Hobby Buku's Classic: Edgar Allan Poe

Showing posts with label Edgar Allan Poe. Show all posts

Monday, April 22, 2013

Short Story "THE PURLOINED LETTER"

Judul Asli : THE PURLOINED LETTER

From “The Murders in the Rue Morgue and Other Tales”

This edition published in the Penguin English Library 2012 | 330 p

Front cover illustration : Coralie Bickford-Smith

Inside front cover : Edgar Allan Poe (photograph © The Granger collection / TopFoto)

ISBN : 978-0-141-19897-2

Chapter 16 | p. 250 – 270

This is the thirth instlament of Poe’s works that reveal a unique character name C. Auguste Dupin – a man who have special interest on detail and solving mystery surrounding several crimes. After the first appears on The Murders in the Rue Morgue follow by The Mysteryof Marie Rogêt, Dupin’s specialties have been recognise by the authority, so many of them are asking for advise when comes into unsolve or strange crime. Now Dupin’s enjoying his life in his apartement on No. 33 Rue Dunôt, Faubourg St. Germain with his best friend (who like many Poe’s works, act as a narator to the story, but never reveal who actually the person is or even his name), when familiar quest come by asking for advise, Monsieur G___, the Prefek of the Parisian police.

Short Story "THE GOLD-BUG"

Judul Asli : THE GOLD-BUG

From “The Murders in the Rue Morgue and Other Tales”

This edition published in the Penguin English Library 2012 | 330 p

Front cover illustration : Coralie Bickford-Smith

Inside front cover : Edgar Allan Poe (photograph © The Granger collection / TopFoto)

ISBN : 978-0-141-19897-2

Chapter 14 | p. 199 – 238

[ source ]

The main character is William Legrand was one of the heirs of an ancient Huguenot family – who many centuries ago are famous and wealthy. His past life are still quite good, but by several misfortunes all the family he inherited had reduced and left him poorly. To avoid the consequences of his disaster’s life, he left New Orleans and took up his residence at Sullivan’s Island, near Charleston, South Carolina, where he life single only accompanied by a loyal servant – a former black slave named Jupiter.

This story again using the first person as the narrator and taking part as friend of Wiliam Legrand, who one day when this old friend come to visit him, suddenly he act strangely and it was start when Will trying to tell a story about his amazing discovery on those spesific day. The subject of this conversation are a bug with gold color on his back. That not only impossible but if its true is a very rare bug had ever discover. Soon when the narrator are back to his home, he got sudden visit from Jupiter, who really scare of his master’s life. He said that William Legrand become very different man since he discover those golden-bug. His act seems nonsence and almost crazy in the eyes of his old servant. And Master Will also ‘requested’ the arrival of his bestfriend back at his home, to discover and solve a great mystery.

[ source ]

I really like this kind of stories, involving mystery and the effort to solve a riddle with hidden secret clues, just like a treasure-hunt. And I think Sir Arthur Conan Doyle also inspire to write a very similar story – when he write about the first mystery young Sherlock manage to solve : The Musgrave Ritual (from the stories collection at The Return of Sherlock Holmes), the first prolog when two old friend are meet after separated long time, then the old buddies asking a favor and urgent help to solve a mystery surrounding family secret. The way ecah author describe the riddle and in searching the hidden treasure’s map then in pursue step by step all the terms and condition to get full picture on where about the hidden treasure. Similar in themes but different on inside. Never there else, is really interesting to read (^_^)

[ more about the author, books and related adaptations, check on here : Edgar Allan Poe | The Gold-Bug | Poe's Works ]

Best Regards,

Short Story "THE FACTS IN THE CASE OF M. VALDEMAR"

Judul Asli : THE FACTS IN THE CASE OF M. VALDEMAR

From “The Murders in the Rue Morgue and Other Tales”

This edition published in the Penguin English Library 2012 | 330 p

Front cover illustration : Coralie Bickford-Smith

Inside front cover : Edgar Allan Poe (photograph © The Granger collection / TopFoto)

ISBN : 978-0-141-19897-2

Chapter 17 | p. 271 – 281

It’s really an unique and strange stories, about the experiment to cheat the death using mesmerize tehnique to persued ‘the brain’ as like they still alive, healthy and normal. Written by one single-point-of-view, the narrator who act as him self, the one man who have the ability and knowledge regarding the mesmerize tehnique. He never quite proove his theory until he meet an old friend who suffer from the terminal disease and awaiting for the right moment to die. This sick person named Mr. Ernest M. Valdemar were reknowned author and his interesting on science are the biggest interest that makes him agree to try the experiment.

When the perfect time are sets, watching as a witness and helper, two doctor also check-out the patient condition before and after the first attempt on mesmerized happens. If there was any objections on this matter, it changing when all the witness watching something extraordinary on the body of very sick man who about to die. His conditions are stays for some period and then slowly all the trace of sickness in his body are gone, one by one. But the body still remaining in the mesmerized condition, just like ‘comatos-patient’ this days. And this experiment taking times for quite a long time, about seven month after the treatment start, then suddenly the narrator want to take this experiment into another level. But that’s means he has to awake the ‘sleeping’ patient. Can you guess what will happen next ? It’s something really horrible I can asure that ... so spooky !!!

[ source ]

“Mr. Valdemar, are you asleep ?”

“Yes; - asleep now. Do not wake me! – let me die so !”

“Do you still feel pain in the breast, M. Valdemar?”

“No pain – I am dying !”

“M. Valdemar, do you still sleep ?”

“Yes; still asleep – dying.”

“Yes; - no; - I have been sleeping – and now – now – I am dead.”

“M. Valdemar, can you explian to us what are your feelings or wishes now ?”

“For God’s sake! – quick! – quick! – put me to sleep – or, quick! – waken me! – quick! – I say to you that I am dead!”

[ more about the author, books and related adaptations, check on here : EdgarAllan Poe | The Facts In The Case of M. Valdemar | All Adaptations ]

Best Regards,

Short Story "THE MYSTERY OF MARIE ROGÊT"

Judul Asli : THE MYSTERY OF MARIE ROGÊT

From “AUGUSTE DUPIN”

This edition published by Visimedia ; first edition in December 2012 | 326 p

Alih Bahasa : Istiani Prajoko

Editor : Muthia Esfand

Front cover illustration : Nuruli Khotimah

ISBN : 979-065-142-2

Chapter 2 | p. 75 – 178

The story of Marie Rogêt is another series involving C. Auguste Dupin as the main characters, when a young girl seems missing from his house without any one knows where she might be. Marie Rogêt is a beautiful and attractive young girl who works at the perfume shop in Paris. The dissapearing of this girl are the second incident, years ago she also reported missing then without warning she appears again in her family. Between those incident, and learn from the past, the related family did not report her dissapearing in appropriate time, makes the authorities starting rather late on their investigation. After perform a team of search and rescue, there is several possibelities from witnesses and point-out all the clues on her behavior the day she might missing. All evidence leads to suspects between the gang of rebellious man, who might robe and kidnaped this girl, but the investigation also suspect the girl’s fiance.

Dupin’s character performing another unique approach to seek-out the truth between piles of many clues, put-down one piece at the time, trying to build the big picture from pieces of puzzles. Not only he demonstrate his skill to ‘read-mind’ while he observe the human behaviour and suggestions, he also introduce us about ‘red-herring’ whon already known by mystery’s fans as ‘decoy’ when the suspect alledgely gave several clues to drown the investigation into another path. Between the tehnique and diagnose he made, the readers will brought into wild-goose chase before Dupin’s point-out the right path to follow.

Judul Asli : THE MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE

From “The Murders in the Rue Morgue and Other Tales”

This edition published in the Penguin English Library 2012 | 330 p

Front cover illustration : Coralie Bickford-Smith

ISBN : 978-0-141-19897-2

Chapter 7 | p. 100 – 138

“What song the Syrens sang, or what name Achilles assumed when he hid himself among women, although puzzling questions, are not beyond all conjucture.” – Sir Thomas Browne

How we define something as a crime ? When something terrible happens on someone else or until someone got kill in the action ? If you a mystery lovers, you’ll know about Hercule Poirot and Sherlock Holmes as the unique character who solve any crime, any puzzle and mystery especially surrounding in human’s life, but have you ever hear about Monsieur C. Auguste Dupin, who live before Hercule Poirot or even Sherlock Holmes ?

‘He derives pleasure from even the most trivial occupations bringing his talent into play. He is fond of enigmas, of conundrums, hieroglyphics, and love exhibiting in his solutions of each a degree of acumen which appears to the ordinary apprehension præternatural’ (p. 100)

Dupin was a great detective in the first era when there’s not yet a story about solving mystery using method and technique as well the preliminary observations on the subject. His passion and meticulas on every detail combine with thinking ‘outside the box’ brought him to the answers on solving several unanswers mystery. And here is one of the puzzle mystery he have to solve. The horrible and mysterious tragedy just happens at the house in thr Rue Morgue, who occupancy by Madame L’Espanaye and her daughter, Madamoiselle Camille L’Espanaye. About three o’clock in the morning, neighbournhood at the Quartier St. Roch awaken by a succession of terrific shrieks, who apparently coming from the fourth story of the house.