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The Works of Edgar Allan Poe — Volume 4

by Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849)

  • Free to read
  • 6 hours to read
  • 22 chapters
  • Reading level: 8th & 9th grade

"The Works of Edgar Allan Poe — Volume 4" by Edgar Allan Poe is a collection of literary pieces likely written in the mid-19th century. This volume contains a blend of short stories and essays, showcasing Poe's mastery in exploring themes of horror, the supernatural, and human psychology, which is evident from the titles listed in the contents like "The Devil in the Belfry" and "The System of Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether." The beginning of the volume introduces readers to "The Devil in the Belfry," where we are transported to the quaint Dutch borough of Vondervotteimittiss, characterized by its peculiar architecture and the strange behaviors of its inhabitants. The narrative humorously describes the monotonous lifestyle of the townsfolk, who are obsessed with their clocks and cabbages, until an odd little man arrives and disrupts their orderly existence. As the clock unexpectedly strikes thirteen, chaos ensues, showcasing Poe's satirical take on societal norms and the nature of time. In this opening chapter, the grotesque blend of humor and horror sets the tone for the unique tales that follow in the collection.

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  • Short stories
  • Fantasy fiction
  • Horror tales, American
  • American fiction · 19th century

Read the opening

The Devil in the Belfry

What o’clock is it?—Old Saying.

Everybody knows, in a general way, that the finest place in the
world is—or, alas, was—the Dutch borough of
Vondervotteimittiss. Yet as it lies some distance from any of the
main roads, being in a somewhat out-of-the-way situation, there
are perhaps very few of my readers who have ever paid it a visit.
For the benefit of those who have not, therefore, it will be only
proper that I should enter into some account of it. And this is
indeed the more necessary, as with the hope of enlisting public
sympathy in behalf of the inhabitants, I design here to give a
history of the calamitous events which have so lately occurred
within its limits. No one who knows me will doubt that the duty
thus self-imposed will be executed to the best of my ability,
with all that rigid impartiality, all that cautious examination
into facts, and diligent collation of authorities, which should
ever distinguish him who aspires to the title of historian.

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Contents

  1. Volume IV
  2. The Devil in the Belfry
  3. Lionizing
  4. X-Ing a Paragrab
  5. Metzengerstein
  6. The System of Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether
  7. The Literary Life of Thingum Bob, Esq
  8. A Predicament
  9. Mystification
  10. Considered As One of the Exact Sciences
  11. An Extravaganza
  12. To the Editors of the Lady’s Book
  13. Edgar a. Poe
  14. The Duc De L’omelette
  15. The Oblong Box
  16. Loss of Breath
  17. A Tale of the Late Bugaboo and Kickapoo Campaign
  18. The Business Man
  19. The Landscape Garden
  20. Maelzel’s Chess-Player
  21. The Power of Words
  22. The Colloquy of Monos and Una
  23. The Conversation of Eiros and Charmion

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About this edition

This free edition of The Works of Edgar Allan Poe — Volume 4 by Edgar Allan Poe comes from Project Gutenberg eBook #2150, released 2000-04-01. It is in the public domain in the United States, so you can read it here in full at no cost, on any phone, tablet or computer. Genre: Short Stories, Essays, Letters & Speeches, Classics of Literature, American Literature.

Summary provided by Project Gutenberg (automatically generated).

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