Name: Metzengerstein
SKU: 59160727
Price: 704.00 TWD
Availability: InStock
Author: Edgar Allan Poe
ISBN: 9781515226642

Type

Physical Book

Author

Edgar Allan Poe

Publisher

Createspace

Language

English

Pages

Format

Paperback

Dimensions

22.9x15.2x0.2 cm

Weight

0.05 kg.

ISBN13

9781515226642

Synopsis "Metzengerstein"

The story, told from an unnamed third-person narrator, takes place in Hungary at an unspecified date. The opening passages describe a centuries-long rivalry between two wealthy families: the Metzengersteins and the Berlifitzings. The bitter enmity between the two families is so old that no one knows how far back it dates. The narrator states that its origin appears to rely on an "ancient" prophecy: "A lofty name shall have a fearful fall when, as the rider over his horse, the mortality of Metzengerstein shall triumph over the immortality of Berlifitzing." Young Frederick, Baron of Metzengerstein, was orphaned at a young age and, thus, inherited the family fortune at age 18 (though the age changes throughout its many re-publications). Equipped with enormous wealth and power, he begins to exhibit particularly cruel behavior. "The behavior of the heir out-heroded Herod". Four days after he receives his inheritance, the stables of the rival family Berlifitzing catch fire. The neighborhood "instantaneously" attributed the act of arson to Frederick Metzengerstein (the story, however, does not say expressly if he did it or not). That day, Metzengerstein, in his home, sits staring intently at an old tapestry depicting "an enormous, and unnaturally colored horse" that belonged to the Berlifitzing clan. Just behind the horse, Frederick sees its rider who has just been killed by "the dagger of a Metzengerstein". Soon, Frederick sees the horse move and assume "an energetic and human expression". Immediately, Frederick opens the door to leave, and the action strikingly causes his shadow to fall exactly on the spot of the murderer in the tapestry.

Edgar Allan Poe

(Author)

View Author's Page

Edgar Allan Poe (Boston, United States, 1809-1849) was a celebrated American writer, considered a master of the short story and a renovator of Gothic narrative. His work, marked by mystery and terror, includes iconic titles such as The Raven (1845), which immortalized him, and innovative poems and stories that influenced genres like detective fiction and science fiction. In addition to his literary output, Poe stood out as a critic and theorist, especially with his essay The Philosophy of Composition (1846). His legacy remains alive and has inspired literature, cinema, music, and art to this day.

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