The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym (Magill’s Guide to Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature)
At a glance:
- Author: Edgar Allan Poe
- First Published: 1838
- Type of Work: Novel
- Type of Plot: Fantasy—cultural exploration
- Time of Work: June, 1827-March, 1828
- Setting: The South Seas and the Antarctic Ocean
- Genres: Long fiction, Adventure, Fantasy, Gothic fiction
- Subjects: Voyages, Nineteenth century, Islands, Storms, Ships, Sailing or sailors, Sea or seafaring life, Adventure, Horror, South Pacific, Pacific Ocean, Cannibalism, Mutiny
- Locales: Oceans, Antarctica, Nantucket Island
The Plot
Edgar Allan Poe seems to have been uncertain, initially, how to structure his only novel. The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym first appeared as a conventional first-person fictive work when the opening four chapters were serialized. When the novel was published in completed form the following year, however, Poe added a foreword and an endnote, the purpose of which were to convince readers that Pym’s fantastic accounts were true. Pym, through unusual circumstances, traveled the South Seas to the 84th parallel, farther south than anyone had gone before. He...
[The entire page is 1258 words long]
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