http://www.poemuseum.org/index.php
A week ago I paid a visit to the little cottage, once Poe's childhood home, to interview and look around. I received a call today with the good news- a job offer! As I'm sure you can see from the video below there's a lot of Poe most of us don't know. I will now be able to share the notoriety of the most notorious Richmond writer with the world in a position that's half academic half theatrics. The museum curators that interviewed me were regretful that I couldn't meet the other student that works there. "He's really funny" they assured me, "and right now he's halfway to a speech he's giving - dressed as Poe!". Apparently he routinely gets ovations at the finish of his tours, which sparked my naturally competitive nature. I'm eager to meet my new, possibly quirky, coworker and for the other events the museum throws. Apparently people have had weddings there in the past. I lit up when they told me this, I love weddings! But, on second thought a wedding at the Poe museum might be a little more morbid than romantic. There are other events at the museum too; concerts, dinners, even murder mystery parties serving as a venue of spooky fun.
The museum itself contains many of his personal items; a gorgeous silk vest, the bed he slept in as a child, even a lock of his hair. Hopefully my new workplace will be a great source of inspiration in my own writing, but not too creepy!
How exciting - be sure to share with the class how the job goes.
ReplyDeleteI like that you brought your visit into the conversation because Poe is known for his literary criticism as much as his horror fiction.
One way to connect Poe more specifically to the focus of our course might be to look at some of his criticism, such as his essay "The Philosophy of Composition"
http://xroads.virginia.edu/~HYPER/poe/composition.html