Humor and Satire in Edgar Allan Poe's Absurd Stories

Author(s): Ecaterina Hanţiu

Source: The Edgar Allan Poe Review, Vol. 11, No. 2 (Fall 2010), pp. 28-35
Published by: Penn State University Press
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28 Humor and Satire

Humor and Satire in Edgar Allan Poe's Absurd Stories

Ecaterina Hanfiu

The literatureof theabsurdin all its diversityappears as a naturalresultof the

20thcentury'scomplexcrises,buttheabsurdcertainlyhas deeperroots. Several
previoustendenciesas well as ancientsourcespointat a possible "tradition"of
theabsurdidentifiedin theliteraryworksof the20thcentury.In his study,Lupta
cu absurdul{FightingtheAbsurd),theRomaniancriticNicolae Balota classifies
thecorrespondenceof literarythemesand thestructure of theabsurdaccording
to the ways the absurd appears in several older sources as: a) an elementof
satire,b) a formof humor,or c) a partof an irrationaldreamworld.1

Dreams have alwaysbeen an integralpartofanyculture,includedas a permanent

elementin mythology, fairytales,poetry,fictionand otherformsof storytelling.
The literatureof dream is extremelyrichand therelationshipbetweendreams
and theabsurdcomes quite naturally;thus,amongthe"forerunners" in thisfield
one could mentionNovalis, Ludwig Tieck, E.T.A. Hoffmann,and Edgar Allan
Poe. Of all the Romantic writersconstantlyresortingto the strangeillusions
of a dreamworld,Edgar Poe uses themesand devices of theabsurdincluding:
nightmares,horrorand terror,charactersactingas if underthe pressureof an
innernightmareor an imp of theperverse, fluid- mainlydouble- identities,
shiftsin timeand place, and labyrinthine wanderings.Probablythemostfamous
example of double identity is thatof William Wilson, thoughRoderickUsher
and his twin sisterMadeline are hardlydistinguishable,as well; in fact,they
seem to standforthetwo selves of thesame individual,thuswhenone of them
is destroyed,the othercannot survive. The more substantialof the two can
always see his alter ego as his own reflectionin a mirror;thisimage becomes
an obsession; he triesto get rid of it, to destroyit, but in the finalprocess of
disintegration,thetwoperishtogether.The "obsession of thedouble" is typical
fortheliterature of theabsurd(see Kafka,Beckett,Albee), thetwo components
of thecouple representing, as Balota suggests,thedesireof communicationand
theimpossibilityof achievingthisaim.2

Metamorphosis,anotherfavoritedevice used bywritersoftheabsurd(see Kafka,

and Ionesco) is replacedin Poe's tales by a suddentransformation
of characters
achievedmainlybydisguiseas in "Hop Frog." Sometimessuchtransformations
are pushed so far as to create a final,perfectfusion of characterand mask
as in "The Masque of the Red Death" or "King Pest." The literarymotifof
metamorphosisor alterationis generallyassociated withan existentialfeeling

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 Hanfiu 29

of anxiety.WithPoe, masques or fancy-dressballs neverserve as a preludeto

theyannouncelugubriousevents,vengeances and
joy and fun;on thecontrary,
eitherwell-deservedor completelygroundless,cruel punishments.

These are butsome of theelementsthatappear again and again in theliterature

of theabsurdand are to be met,first,
in Poe's work. Otherexamples of thekind
mightcertainly be added here,but theyare nothingbutheterogeneouselements
of an aestheticsof theabsurdand do notaim at a prose fictionof theabsurdin
thetruesense of the word.

Poe's storiescan be dividedbetweenthoseexpressingextremerationalismand

those thatdemonstratehostilityto reason; he produced tales of ratiocination
as well as storiesthatdemolish rationalthinkingand discourse. He seems to
have been eager to breakup all establishedcategories,maybe temptedby the
impoftheperversethatpushedhimtowardsviolatingtheLaw, simplybecause
"one should not." Always fightinghis own impulses,Poe had a real turnfor
creatingstrangeexperiences and psychological analyses. As if hauntedby a
William Wilson of his own, Poe was also a homo ludens, skillfulin handling
words, plays upon words, nonsense and absurd situationsforvaryingsatiric
and humorouspurposes.

Though Poe is almost unanimouslyaccepted as a forerunner of the absurd of

dream,his tales in which the absurd appears as an elementof satireunderthe
formof humoror those in which satire and absurd humorare harmoniously
interwoven have rarelybeen broughtforwardfordiscussion. These worksmight
seem quite uninteresting fora readeraccustomedto Poe's detectivestoriesor
his mysteryand horrortales. In additiontheyare almostuntranslatable, being
based on elaborate multiplepuns and allusions hard to explain in translation.
Almost all of these tales seem to have sprungout of Poe's life as a journalist
and thefeelingsof despondencyand disappointment he musthave experienced.
In such tales,humanstupidityis particularlymocked; thebest examples in this
respectare "X-ing a Pragrab,""The LiteraryLife ofThingumBob, Esq.," "How
to Writea Blackwood Article,""A Predicament"and "Lionizing." The leading
partinthesestoriesis alwaysplayedbyan almostgrotesquecharacter, a simpleton
( stupidus) thatmakes the readers laugh at his and inability understand
others' to
simplelogical facts. Inspired,as it seems,by thegeniusof a Swiftor a Voltaire,
thesestoriesparody,againstall reason,certainways ofjudging and expressing
things;in them,satireis interwovenwitha specificabsurdhumorbased upon
contrastand incongruence.Elementsin thecomplicatedmachineryof satire,the

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30 Humor and Satire

paradox and thenonsensecharacterizethesetales,thoughPoe nevergoes so far

as to thecompletedestructionof sense or theentiredisintegration
of words.

Poe's nonsenseproseeitherhas a liberatingeffect,expandingthelimitsof sense,

or it relies on contraction;thatis, it has in view the satiricaland destructive
use of the cliche. "How to Writea Blackwood Article"and the sequel to it,
"A Predicament,"forma pair of stories,each of themillustrating one of these
aspects.

In his cheek-in-tonguemanner,Poe introducesSignora Psyche Zenobia-

penname of Suky Snobbs- memberof the P.R.E.T.T.Y.B.L.U.E.B.A.T.C.H.
Society,whowantsto writean articlefortheBlackwoodmagazine. She is advised
touse quotationsfromLatin,Greek,French,Germanand Spanishauthorsin order
to provehereruditionand to choose a matterinspiredfromreality(obviouslya
false,pretendedreality),as forinstancedepictingone's own sensationsat death's
door,because Truthis strange,''you know, ''strangerthanfiction,'- besides
being moreto thepurpose,"Mr. Moneypennyadvises Psyche Zenobia.3

As Miss Zenobia turnsall logic topsy-turvy,

herstorybecomes a perfectpiece
of nonsense. For instancethe fragment-"The Persian Iris appears to some
persons to possess a sweet and verypowerfulperfume,while to others,it is
perfectlyscentless"- meantto be introducedin her storyforthe manufacture
of a simile,becomes:

Diana smelta rat! At once I called Pompey's attentionto the

subject,and he- he agreedwithme. Therewas thenno longer
any reasonable room fordoubt. The rathad been smelt- and
by Diana. Heavens! shall I ever forgettheintenseexcitement
of thatmoment?Alas! whatis theboasted intellectof a man?
The rat!-it was there- thatis to say,itwas somewhere.Diana
smelled the rat. I-l could not! Thus it is said the Prussian
Isis has, forsome persons,a sweet and verypowerfulperfume
while to othersit is perfectlyscentless.

The followingSpanish lines fromCervantes,accordingto Mr. Moneypenny:

Vanmuertetan escondida
Que no te sienta venire,
Porque el plazer del morir,
No mestornea dar la vida

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 Hanfiu 3i

become in Signora Psyche's version

VannyBuren,tan escondida,
Queryno te sentyvenny,
Pork and pleasure, delly morry
Nommy,torny,darry,widdy!-

a stanza resemblingthe futurenonsense rhymesof Edward Lear or Lewis

Carroll or, rather,the avant-gardepoetryof Isidore Isou, who in 1945 voted
forthe supremacyof the poems in which sounds were important,the letters
being euphonicallyarranged.The targetsof Poe's ironywere notonlythesilly
journalistsbut also thepoliticiansof his timeand of all times,as suggestedby
thedistortedname of MartinVan Buren (1782-1862), the eighthpresidentof
theUnited States,includedin thefirstverse.

Tryingto describea "real" event,Psychesucceeds in creatingan almostfantastic

storyfullof sadisticimages and cruelhumor.While admiringthecityof Edina
froman openingin thedial-plateof a clock in thebelfryof a Gothiccathedral,
theminutehand of theclock descends upon her neck,severingherhead.

Thomas Disch discusses "A Predicament,"callingita trulyawfultale,a workin

which"heavy-footedhumorand a wearyzaniness combine witha, formodern
sensibilities,distastefulracism,"4because theprotagonist, PsycheZenobia steps
up and stands on the shoulders of her black servant(using him,in spite of his
as a
lamentations, footstool) so that she mightpoke her head outof an otherwise
inaccessible openingand enjoy theview. Disch, who is usually fulsomein his
praise forPoe, describesthistale as "moronic."

Actually,ifthetale wereconceivedas a moronicpiece ofnonsense,Poe certainly

did it on purpose. Besides the main aim of the tale- thatof satirizingthe
-
pretendedsuccessfuljournalistsofhis time Poe had also in view thedeliberate
destructionof logical thinking.In thistale, head and body are separated,but
both stay alive; the ghost of Zenobia's poodle recitesa poem in German and
the heroine passes througha city where "Men were talking. Women were
screaming. Childrenwere choking. Pigs were whistling."

At theend of thestory,theheroinevanishesaway intonothingness,intoa void

whereboth body and mind as well as brains and language cease functioning:
"Dogless, niggerless,headless, what now remains for the unhappy Signora
Psyche Zenobia? Alas- nothing. I have done."

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32 Humor and Satire

In "The LiteraryLife of ThingumBob, Esq.," thenames of theheroes- almost

all of them journalists- are formed according to the stylistic device of
antonomasia,in fact,a derivedformof thepun:

Snob, Mademoiselle Cribalittle, Slyass, Mrs Fibalittle,

Mumblethumb,Mrs Squibalittle,and last, thoughnot least,
Fatquack. The world may well be challenged to produce so
richa galaxy of genius.

Is itpurechance thatLewis Carrollused thenameof themainheroof Poe's tale,

Thingum,in his celebratedlongernonsensepoem,"The Huntingof theSnark?"
Antonomasia,subtleironyand the puns- especially thosebased on theuse of
homophones- create a funnyatmosphere,tryingto burstthe bounds of logic
and language. Some of Poe's dialogues seem to have inspiredLewis Carroll
withhis nonsensediscourse,like thisone from"The LiteraryLife of Thingum
Bob, Esq.":

"The firstthingto do is to get rid of theold bore."

"Boar?" said I inquiringly-"pig, eh?- aper
(as we say in Latin?)- who?- where?"
"Your father,"said he.
"Precisely,"I replied- "pig."

Poe's Thingum Bob writes his critical articles in what will be seen in the
20th-centuryas a pure Dada mannerof the collage. ThingumBob describes
his methodas follows:

These works I cut up thoroughlywith a curry-comb,and

then,throwingthe shreds into a sieve, siftedout carefully
all thatmightbe thoughtdecent (a mere trifle);reservingthe
hardphraseswhich I threwintoa large tinpepper-castorwith
longitudinalholes .... I anointed a sheetof fools-capwiththe
whiteofa gander'segg; then,shreddingthethingto be reviewed
... so as to geteverywordseparate- I threwthelattershredsin
withtheformer,screwed thelid of thecastor,gave it a shake,
and so dustedout themixtureupon theegg'd fools-cap;where
it stuck. The effectwas beautifulto behold.

A briefglance at TristanTzara's method of making a Dadaist poem would

immediatelydetecthis sources:

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 Hanfiu 33

TO MAKE A DADAIST POEM: Take a newspaper./Take

some scissors./Choosefromthispaper an articleof thelength
you are planningto make yourpoem./Cutout thearticle./Next
carefullycut out each of the words thatmakes up thisarticle
and put them all in a bag./Shakegently./Next take out each
one aftertheother./Copy conscientiouslyin theorder in which
they lef the bag./Thepoem will resembleyou./And there you
are- an infinitelyoriginalauthorand of charmingsensibility,
even thoughunappreciatedbythevulgarherd.-Tristan Tzara,
19205

Deconstructingand reconstructing a textseemed to be an excellentmethodof

writingforPoe, as well. It doesn't matterthattheeffectis bizarre,thatnotall
thephrasesfit,and some of themare placed upside-down;on thecontrary, itis
exactly what one mightexpect from a nonsense text: reason is deliberatelyput
throughthemill and emergesin fragments thatcan be re-arrangedat will. With
Poe, the verbal nonsense expresses more thanmere playfulness;it is also the
expressionof a need forliberation,an idea verymuchresemblingtheprinciples
of theabsurdwritersof the20thcentury.Thereis also an obvious destructively
cruel streakin Poe. The famous house of Usher has actuallylittleto do with
the Romanticlove of ruin;it is merelythe symbolof a "fall," of destruction.
Numerouscharactersin Poe's tales are annihilatedin various manners: there
is no room forkindnessor mercyin a worlddeprivedof reason.

In this world of a cruel, horribleabsurd,many phrases are objectified,used

in themannerKafka was to employin his In der Strajkolonie.Guided
literally,
by the paternaladvice of "followinghis nose," a youngmanin Poe's "Lionizing"
is determinedto devotehis whole existenceto thestudyof nosology. The term
nosologyrefers, infact,tothescienceofdiseases orthatbranchofmedicinewhich
treatsoftheclassificationofdiseases (patologieinRomanian),butdue to an absurd
shiftingof denotation,it becomes "thescience of Noses" withPoe's hero.

As forToby Dammit,themain characterin "Never Bet theDevil Your Head,"

his favoritewords are, "I'll bet thedevil myhead," as theyseem to involvethe
least of risks. He is finallybeheaded, and thedevil- in theformof an elderly
gentleman- takes his head away. In "Never Bet the Devil Your Head," Poe
was originallymockingthemembersofthecontemporary establishment
literary
who had accused himof notwritingstorieswithan apparent moral purpose. He
offeredthesad historyofTobyDammitas proofthathe could write"A Tale with
Moral," whichis thestory'ssubtitle. In Poe's story,Toby Dammit is a foolish

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34 Humor and Satire

youngman who would bet on anything,and, because he had no money,it was

his head he used as his ante,a bet thatwas eventuallyaccepted by thedevil.

In 1968 threefamousmoviedirectors each adapteda Poe shortstoryto thescreen:

Roger Vadim (Metzengerstein), Louis Malle ( WilliamWilson)andFedericoFellini
(NeverBet theDevil YourHead or TobyDammit). They decidedto presenttheir
collectionof storiesunderthe title,Historiesextraordinaires, just as Poe once
entitleda collectionof his stories,Tales oftheGrotesqueand Arabesque (1840).
In Fellini's film,TobyDammit(TerenceStamp)is a half-madiconoclast,therelic
ofa Britishactor,who arrivesin Rome and,in thehope ofgettinga Ferrari,agrees
to starin theworld's firstCatholicWestern.While in Poe's storyone could still
tastea scintillaof darkhumor,in thefilm,thelast hoursin Toby Dammit's life
become a typicalFellinifantasmagoiia,a descentintoa maelstromof grotesque
settings,propsand faces,providingthebestvisual effectsthatcould be obtained
in a worldstilldeprivedof computers.Fellini's idea of presenting thedevil was
different fromPoe's: withFellini the devil is an apparentlyinnocentlooking
fair-haired younggirl. Toby embraceshis own destruction witha wit thatgoes
beyondunderstanding, in a mannertypicalof Poe himself,whileTerenceStamp
was made to look like a fair-haired versionof Poe.

Poe was not the only nineteenthcenturyAmericanwriterto have the absurd

play a key role in his stories. Well-knowntoday,thoughno greatsuccess at
the time of publication,Herman Melville's "Bartlebythe Scrivener"(1856)
is now praised among the most notable of Americanshortstories. "Bartleby
the Scrivener"can be describedas a commentaryon the irreducibleirrational
in humanexistence,a precursorof absurdistliterature, touchingon several of
Kafka's themesin such works as The Trial. Bartleby'sabsurditymakes him
choose to face a blank wall in his office. His catchphrase,"I would prefernot
to,"is also absurd,a roundaboutway ofrefusing.He views theworkas pointless
or absurdand stillends up by becomingtheghostof his formeroffice.

The Gothicrevivalin Americahad to do not so muchwithmonsters,vampires

or apparitions,but withpeople and theirinnerphantasms. Romanticironyand
baroqueelements,poetryand crueltyare intermingled withlaughterand horrorin
theworksoftheAmericanwritersattracted by such issues. Poe createda wholeby
unitingopposites andhis work always makes his readersaware ofman'smysterious
positionin theuniverse. He seems to suggestthatthereare impenetrableareas
thatsurroundthingswe can neverunderstand, thingsthatbringforthanxietyand
a sense of loss. These feelings,as well as thedevices of theabsurd,have been
carriedforwardand extendedby the20thcenturywritersand filmmakers.

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 Hanfiu 35

Notes

1. NicolaeBalota,Luptacu absurdul.(Bucure§ti:EdituraUnivers,1971),39.

2. Balota,56.

3. EdgarAllanPoe,"How toWritea BlackwoodArticle."TheEdgarAllanPoe Society

ofBaltimore.Web. Futurereferences to Poe's workarefromthison-lineedition.

4. ThomasDisch,TheDreamsOurStuffIs Made Of: How ScienceFictionConquered

theWorld.(New York: Touchstone,
2000).

5. "ChanceWordsMake a DadaistPoem." Web.

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