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The Bibliophile Doctor's Reviews > Metzengerstein
Metzengerstein
by
by
The Bibliophile Doctor's review
bookshelves: reading-challenge-2020, edgar-allan-poe, gothic-lit, audiobook-storytel, audiobooks, done-and-dusted, american-classics, short-classics, reading-challenge-2021, 4-stars-read-will-recommend-it, page-count-below-50, american-authors, classics, published-in-1800-1849
Dec 02, 2020
bookshelves: reading-challenge-2020, edgar-allan-poe, gothic-lit, audiobook-storytel, audiobooks, done-and-dusted, american-classics, short-classics, reading-challenge-2021, 4-stars-read-will-recommend-it, page-count-below-50, american-authors, classics, published-in-1800-1849
Read 2 times. Last read January 21, 2021 to October 11, 2021.
The thing about reading Poe's short stories is you are able to finish them quite quickly but they leave such an impression on you that you can not take your mind off them for a long time.
Metzengerstein might look a simple gothic story but there's so much more in this story that it made my mind numb. The story is about feud between two families-the Metzengersteins and the Berlifitzings—which is so old that no one knows how far back it dates. At the start an ancient prophecy is mentioned which concerns the rivalry between the two families. It suggests that Berlifitzings might be immortals- "A lofty name shall have a fearful fall when, as the rider over his horse, the mortality of Metzengerstein shall triumph over the immortality of Berlifitzing."
Frederick , an orphan and newly inherited baron of Metzengerstein, begins to show a cruel behavior as soon as he becomes a baron. Within few days, Berlifitzings' place is burned down killing every last of Berlifitzing. Although its not clear but it is indicated that Frederick is responsible for this cruel act.
Among the chaos, Frederick finds a horse unlike others with WVB branded on his forehead. He takes it as a sign that he will be ruling a Berlifitzings as he supposes WVB stands for William Von Berlifitzing.
He becomes obsessed with the horse spending almost whole time with it, controlling it and not caring for his duties. In doing so, he ultimately falls victim to the fulfilment of the prophecy.
The branding on horse's forehead and the tapestry described at the start referrences towards metempsychosis which is in itself a very weird concept. Metempsychosis is a kind of belief that means the soul of a person is attached to another living being. So we are left to wonder if that is what Poe's intentions were with the story.
At the end, as always the interpretation is left for us readers but one conclusion that is very obvious from the story is— nothing good ever comes from hatred and anger.
Again Poe's enchanting and dark tale takes us by surprise and we are left awed.
Metzengerstein might look a simple gothic story but there's so much more in this story that it made my mind numb. The story is about feud between two families-the Metzengersteins and the Berlifitzings—which is so old that no one knows how far back it dates. At the start an ancient prophecy is mentioned which concerns the rivalry between the two families. It suggests that Berlifitzings might be immortals- "A lofty name shall have a fearful fall when, as the rider over his horse, the mortality of Metzengerstein shall triumph over the immortality of Berlifitzing."
Frederick , an orphan and newly inherited baron of Metzengerstein, begins to show a cruel behavior as soon as he becomes a baron. Within few days, Berlifitzings' place is burned down killing every last of Berlifitzing. Although its not clear but it is indicated that Frederick is responsible for this cruel act.
Among the chaos, Frederick finds a horse unlike others with WVB branded on his forehead. He takes it as a sign that he will be ruling a Berlifitzings as he supposes WVB stands for William Von Berlifitzing.
He becomes obsessed with the horse spending almost whole time with it, controlling it and not caring for his duties. In doing so, he ultimately falls victim to the fulfilment of the prophecy.
The branding on horse's forehead and the tapestry described at the start referrences towards metempsychosis which is in itself a very weird concept. Metempsychosis is a kind of belief that means the soul of a person is attached to another living being. So we are left to wonder if that is what Poe's intentions were with the story.
At the end, as always the interpretation is left for us readers but one conclusion that is very obvious from the story is— nothing good ever comes from hatred and anger.
Again Poe's enchanting and dark tale takes us by surprise and we are left awed.
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Quotes The Bibliophile Doctor Liked
“These repeated insults were not to be endured by an imperious nobility. Such invitations became less cordial—less frequent—in time they ceased altogether. The widow of the unfortunate Count Berlifitzing was even heard to express a hope "that the Baron might be at home when he did not wish to be at home, since he disdained the company of his equals; and ride when he did not wish to ride, since he preferred the society of a horse." This to be sure was a very silly explosion of hereditary pique; and merely proved how singularly unmeaning our sayings are apt to become, when we desire to be unusually energetic.”
― Metzengerstein
― Metzengerstein
Reading Progress
December 1, 2020
–
Started Reading
December 1, 2020
– Shelved
December 1, 2020
– Shelved as:
to-read
December 1, 2020
– Shelved as:
reading-challenge-2020
December 1, 2020
– Shelved as:
edgar-allan-poe
December 1, 2020
– Shelved as:
gothic-lit
December 1, 2020
– Shelved as:
audiobook-storytel
December 1, 2020
– Shelved as:
audiobooks
December 2, 2020
–
Finished Reading
January 19, 2021
– Shelved as:
done-and-dusted
January 19, 2021
– Shelved as:
american-classics
January 19, 2021
– Shelved as:
short-classics
January 21, 2021
–
Started Reading
October 11, 2021
–
Finished Reading
December 28, 2021
– Shelved as:
reading-challenge-2021
May 24, 2022
– Shelved as:
4-stars-read-will-recommend-it
September 24, 2022
– Shelved as:
page-count-below-50
October 13, 2022
– Shelved as:
american-authors
October 16, 2022
– Shelved as:
classics
October 16, 2022
– Shelved as:
published-in-1800-1849
