FILMS
EDGAR ALLAN POE: ARCHITECT OF DREAMS
Poet Dave Smith presents the restless Poe, not as the stereotyped
master of ghoulish horror tales or clever mysteries, but as a highly
imaginative seeker after cosmic truths. A primary-colored vortex suggests
his view of Creation’s constant cycle, or “the plot of God.” The
divine plot, Poe believed, could be glimpsed in his dreams, seen either
half-awake or asleep, inspiring a conscious “undercurrent” in
his work. A companion theme runs throughout: the death of a beautiful
woman, with deep roots in Poe’s childhood and youth. Excerpts from
classic poems and three of Poe’s tales, each of a different genre,
are dramatized: M.S. Found in a Bottle, The
Fall of the House of Usher, and The Purloined
Letter. In
finding forms for his view of “God’s plot,” Poe produced
poems and stories justifying the program’s title (30 min.).
