“Nothing makes so fine a show as your Greek”: a foreword to Poe’s philhellenism in “How to Write a Blackwood Article” and “A Predicament”

Dimitrios Tsokanos

doi:10.18172/cif.3599

Authors

Dimitrios Tsokanos Universidad de Almería http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0799-272X

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18172/cif.3599

Keywords:

Poe, A Predicament, Blackwoods, Greek, Hellenic literature

Abstract

Poe’s “How to Write a Blackwood Article” and “The Scythe of Time” have both drawn the attention of a number of scholars due to their undeniable connection and their satirical tone. Studies such as those of Daniel Hoffman and Kenneth Silverman have made note of Poe’s satire which features allusions to foreign literatures. In fact, Poe does not hesitate to quote from several foreign authors in the text and he admits it right away. However, even though one can come across studies such as those of Gustav Gruener, Carl F. Schreiber, and Susan Levine all dealing with the German and Spanish influence in Poe, one may not encounter research that explores the Hellenic aspect of the matter systematically. This paper focuses on the importance of Hellenic language and literature for Poe’s literary devices, and it also offers additional links between “A Predicament” and Hellenic mythology that have perhaps been overlooked by relevant research so far.

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Author Biography

Dimitrios Tsokanos, Universidad de Almería

D. Tsokanos is a Ph.D. Candidate of the University of Almeria (Spain) and works as a lecturer at Loughborough College (UK). He is a member of "Lindisfarne," a literary investigation group of the University of Almeria sponsored by CEI Patrimonio. He is also a member of the "Edgar Allan Poe Spanish Association", and he is particularly interested in literature of the Romantic period; his thesis delves into Edgar Allan Poe's tales and poems. All his publications focus on Poe, the Hellenic references in his works, and his reception in Greece ever since the 19th century.

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