texasmama Posted April 20, 2014 Share Posted April 20, 2014 I will have two eighth graders next year (my 11 year old and my 13 year old). The 11 year old has asked me to read some Poe aloud. Any suggestions of what to start with? I will read a few poems, but I would also like to read some short stories and begin with some less suspenseful yet interesting ones. So help me, please. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted April 20, 2014 Share Posted April 20, 2014 Well, The Raven is a no-brainer. We love Annabel Lee and The Bells, too. For short stories - some of love, some I hate. You are ok with dark, right? Because they pretty much all are, I think! I love The Fall of the House of Usher for the whole forshadowing/setting thing. The Black Cat is good, ironic and gruesome, but the main character does murder his wife (and his cat). The Cask of Admontillado is a favorite. The Telltale Heart is pretty suspenseful, and again, gruesome. I don't like The Pit and the Pendulum, myself. Those are all pretty dark, suspenseful, and gruesome The Murders in the Rue Morgue might be a good one to start out with. That and the Purloined Letter are kind of foundational to the whole detective fiction genre - kind of pre-Sherlock Holmes stuff. Interesting and less the result of a deranged psyche than those above. If I were just picking one, and I didn't want too gruesome, I'd pick The Purloined Letter. Then, for irony and poetic justice, I might do The Cask of Admontillado. If those went over well, The Fall of the House of Usher. I guess those would be my top 3 picks, maybe? ETA: you might be able to find some good audios of these at the library or something - I really like listening to Poe stories, more than I like reading them aloud. The lend themselves to dramatic reading, KWIM? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texasmama Posted April 20, 2014 Author Share Posted April 20, 2014 Thank you! Fabulous and exactly what I was looking for. We have read some poetry, but the only Poe short story I recall from high school is The Tell Tale Heart, which scared the pants off of me in about the 11th grade! My 11 year old is okay with dark. In fact, he seems to prefer it. At the same time, I am trying to make sure he has a childhood, if you know what I mean! So dark is good but I'd like to avoid gruesome. The 13 year old is along for the ride but is not a sensitive soul so should be fine with your recs. I am a big Poe poetry fan, though, and E.A.P. and I actually share the same birthday. ;) I could never have predicted that I would have an 11 year old begging for me to read some of Poe aloud "during the summer so we have plenty of time". :D Piece of trivia: I am a singer, and in high school I still recall singing the musical adaptation of The Bells in choir. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Critterfixer Posted April 20, 2014 Share Posted April 20, 2014 Take a look at The Gold Bug. You'll want to read it first, but it is kind of different for Poe. It is more like a detective or mystery story than some of his other fiction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Targhee Posted April 21, 2014 Share Posted April 21, 2014 Poems - I'd start with The Bells (so many literary devices in here, and it really sings), and include The Raven and maybe Annabelle Lee Short Stories - The Tell-Tale Heart and then The Black Cat (similar plots, but the first is iconic Poe and the second shows how he toyed with the same ideas in different ways. Also The Pit and the Pendulum and Murders in the Rue Morgue. I had a Poe anthology given to me in 7th grade, and I loved to read these over and over. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texasmama Posted April 21, 2014 Author Share Posted April 21, 2014 Take a look at The Gold Bug. You'll want to read it first, but it is kind of different for Poe. It is more like a detective or mystery story than some of his other fiction. This sounds intriguing. Last summer this son asked me to read aloud Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, which I did. He enjoyed it so he may well enjoy this one as a bridge to "hard core" Poe. (lol) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texasmama Posted April 21, 2014 Author Share Posted April 21, 2014 Poems - I'd start with The Bells (so many literary devices in here, and it really sings), and include The Raven and maybe Annabelle Lee Short Stories - The Tell-Tale Heart and then The Black Cat (similar plots, but the first is iconic Poe and the second shows how he toyed with the same ideas in different ways. Also The Pit and the Pendulum and Murders in the Rue Morgue. I had a Poe anthology given to me in 7th grade, and I loved to read these over and over. I may have some Poe sitting around here somewhere. I am a collector and have some anthologies. Need to look.... Love The Bells. "To the tintinnabulation that so musically wells". Such rich language and cadence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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