THE OVAL

PORTRAIT

By Edgar Allan Poe

Who was Edgar Allan Poe?

Have you ever heard this name before? If so, what

do you know about him? Let’s find out a bit more
about this important person.

● American short-story writer, poet, critic,

and editor who is famous for his
cultivation of mystery and the macabre.
● Poe was born in 1809 and died in 1849.
Let’s listen to the
reading of the story.

(teacher must
create a mysterious
environment to the
students, if possible
with some of the
elements from the
short story (candles,
an oval portrait, etc)
Overall view
The oval portrait was written in
1842 and is considered the
shortest tale by Poe.
It was first published in a longer
version in 1842 as “Life in
Death”, in Graham’s Maganize of
Philadelphia and later, in 1845,
published as “The Oval Portrait”
in The Broadway Journal.
The story is about a man in a chateau
who is fascinated by a portrait of a
beautiful young woman among many
other paintings. The portrait seems
life-like. He then finds a story behind
the oval portrait which reveals that
the woman was a young bride of the
painter, who becomes obsessed with
capturing her likeness, spending a lot
of time working on the portrait. When
he has just about finished the painting,
she was dead.
 The uneasy relationship between life and art

● One of the possible interpretations of the story is the fact that the
author’s passion towards art has killed his wife. In other words, art and
love might have a destructive power. The painter has become
successful but his wife was forgotten. She loved him so much that didn’t
tell him about her pains. The painter is narcissistic.
● He was extremely passionate about his wife in his art. His wife was
extremely passionate about him. Although, they lost themselves in the
relationship.
● Art and an addiction to it are depicted as killers.
● Art can reveal truths about the artist’s guilt or inherent evil.
 An alternative analysis of the story

● While most believe on the theory presented previously,

some don’t think it awares about the dangers involving art
over life. Otherwise, it could be understood as the nature
of creativity.
 "This is indeed Life itself!"

Brought at the end of the short story, the sentence makes us reflect about
the danger of neglecting real life due to the desire of great art, great work
and success.
It’s also possible to reflect on our world nowadays, in which people focus
too much on social media and don’t live life to the fullest.
 The symbols
● The painter is the symbol of
the fanaticism, while the
woman is its victim.
● It’s possible to notice the use
of darkness to make one
think of reality and light to
resemble a dream or a
illusion. The gloom at the
beginning of the text gives us
the idea that something
supernatural is about to
happen.
 The
characteristics
● The story is a frame narrative,
which means that there is a story
within a story. At the beginning
there was plenty of information
about a different plot, involving
the narrator, his valley and a
different setting. It then
introduces a vast description of
the portrait and background
information in detail.
● The descriptive style of the text
helps the reader imagine the
context as if it was reality.
The oval portrait
symbolizes
mortality of love
Ask the
students if
they agree,
why, and what

and immortality of were their

impressions
while reading

art. the story.

References:
https://www.eapoe.org/pstudies/ps1970/p1978102.htm

https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Works_of_the_Late_Edgar_Allan_Poe/Volume_1/The_Oval_Portrait

https://interestingliterature.com/2017/02/a-summary-and-analysis-of-edgar-allan-poes-the-oval-portrait/

https://www.hari570.com.np/2020/12/the-oval-portrait-exercise-question-answers-class-11.html

https://www.supersummary.com/the-oval-portrait/summary/

https://findanyanswer.com/what-does-the-oval-portrait-symbolize