul (VL-9/95). Not a necessary purchase. Aud: J, H, P. (R. Pitman)