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Poe Poe Poe Poe Poe Poe Poe

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It surprises me that one could read Hoffman's humor in this engaging critical study as anything but reverential to Poe's work. Hoffman isn't (as so many reviewers here have suggested) picking on Poe; instead, he's tempering his reverence with some very honest comments about an author whose work (like that of all authors) is not entirely consistent. I found it enlightening to read Hoffman's section on Poe's poetry, which brings out the steadfastness ofthe author's attempts, whether they succeed entirely or fail. In fact, Hoffman's honesty about the writings of Poe was this Poe devotee's first view of the author from a perspective other than absolute worship. Hoffman doesn't dwell on the misses in Poe's ouvre to belittle the author; he does it to show the experimental quality of the author's work. He illuminates the author's process and his struggle. Considering that writing is a struggle, and that "genius" is a problematic term, I think Hoffman justly humanizes Poe in this excellent, engaging book.

i always wondered why i keep returning to read Poe and now i somewhat understand after reading Dr. Hoffman's work.This evaluation of Poe's works is lively with alot of soul to it.If you haven't read it yet and you love Poe,why do it now!There is alot of humour and psychological insight into Poe's works. the chapter on Poe and how he viewed God was a little rough but worth sticking to it.

Too many Poe books play on the reputation Poe had as a genius who lost a high number of woman he loved to TB, and drank himself to death. Hoffman can't ignore history and doesn't, but he does talk, unlike many others, about the writing. He does it in a playful, flirtacious way, yet engages a Poe fan in something beyond the 'same old, same old'. If it is the last word on Poe you want, that authoritative tome of all things Poe, go elsewhere. If you want to kick back and ENJOY a new look at one of the most influential American writers ever, buy this one.

Hoffman has put together a very odd book. It is not biography of Poe, nor is it a straightforward critical study of Poe's works. It's almost a memoir, discussing Hoffman's own relationship with Poe and his works over time. Hoffman, a poet himself, looks into Poe's works with an aesthetic mind, but is also careful to point out the bad with the good (noting, for example some of Poe's pathetic made-up words used as forced rhymes and, of course, the monotonous repetition of "The Bells" - the poem from which the book draws its seemingly-silly title). It's also somewhat refreshing to read an analyst who is capable of separating the author's life from his works; it's true that sometimes writing can be read independently - even with Poe!

Hoffman uses a lot of ink focusing on works that are not the typical Poe works most often read. In lieu of extensive discussions on "The Tell-Tale Heart" or "The Black Cat," he writes about Poe's only complete novel "The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket" as well as "Eureka," Poe's nonfiction essay on the origins of the universe. It's fascinating to try to figure out if Hoffman really is a Poe fan, or if his occasionally-caustic assessment qualifies him as another Griswold who can only reluctantly admit there are some gems hidden somewhere in Poe's body of works.

One thing Mr. Hoffman definitely cannot be accused of is hating "poor Eddie Poe" - except when to hate means to criticize (good-humoredly) verses like "Where the good and the bad and the worst and the best / Have gone to their eternal rest"... This book is both a work of art and a work about art. It's equally recommendable if you are doing serious research on Poe - Mr. Hoffman offers psychoanalytical criticism of all of Poe's major works - and if you like imaginative writing as much as Poe's beautiful dead women or simply want to read an extremely amusing book. Of course this is only possible if you don't take Poe, Mr. Hoffman or yourself too seriously. Buy Buy Buy Buy Buy Buy Buy!

I can never figure out why people who seem to hate Poe's work insist on writing books about him. This book contains a critical analysis of Poe's work, and therefore is worth reading, but Hoffman doesn't really seem to like Poe's work very much. He is overly critical of Poe at nearly every turn. You'd really be better off reading Poe himself.

I encountered this wildly overpraised critical study in college. I've should have known I was getting into trouble just by the stupid title. Hoffman's attempts at humor are lame (Camille Paglia is far more livlier and insightful on Poe in her book "Sexual Personae")and his insights pitiful (Paul Coates, in "The Realist Fantasy", gives a much more subtle reading of Poe's "William Wilson" in just three paragraphs than Hoffman is able to accomplish). What really undermines the whole book is Hoffman's complete ignorance of fantastic literature which I think would be essential to doing a critical study of Poe. Only passing mention is made of E.T.A. Hoffmann, a major influence on Poe (and among other great writers). Consequently the influence of Hoffmann's doppelganger tales (such as "The Double" and "Devil's Elixirs") on Poe's doppelganger tales ("William Wilson" and "The Black Cat" among other tales)and their influence on such short story writers as Borges, Paul Bowles, and Julio Cortazar, is not mentioned because Daniel Hoffman is ignorant of it all and the whole genre. And his conclusion that Poe only wrote "pure" tales devoid of any inner meaning is pure bunk and pure laziness on Hoffman's part. To any unfortunate reader or student who picks up Hoffman's book expecting any critical acumen be warned: this book isn't it. Two other critical studies (David Ketterer, J. Gerald Kennedy) are far better.