Edgar Allan Poe's short story "Some Words With a Mummy" was published in April, 1845 in American Review: A Whig Journal. The satirical story skewers the then craze for all things Egyptian and mummies and also satirizes the thought that contemporary civilization had reached the pinnacle of both scientific thought and artistic accomplishment in things like architecture. 

Poe is clearly poking fun at Egyptmania in this story. In the story a group of men gather together in the middle of the night to examine a mummy for the sake of "scientific discovery". During their examination they act like a group of children that just got a new toy. They poke and prod the mummy just to see what happens, this is evident when they decide to use electricity. The fact that this is going on at the Doctor's private residence and is attended by his friends only, even though they do not have any kind of medical expertise denotes this fact. Although it seems, in modern times, counterproductive to conduct a serious scientific examination in a party like atmosphere, this was commonly done at the time, a fact that Poe is ridiculing here. The mummy is also a method of ridicule here, right down to its name, Allamistakeo. Unlike serious mummy horror stories, the mummy is not scary, and the characters do not react to it as such. It is another device that Poe uses to censure the reader. Upon its resurrection, the mummy chastises the men for their abuse of himself and mummies in general.

In their discussion with Allamistakeo, the men attempt to exalt their time as one of unprecedented knowledge and technology. Again and again, Allamistakeo is able to prove that the technology in his time was not inferior, and often superior, to the modern equivalents. The narrator, who at first is presented as an intelligent, educated man, is later revealed to be completely ignorant. He asks Allamistakeo a series of questions intended to prove that modern technology is superior and each time he asks questions that, ultimately, support Allamistakeo's argument. Even when one of the men tries to stop him and suggests that he consult historical texts before asking his questions, he continues. When the man mentions Ptolemy, the narrators response is "whoever Ptolemy is". In the end, the only reason the men can consider themselves the victors of the debate comes down to cough drops.

At the end of the story, the narrator, exasperated, is keen to have himself embalmed for a couple of hundred years to wake up to find out who the President of the United States will be.

Publication history: In January 1845, Columbian Magazine listed "Some Words with a Mummy" as scheduled for publication; Poe likely pulled the article when he was offered more money for it elsewhere. It was ultimately published in the April 1845 edition of the American Review,  which also included Poe's revised poems "The Valley of Unrest" and "The City in the Sea".  The story was republished without changes shortly after in the November 1, 1845, issue of the Broadway Journal. 

Post-production: Drat Productions, Baltimore. The story is narrated by Mark Redfield. - Abridged  

Copyright Mark Redfield/Damfino Media. All Rights Reserved.

Some Words With a Mummy by Poe narrated by Mark Redfield

You Are Old, Father William" is a poem by Lewis Carroll that appears in his book Alice's Adventure's in Wonderland (1865). It is recited in Chapter 5, "Advice from a caterpillar". 

This poem is narrated here by J.R. Lyston (Father William) and Mark Redfield (the youth). 

"You are old, Father William," the young man said,
"And your hair has become very white;
And yet you incessantly stand on your head—
Do you think, at your age, it is right?"

"In my youth," Father William replied to his son,
"I feared it might injure the brain;
But now that I'm perfectly sure I have none,
Why, I do it again and again."

"You are old," said the youth, "As I mentioned before,
And have grown most uncommonly fat;
Yet you turned a back-somersault in at the door—
Pray, what is the reason of that?"

"In my youth," said the sage, as he shook his grey locks,
"I kept all my limbs very supple
By the use of this ointment—one shilling the box—
Allow me to sell you a couple?"

"You are old," said the youth, "And your jaws are too weak
For anything tougher than suet;
Yet you finished the goose, with the bones and the beak—
Pray, how did you manage to do it?"

"In my youth," said his father, "I took to the law,
And argued each case with my wife;
And the muscular strength which it gave to my jaw,
Has lasted the rest of my life."

"You are old," said the youth, "one would hardly suppose
That your eye was as steady as ever;
Yet you balanced an eel on the end of your nose—
What made you so awfully clever?"

"I have answered three questions, and that is enough,"
Said his father; "don't give yourself airs!
Do you think I can listen all day to such stuff?
Be off, or I'll kick you down stairs!"

You Are Old Father William by Lewis Carroll read by J.R. Lyston and Mark Redfield

PoeForevermore Radio Theater presents 
The Great Storytellers: Bram Stoker

With commentary by David J. Skal, and Ted Newsom. 
Hosted by Mark Redfield.
Featuring the voices of Brinke Stevens, Mary Anne Perry and JR Lyston. 

Celebrate Bram Stoker! In this 75 minute program, we look at the life and work of Bram Stoker, the Irish author of “Dracula”. 

Written by Lee David and produced by Mark Redfield. 
Engineered and edited by Bill Dickson of Drat Productions. 
Additional audio recording by Brinke Stevens. 
Special audio of Sir Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing courtesy Ted Newsom. 
Graphics by Jennifer Rouse. Music under license from Music House.
This program and original content is copyright Damfino Media.
All other content used by permission or under terms of fair use. 
Running time approx: 75 minutes


Poe Forevermore Radio Theater
www.PoeForevermore.com

THE GREAT STORYTELLERS: BRAM STOKER

The Rainy Day

FOR ANNIE is a poem written by Edgar Allan Poe just a few months before he died. 

It was written for Nancy Richmond and published on 28 April, 1849. After Poe died, Nancy Richmond changed her name to Annie Richmond. 

FOR ANNIE by Edgar A Poe, spoken by Mark Redfield

FOR ANNIE is a poem written by Edgar Allan Poe just a few months before he died. 

Written for Nancy Richmond, it was published 28 April, 1849. Poe died that autumn. After his death, Nancy Richmond changed her name to "Annie". 

FOR ANNIE by Edgar Allan Poe, spoken by Mark Redfield

Mark Redfield reads Ogden Nash's poem THE BOY WHO LAUGHED AT SANTA CLAUS. 

The poem was written in 1957. 

The Boy Who Laughed At Santa Claus by Ogden Nash spoken by Mark Redfield

Sweet Little UpsideDown Cake

"Where Once Poe Walked" is H.P. Lovecraft's homage to Poe, who Lovecraft thought was a master of his art and craft. 

The poem is spoken by Mark Redfield. 

WHERE ONCE POE WALKED a poem by H.P. Lovecraft

THE REDFIELD ARTS REVUE Episode 15: Poe And The Death Of A Beautiful Woman

Find more great audio at http:/w/www.RedfieldArtsAudio.com

LET'S BRING POE TO LIFE! JOIN US ON INDIEGOGO AT: 
https://igg.me/at/ALONETheLifeOfPoe 

The Extraordinary AUDIOBiography Of The American Master Storyteller, Edgar Allan Poe.

______________

In “The Philosophy of Composition" , an 1846 essay written by Edgar Allan Poe , he gives his theory about how good writers write, when they write well. He concludes that length, "unity of effect" and a logical method are important considerations for good writing. He also states that "the death... of a beautiful woman is unquestionably the most poetical topic in the world". 

Ulalume is a poem written by Poe in 1847. Much like Poe's poems The Raven and Annabel Lee, Ulalume focuses on the narrator's loss of his beloved due to her death. Poe originally wrote the poem as an elocution piece and, as such, the poem is known for its focus on sound. It makes many allusions, especially to mythology.

The three central elements of Poe's philosophy of composition are:

Length. Poe believed that all literary works should be short. They should be read in a single sitting.

Method. Poe dismissed the notion of artistic intuition and argued that writing is methodical and analytical, not spontaneous.

Unity of effect. The essay states Poe's conviction that a work of fiction should be written only after the author has decided how it is to end and which emotional response, or "effect", he wishes to create, commonly known as the "unity of effect". In this essay, Poe logically decides on "the death... of a beautiful woman" as it "is unquestionably the most poetical topic in the world, and equally is it beyond doubt that the lips best suited for such topic are those of a bereaved lover."

Biographers and critics have suggested that Poe's obsession with this theme stems from the repeated loss of women throughout his life, including his mother Eliza Poe, Jane Stanard, his foster mother Frances Allan and, later, his wife Virginia.

In the essay, Poe traces the logical progression of his creation of "The Raven" as an attempt to compose "a poem that should suit at once the popular and the critical taste."

Even the term "Nevermore," he says, is based on logic following the "unity of effect." The sounds in the vowels in particular, he writes, have more meaning than the definition of the word itself. He had previously used words like "Lenore" for the same effect.

The Raven itself, Poe says, is meant to symbolize Mournful and Never-ending Remembrance. This may imply an autobiographical significance to the poem, alluding to the many people in Poe's life who had died.

LET'S BRING POE TO LIFE! JOIN US ON INDIEGOGO AT: 
https://igg.me/at/ALONETheLifeOfPoe 

The Extraordinary AUDIOBiography Of The American Master Storyteller, Edgar Allan Poe.

THE REDFIELD ARTS REVUE Episode 15: Poe And The Death Of A Beautiful Woman

Mark Redfield is an American actor and filmmaker. 
He is the producer of Poe Forevermore Radio Theater, creating and starring in audio plays and audio books based on classic and original works of mystery and imagination. He publishes the companion literary magazine, Poe Forevermore.
Redfield's feature film credits include: COME HELL OR HIGH WATER (Justin Gatewood), DARK AND STORMY NIGHT (Farper Twyly), THE DEATH OF POE (Edgar Allan Poe), DR. JEKYLL & MR. HYDE (Jekyll/Hyde), & COLD HARBOR (Roger). Television credits include: ARMED ROBBERY ORGASM (as Ron–Channel Four, London), & IN THE GRIP OF EVIL (as Father Hughes–Discovery Channel) among many others. During his career he has acted in, or directed, over seventy plays professionally. Redfield has founded two successful theater companies; Industrial Strength Theater and New Century Theater, respectively, and has toured internationally. He received training in theater and film from Towson University, UNESCO’s Theatre Of Nation’s University, and The Actor’s Conservatory. Redfield's first novel, THE CHANEY MURDER CASE, will be published in 2016. Redfield is a proud member of SAG-AFTRA, the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, and Actor's Equity and The Lambs Club. He owns the production companies Redfield Arts and Damfino Media, and makes his home on sets all over the world, but collects his mail in Los Angeles and Baltimore.

markredfield

Popular tracks