|
By 1832, Poe had published
three volumes of poetry, none of which had succeeded in being the
artistic or financial triumph he had hoped. With a touch of pragmatism,
he turned from poetry to the writing of tales. Never one to merely dip
his toe into even an unknown body of water, Poe plunged in with the
full extent of his energy and imagination. The result was an ambitious
plan for a collection of tales, designed around a fictional group of
characters who called themselves the Folio Club. Although the proposed
volume was never printed as a distinct collection, the individual tales
appeared in the Philadelphia Saturday Courier and the Southern
Literary Messenger.
Tales of the Folio Club (1832-1836)
Offering "Epimanies" to Edwin and Joseph Tinker Buckingham, of the New
England Magazine, Poe described
the tales as: "They
are supposed to be read at table by the eleven members of a literary
club,
and are followed by the remarks of the company upon each. These
remarks
are intended as a burlesque upon criticism. In the whole,
originality
more than any thing else has been attempted" (Poe to E. and J. T.
Buckingham, May 4, 1833).
SLM, August 1835, 1:716, column 2:
|
As one or two of the criticisms in
relation to
the Tales of our
contributor, Mr. Poe, have been directly at variance with those
generally expressed, we take the liberty of inserting here an extract
from a letter (signed by three gentlemen of the highest
standing in literary matters) which we find in the Baltimore Visiter.
This paper having offered a premium for the best Prose Tale, and also
one for the best Poem — both these premiums were awarded by the
committee to Mr. Poe. The award was, however, subsequently altered, so
as to exclude Mr. P. from the second premium, in consideration of his
having obtained the higher one. Here follows the extract.
“Among the prose articles offered were many of various and
distinguished merit; but the singular force and beauty of those sent by
the author of the Tales of the Folio Club, leave us no room for
hesitation in that department. We have accordingly awarded the premium
to a Tale entitled MS. found in a Bottle.
It would hardly be doing justice to the writer of this collection to
say that the Tale we have chosen is the best of the six offered by him.
We cannot refrain from saying that the author owes it to his own
reputation, as well as to the gratification of the community, to
publish the entire volume, (the Tales of the Folio Club.) These Tales
are eminently distinguished by a wild, vigorous, and poetical
imagination — a rich style — a fertile invention — and varied and
curious learning.
|
|
| (Signed) |
JOHN P. KENNEDY,
J. H. B. LATROBE,
JAMES H. MILLER.”
|
|
|
We presume this letter must set the
question at
rest. Lionizing is one
of the Tales here spoken of — The Visionary is another. The Tales
of the Folio Club
are sixteen in all, and we believe it is the author’s intention to
publish them in the autumn. When such men as Miller, Latrobe, Kennedy,
Tucker, and Paulding speak unanimously of any literary productions in
terms of exalted commendation, it is nearly unnecessary to say that we
are willing to abide by their decision.
|
Since five tales had already been published in the Philadelphia
Saturday Courier in 1832, it is likely that Poe did not submit any
of these to the Baltimore Saturday Visiter. We know from Poe's
letter to the Buckinghams in May 1833 that the Tales of the Folio
Club at this point contained eleven tales. Since the letter from
Kennedy, Latrobe and Miller states that Poe submitted only six tales
several months later for the Visiter contest, agreeing with the
total of eleven, we can confidently establish nine of the original set
as:
Metzengerstein
The Duc de L'Omelette
A Tale of Jerusalem
Loss of Breath
Bon-Bon
Epimanies
Lionizing
The Visionary
MS. found in a Bottle
The remaining two are probably
Shadow
Silence
Expanded to seventeen, Poe to Harrison Hall, September 2, 1836. |
|