The short story "Berenice" by Edgar Allan Poe was interesting one. Egaeus grew up in a large gloomy mansion and was sick with an illness in which he called "the attentive." When I did some research it Egaeus suffered from some type of monomania-- an impulsive and fruitless observation of trivial things. When Berenice came down with an illness, her cheerful demeanor became solemn and morbid, and for that, Egaeus was now intrigued with her, deciding to marry her (not that he love her). When she came strolling into the library where Egaeus dwells mostly, she smiled at him and he formed an immense obsession for her teeth. But the dark twist was when people thought she died but she really didn't; when Egaeus snapped and took her teeth out and finally realized later when he saw the claw marks on himself and how muddy he was and when her 32 teeth fell out of the black box he was holding along with dental utensils. This story plays on some themes of horror with the gloomy house, the narrator believing he is reincarnated, and dental misuse. I wouldn't be surprised if Poe caused the immense fear for the population to the dentist because of this story.
I haven't read many stories from O. Henry; however, in comparison to the stories I've read by him and this story "The Furnished Room," "The Furnished Room" is so bleak and dark it is practically ridiculous. I find it ironic that the story title is "The Furnished Room" when it seems so vacant and empty. The story is so sad: a man searching for his love commits suicide in the same room his love.
"The Boarded Window" by Ambrose Bierce was so crazy and left me with so much anxiety when Murlock hears the noises and shuffling from the table after he wrapped his wife and prepared her for burial. Now so many questions are running through my head with this story. Where in the world did this panther come from? No matter that, it is pretty obvious Murlock's wife wasn't dead just yet from her illness, because she had a piece of the animal's ear in her mouth; also her hands were tightly clenched.If she was dead she wouldn't have been able to fight back the animal biting at her neck, It was a super suspenseful story to me in the latter half of it.
I loved "The Boarded Window" the last paragraph kind of left me in awe. I was not expecting that to happen at all. This was kind of a nice twist to the "horror" story and a refreshing change to all of the ghosts. I'm with you on the panther, I think Bierce should've went for a more realistic animal.
ReplyDeleteI personally really enjoyed "The Furnished Room" because there was so much history all taking place in one room. Literally hundreds of different stories could've been written that all tie back to that one room, whether it was the beginning. middle, or end of someone's story. It was ironic and in a way romantic how the two I'm assuming lovers died in the same room even if it was unknowingly and if her spirit was in the room she technically died with him, maybe their spirits rekindled their love in the end and it was a version of happily ever after.
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