179:"meekly for many weeks" in his turret chamber. The painter worked so diligently at his task that he did not recognize his wife's fading health, as she, being a loving wife, continually "smiled on and still on, uncomplainingly". As the painter neared the end of his work, he let no one enter the turret chamber and rarely took his eyes off the canvas, even to watch his wife. After many weeks had passed, he finally finished his work. As he looked at the completed image, however, he felt appalled, as he exclaimed, "This is indeed
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takes Poe’s narrative and intriguingly transforms it into a dialogue between the Model and the
Portrait. The mood of the piece is a bit different from the original Poe work, and it is unclear at the end whether the Model will actually die (literally or figuratively) as in Poe's tale but Tait is to be
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The book describes a tragic story involving a young maiden of "the rarest beauty". She loved and wedded an eccentric painter who cared more about his work than anything else in the world, including his wife. The painter eventually asked his wife to sit for him, and she obediently consented, sitting
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Upon moving the candle closer to the book, the narrator immediately discovers a before-unnoticed painting depicting the head and shoulders of a young girl. The picture inexplicably enthralls the narrator "for an hour perhaps". After steady reflection, he realizes that the painting's "absolute
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The central idea of the story resides in the confusing relationship between art and life. In "The Oval
Portrait", art and the addiction to it are ultimately depicted as killers, responsible for the young bride's death. In this context, one can synonymously equate art with death, whereas the
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relationship between art and life is consequently considered as a rivalry. It takes Poe's theory that poetry as art is the rhythmical creation of beauty, and that the most poetical topic in the world is the death of a beautiful woman (see "
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life-likeliness" of expression is the captivating feature. The narrator eagerly consults the book for an explanation of the picture. The remainder of the story henceforth is a quote from this book – a
254:. Five years before the novel's publication, Wilde had praised Poe's rhythmical expression. In Wilde's novel, the portrait gradually reveals the evil of its subject rather than that of its artist.
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to relieve the pain. Poe probably excised this introduction because it was not particularly relevant, and it also gave the impression that the story was nothing more than a
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Pattillo, Laura Grace (2006). "Reviewed work: The Fall of the House of Usher and Other Plays
Inspired by Edgar Allan Poe, Lance Tait".
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in 1842. "Life in Death" included a few introductory paragraphs explaining how the narrator had been wounded, and that he had eaten
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commended for creating dialogue that makes Poe’s tale come alive beyond the narrative limitations of the original prose.
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This article is about the short story. For the
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combined them in his 2012 adaptation after adapting each on their own.
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Illustration for "Tales and poems – vol. 2" published in the 1800s
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is based on Poe's tale. Laura Grace
Pattillo wrote in
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1651:Works originally published in Graham's Magazine
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244:The story inspired elements in the 1891 novel
143:, involving the disturbing circumstances of a
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733:The Unparalleled Adventure of One Hans Pfaall
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936:The Thousand-and-Second Tale of Scheherazade
367:. New York: Cooper Square Press, 1992: 290.
347:. New York: Cooper Square Press, 2001: 178.
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1293:Edgar Allan Poe: Once Upon a Midnight
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385:Edgar Allan Poe: A Critical Biography
1085:Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque
957:The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar
365:Edgar Allan Poe: His Life and Legacy
280:which combined both stories. Artist
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1641:Short stories by Edgar Allan Poe
1636:Short stories adapted into films
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16:Short story by Edgar Allan Poe
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1123:The Conchologist's First Book
1017:The Philosophy of Composition
817:Never Bet the Devil Your Head
803:The Murders in the Rue Morgue
509:"Life in Death" version from
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240:Critical reception and impact
194:The Philosophy of Composition
1646:Short stories set in castles
1277:The Loves of Edgar Allan Poe
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810:A Descent into the Maelström
404:Liegl, Andy (27 June 2013).
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1172:William Henry Poe (brother)
1003:The Philosophy of Furniture
838:The Masque of the Red Death
502:public domain audiobook at
487:Full text on PoeStories.com
322:Poe Poe Poe Poe Poe Poe Poe
278:La Chute de la Maison Usher
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1382:The Picture of Dorian Gray
1358:The Picture of Dorian Gray
1010:Morning on the Wissahiccon
845:The Mystery of Marie RogĂŞt
434:The Edgar Allan Poe Review
296:The Edgar Allan Poe Review
247:The Picture of Dorian Gray
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964:The Cask of Amontillado
943:The Imp of the Perverse
929:Some Words with a Mummy
754:The Devil in the Belfry
345:Edgar Allan Poe: A to Z
1197:National Historic Site
1167:David Poe Jr. (father)
996:Maelzel's Chess Player
652:A Dream Within a Dream
383:Quinn, Arthur Hobson.
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712:MS. Found in a Bottle
698:The Duc de L'Omelette
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1031:Eureka: A Prose Poem
1024:The Poetic Principle
922:The Purloined Letter
908:The Angel of the Odd
894:The Premature Burial
796:The Man of the Crowd
483:at Wikimedia Commons
411:Comic Book Resources
173:story within a story
1510:The Happy Hypocrite
1225:film and television
859:The Tell-Tale Heart
603:The City in the Sea
259:Nathaniel Hawthorne
200:Publication history
139:by American writer
57:Original title
29:"The Oval Portrait"
1626:1842 short stories
1597:Look Back in Anger
1220:In popular culture
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610:The Haunted Palace
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155:Plot summary
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1543:Dorian Gray
1494:(2014–2016)
1466:Adaptations
1454:Dorian Gray
1430:Dorian Gray
1353:Oscar Wilde
1312:(2022 film)
1304:(2012 film)
1296:(2004 play)
1288:(1951 film)
1280:(1942 film)
1272:(1915 film)
1264:(1909 film)
1237:Poe Toaster
1187:Poe Cottage
1069:Collections
673:Annabel Lee
252:Oscar Wilde
137:short story
93:Publication
35:Short story
1620:Categories
1502:Literature
1253:Portrayals
1203:The Stylus
1182:Poe Museum
417:10 October
308:References
288:Lance Tait
125:April 1842
115:periodical
110:Media type
1568:John Gray
1301:The Raven
1269:The Raven
666:The Bells
638:The Raven
582:Al Aaraaf
575:Tamerlane
276:, filmed
165:Apennines
98:Publisher
1205:magazine
1104:Politian
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596:To Helen
591:" (1829)
584:" (1829)
577:" (1827)
504:LibriVox
446:41506252
298:(2006),
187:Analysis
161:narrator
145:portrait
83:Genre(s)
75:Language
1584:Related
1553:(opera)
1150:Related
726:Morella
705:Bon-Bon
645:Ulalume
631:Eulalie
149:château
113:Print (
78:English
67:Country
1486:(2003)
1478:(1969)
1457:(2009)
1449:(2004)
1441:(1976)
1433:(1970)
1425:(1945)
1417:(1918)
1409:(1917)
1401:(1916)
1393:(1915)
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1377:(1910)
1142:(1849)
1134:(1844)
1126:(1839)
1107:(1835)
1088:(1840)
1080:(1827)
1061:(1840)
1053:(1837)
1042:Novels
1034:(1848)
988:Essays
740:Ligeia
624:Lenore
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87:Horror
1534:Stage
1366:Films
1230:music
1210:Death
1115:Other
683:Tales
566:Poems
442:JSTOR
224:opium
147:in a
1096:Play
419:2016
389:ISBN
369:ISBN
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326:ISBN
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181:Life
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