Open AccessEdgar Allan Poe: A Source for Miriam Allen Deford
Author(s) -
Maria Alice Ribeiro Gabriel
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
aletria
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2317-2096
pISSN - 1679-3749
DOI - 10.17851/2317-2096.29.2.79-99
Subject(s) - poetry , subject (documents) , biography , literature , art , american literature , art history , performance art , history , philosophy , library science , computer science
The influence of Edgar Allan Poe on North American culture and literature is still a subject of debate in contemporary literary theory. However, Poe’s creative legacy regarding the writings of Miriam Allen Deford remains neglected by the literary critics. Deford’s fiction explored a set of literary genres, such as biography, science fiction, crime and detective short stories. Taking these premises as a point of departure, this article aims to identify similarities between “A Death in the Family” and some of Poe’s works. Drawing on studies by J. T. Irwin, James M. Hutchisson and others, the objective of this paper is to analyze passages from Deford’s tale in comparison with the poetry and fictional prose of Poe. The analysis suggests that Deford’s horror short story “A Death in the Family,” published in 1961, was mostly inspired by Poe’s gothic tales, detective stories, and poems.