While not important to how he created ‘Ligeia’, Poe’s young wife fell ill years after this story was published. Regardless of how this line is interpreted, the loss suffered by the author potentially inspired and influenced his depiction of the protagonist’s suffering. This is, perhaps, more so than a romantic relationship. However, this also suggests a kind of maternal relationship between the pair. After the death of his first wife, the protagonist expresses that “without Ligeia I was but as a child groping benighted.” This could simply be Poe’s use of simile to further depict the mourning of the narrator. There is evidence of the loss of a maternal figure within Poe’s story. This repetition is reminiscent of the repetition of death ‘Ligeia’s’ narrator experiences. Then as a teenager, Poe had to endure the death of his foster-mother also. According to several biographies written about the author, Poe’s mother passed away before he reached the age of three. Growing up, Poe experienced the death of several of the important women in his life. The suffering experienced by Poe’s narrator may not have been invented as pure fiction. Art Imitating Life?īefore analysing ‘Ligeia,’ knowing the context of the author’s life is important in understanding how this story came to be. More specifically, this liminality is used to make readers ask the rather Gothic question, “is Ligeia dead or alive?” A close reading of the text reveals hints as to the author’s intention in the story’s use of liminal spaces. He uses the concept of liminality to make his story unclear. However, Edgar Allan Poe was intentional in creating a vague story. Upon first read, this may seem like the work of a bad writer, a confusing writer, a writer who leaves gaps in his narrative. The author gives the characters only rudimentary descriptions they are not fleshed out enough to appear as rounded people. It offers an unsatisfying conclusion that leaves readers with more questions than answers. The narrator does not explain this, leaving readers unsure of what really happened. Instead, he believes it is the deceased Ligeia who now stands as a revenant before him. At this point, she no longer resembles Lady Rowena in the eyes of the tormented narrator. This process occurs continually throughout the night until she is finally, wholly resurrected. In the gloom and darkness of midnight, the deceased Lady Rowena appears revived, only to once again fall back into death. The story then offers a horrifying twist, true to the Gothic genre. The protagonist is deeply affected by the events of his life. He is then made to suffer further when his second wife falls ill and passes away. This marriage is unhappy, as the narrator admits to disliking his new spouse. Important for the development of the story, she is described as Ligeia’s physical opposite. Amidst his deep suffering, he marries another woman, Lady Rowena Trevanion. He recounts the day that she passed away and the sorrow it caused him. The story follows the protagonist as he details the love shared between him and his deceased wife named Ligeia. This is done so in first person perspective. ‘Ligeia’ is narrated entirely by its nameless protagonist.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |