The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket

by

English language

Published 2014 by Standard Ebooks.

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3 stars (2 reviews)

Edgar Allan Poe is famed for his unsettling short stories, but he also wrote a full-length novel, his only one: The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket. Framed as the recollections of an adventurous stowaway, Pym begins as a swashbuckling adventure novel, and after growing increasingly weirder, ends on a surreal note worthy of the best of Poe’s short stories.

        <p>Despite Poe himself calling it a “a very silly book,” <i>Pym</i> went on to become one of his most-translated and influential works, coloring the themes of future adventure and weird fiction writers like <a href="https://standardebooks.org/ebooks/jules-verne">Jules Verne</a> and <a href="https://standardebooks.org/ebooks/h-p-lovecraft"><abbr>H. P.</abbr> Lovecraft</a>. It continues to influence writers to this day.</p>

83 editions

reviewed The narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket by Edgar Allan Poe (Penguin classics)

My review...

2 stars

There is no danger of this ever becoming a favorite of mine. The basic travelogue format of the novel, does not resolve itself (there are several missing chapters according to Poe). The early sections of the tale lead us to a rather brutal, senseless mutiny, and cannibalism. The final section becomes a travelogue again ending in yet more senseless violence. Yep, this is not my cup of tea.

avatar for Asusana@bookwyrm.social

rated it

4 stars

Subjects

  • Whaling ships--Fiction
  • Young men--Fiction
  • Stowaways--Fiction
  • Mutiny--Fiction
  • Nantucket Island (Mass.)--Fiction