“The death of a beautiful woman is the really most poetic theme of the world. “
(Edgar Allan Poe)
Edgar Allan Poe was made the way for modern times. Till today his stories constitute as
aesthetic horrible grotesque fascination, in which the death of the beautiful woman is often
put in the centre of attention. When Poe was once confronted with the reproach to write in
the tradition of German Horror‐Stories, he answered rather calmly: “when in many of my
works the horror is the theme, so I argue that these stories did not come from Germany but from
the soul.”
Poe transports the abyss of human subconscious and lets it open a new meta level with the
help of dead female projection surface. Death and dilapidation overshadow not just this
short story, which I am about to analyses in the following explanation.
With “Morella” is Poe able to return suppressed natural needs and instincts in form of a
supernatural ‘You’, which cannot be captured neither by the nameless narrator nor the
reader.
In this Work I will discuss in what extend the female ‘You’ grows into a threat, which
maintains even beyond death. The female death is used in this case as a transformation of
the self and as an aesthetic moment. But the focus is to fathom out male identity with the
help of a fragmentary female identity. Transformation, metamorphosis and doubling are of
major importance for this process.
As a representative of Black Romanticism Poe opens not only the “Night site of romanticism”
for his readers, but also the exemplary illustrates a longing for transcendence in his short
stories. By removing the figure of Morella in exactly this transcendent place, she cannot be
captured by the reader. [...]
Table of Contents
Prologue
1. The changing I: foreign will and threatening You
2. The female death as an aesthetic moment of transformation
3. Looking for identity: Morella and the motive of look-alike
Epilogue
Objectives and Thematic Focus
This academic assignment examines Edgar Allan Poe's short story "Morella" to explore how the female protagonist acts as a catalyst for the transformation of the narrator’s identity and as a manifestation of male anxieties surrounding death, femininity, and transcendence.
- Analysis of the female figure as a "projection surface" for male psychology.
- The role of "Black Romanticism" and its emphasis on the grotesque and the transcendent.
- Exploration of identity dissolution and the "look-alike" motif in Poe's narrative.
- The juxtaposition of death, rebirth, and the transmigration of souls.
Excerpt from the Book
2. The female death as an aesthetic moment of transformation
The background of the illness, that overtakes Morella, is as uncertain as the heritage of the dark and horror figure that surrounds her. It seems as if Morella is no “real” woman. Often it looks as if she is just an eerie, but extremely attractive fantasy. Her voice is melodious, but has a background of horror:
“The music of her voice […] its melody was tainted with terror, […] - and there fell a shadow upon my soul.” Also in the few lines, which Poe dedicated to the physical features of Morella, the reader has to ask himself, whether he has to deal with a living dead right from the start of the short story:
“[…] would Morella place her cold hand upon my own, […].”
Before the illness, the narrator wants to suck all the knowledge out of Morella; he wants to penetrate her, to overcome her mystic and even death himself. This is when the ambivalent of insight is revealed, which can be fatal on the downside. The hour of Morella’s death is the same hour of the resurrection. The narrator as well as Morella seems to be dead and alive. Phases of movement take turns with stiffness. Life and death are inseparably bound with each other in this moment of border crossing. With the end of Morella all the oppressed feelings of the narrator are coming back even stronger. Morella’s death is the situation he longs for but fears at the same time. But Morella returns, in the face of her daughter, that reveals more than just similarity between mother and daughter:
“Strange, indeed, was her rapid increase in body size – but terrible, oh! terrible were the tumultuous thoughts which crowded upon me while watching the development of her mental being! […] I daily discovered in the conceptions of the child the adult powers and faculties of the woman, […] the lessons of experience fell from the lips of infancy.”
Summary of Chapters
Prologue: Introduces Poe's work within the tradition of Black Romanticism and outlines the focus on the female 'You' as a transformative and threatening force.
1. The changing I: foreign will and threatening You: Discusses the narrator's relationship with Morella, characterized by dependence, intellectual fascination, and a burgeoning fear of her mysterious nature.
2. The female death as an aesthetic moment of transformation: Analyzes the interplay between death, rebirth, and the narrator's inability to escape the influence of Morella even after her passing.
3. Looking for identity: Morella and the motive of look-alike: Explores how the protagonist's identity dissolves through the look-alike motif and the recursive nature of Morella’s appearance in her daughter.
Epilogue: Reflects on the limitations of the analysis and reaffirms Morella's unique position among Poe's female figures as a disembodied entity of absolute threat.
Keywords
Edgar Allan Poe, Morella, Black Romanticism, identity, death, female aesthetic, look-alike motif, transcendence, transformation, metamorphosis, psychological horror, narration, femininity, soul, transmigration.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this paper?
This work explores the psychological and aesthetic significance of the female figure in Edgar Allan Poe’s short story "Morella," specifically focusing on how her death and subsequent "return" trigger a crisis of identity for the male narrator.
What are the central themes discussed in this assignment?
The central themes include the construction of female identity as a source of both attraction and horror, the dissolution of the male self, the concept of the "look-alike," and the aestheticization of female death.
What is the primary research question?
The paper examines how the female 'You' evolves into a threat for the narrator and in what way the female death serves as an aesthetic moment that forces a transformation of the protagonist's sense of self.
Which scientific methods are used?
The author employs a literary analysis approach, utilizing concepts from cultural sciences and philosophy to interpret the narrative's symbolic layers, motifs, and the psychological interplay between the characters.
What content is covered in the main body?
The main body breaks down the narrative into three distinct sections: the narrator's initial intellectual bondage, the aesthetic implications of Morella's death and rebirth, and the structural significance of the look-alike motif.
Which keywords best describe the work?
The work is best defined by terms such as Black Romanticism, identity, aesthetic death, look-alike motif, and the transience of the male protagonist.
How does the narrator's perception of Morella change throughout the story?
Initially, the narrator is drawn to Morella's profound knowledge and intellect, but this fascination quickly turns into a sense of foreign domination and anxiety as he realizes he cannot fully comprehend or control her nature.
Why is the "look-alike" motif significant in "Morella"?
The look-alike motif is critical because it forces the narrator to confront the reality that he cannot escape Morella; her recurrence in the form of their daughter suggests a transmigration of souls that completely overrides the narrator's autonomy.
- Quote paper
- Julia Kulewatz (Author), 2009, The female death as an aesthetic moment of transformation: Edgar Allan Poe´s "Morella", Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/143204
