Lucia: Edgar Allan Poe

The first time I came across Poe I was just twelve, so I’ve been a fan for quite some time. I had been reading Chesterton and Agatha Christie, mixing their stories with my compulsory books from school and I liked their cheerful main characters, who could solve a crime without losing their temper. Of course, you can’t simply grow to hate Father Brown or Miss Marple, but let’s face it, they were softies. Therefore, my Spanish teacher thought I could go in for something more challenging and suggested Poe’s famous tales. From the beginning, I totally loved them. And how could I not? As I grew up, I also learnt more about such a fascinating writer and, thus, I began to understand why he has become one of the most outstanding and influential figures of American literature.

To seize what Poe means to world literature, you must at least know what Romanticism was like. Romanticism was a total movement which evolved in different fields, such as literature, art, philosophy or history. What’s more, Romanticism was a way of living, a reaction against an old political and social system on the verge of disappearance. No wonder, since the 19th century it has also been a revolutionary period, full of changes when it comes to history: new countries were born from the ashes of the old ones, the industrial revolution transformed our world dramatically and the ancient established system began to crumble.

Immersed in this chaotic yet fascinating era, Poe was kind of a rebellious teenage punk, who became a dysfunctional adult, but also a brilliant writer, a poet, a journalist, a critic and one of the finest icons of American Romanticism. Born in Boston in 1809, his father abandoned his family and his mother, a theater actress who died at a young age. As an orphan, Edgar was taken in by a rich couple, who earnestly tried to gave him a good upbringing. It was all in vain, as he was expelled from both college and the army. His stepfather soon disowned him because, due to his social status, he didn’t want anything to do with a gambler. 

Then, Poe decided to earn his living with what he liked the most (and actually, the only thing he could do well enough): writing. He began to work for various newspapers in different cities, such as Philadelphia, Baltimore or New York. His distinctive style – caustic, ironic, but also smooth and elegant - made him really popular in no time. Nonetheless, he still had to fight against his own personal demons: gambling, alcohol, a depressive personality, an addictive and self-destructive nature ... he was always short of money and often had to depend on others in order to survive. Despite the fact that he was also considered a womanizer, he got married to his cousin, Virginia Clemm, when she was just 13! Although it is said that they had a brotherly relationship rather than a proper marriage, the truth is that he loved her dearly and, just like she gave him some peace of mind while she was alive, her early death, caused by tuberculosis, destroyed Poe’s sanity more than anything else had done before. He finally died just two years after her deceased wife, in 1849. After all this time, the causes of his death still remain unknown.

Burt Simpson confronts the Raven

Even though he only lived for 40 years, he had an intense literary life: lots of short tales, poems, essays, articles, reviews and a single novel ... He could scare, surprise or amaze people, all in just one go! The black cat, The murders in the Rue Morgue, The Tell-Tale Heart or his most famous poem, The Raven, still keep him alive all over the world, and his influence is noticeable on lots of writers who couldn’t escape from its uniqueness. Sherlock Holmes, the timeless detective created by sir Arthur Conan Doyle, wouldn’t have been the same without Auguste Dupin, a Poe character who appears in three of his tales. Even Jules Verne wrote a sequel to his novel, The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket. As the world keeps changing, I know something for sure: both horror and crime stories will always be related to Poe to some extent, but unfortunately, we will never be able to overcome him. Nevermore.

I always thought Poe’s life deserved a film which could tell his story, because it’s clearly as exciting as any of his works. By the time being, this is all we have:

The Raven movie is not a biopic nor is it related to the famous poem, certainly not. It is a thriller where a psycho is recreating Poe’s most famous crime stories on his own. A detective alongside Poe himself will try to stop him. Although I don’t know much more about this film – and it could end up being disappointing - I couldn’t be happier with the actor who plays Poe’s role, John Cusack.

Don’t Cusack and Poe really look alike? Well, I’ll surely watch this movie. As a loyal Poe fan, I can’t help it …

My Advanced students' favourite films (part 5)

Lucia Losada says:

First of all, I must say I don’t have a favourite film. How could I? There are so many good movies - as many as bad ones, if you think about it - that it’s nearly impossible to choose just a handful of them. Moreover, some of my classmates have already talked about some of the films I like the most, but I’ve noticed nobody has listed an animated movie, so let me start my selection with an awesome one:

Animation films have a long history, nearly as long as cinema itself, but none has revolutionized its plots and techniques as dramatically as Pixar has done ever since they released Toy story in 1995. Wall-e is another fine example, actually so good that it has been ranked first in TIME magazine’s list of “Best movies of the decade". How did Pixar achieve this? Well, no fluffy animals were used, but instead a robot who falls in love and happens to be the cutest thing in the world! By the way, half of this film is mute. In fact, the main characters hardly ever speak. It doesn’t matter, though, because words are unnecessary to understand this beautiful story.

Next, as regards love stories and magical films, you can’t miss this one:

I’m a fan of Tim Burton - although I don’t like all his films. Big fish is, by far, my favourite. It isn’t the typical rom-com (which I’m not usually very fond of because they tend to be too simple), as it talks about love, family, forgiveness, overcoming problems but, above all, magic. When you see this film, you can both cry and laugh, but it will surely leave an impression on you. It worked for me as much as when, for example, I saw Amélie. Whenever I think about these two films, I can’t help smiling. Isn’t this a good enough compliment?
Last but not least, “Schindler's List” also had a big impact on me, although I’ve only seen it once. Not because I don’t like it, but because I can’t watch it again. It’s a tough film, but still a must-see. Filmed in black and white, only a note of colour is left: the red coat of a little Jewish girl. The whole film is impressive, so much so that there are no words to describe it. All things considered (the film’s director, cast, plot, script ...), “Schindler’s list” is just perfect.

This is an interesting interview with the famous director on BBC Wales about the film:

Puri Garcia says:


My favourite movie? Well, let me think … OK, whichever makes me feel frightened! Since I overcame my childhood nightmares I’ve loved horror movies.


Have you ever watched The Blair Witch Project? It is an American psychological horror film, written and directed in 1999 by Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez. It’s really horrifying, but without blood or monsters, only with the noises at night and disturbing sticky figures hanging from trees.  It is indeed a hair-raising movie!


The film tells the story of three student filmmakers who disappear after hiking in the woods of Maryland to record a documentary about the local legend known as the Blair Witch, the ghost of Elly Kedward, a woman banished from the Blair Township for witchcraft in 1785. It is said that the three students, Heather Donahue, Joshua Leonard and Michael C. Williams, were never seen again. However, someone discovered their camera and sound equipment  a year later.


The whole movie is presented to the viewer as the recovered footage from the woodland. It is also a reminder that what really scares us is the stuff we can’t see. Any kid can tell you that!

Following the line of  my favourite film genres, I  should explain to you that my sons love scary movies too, the last one that we have seen was “30 Days of Night”, which is about a town in Alaska seized by bloodthirsty vampires. It was their choice but, from my point of view, it is pretty nasty if you don’t like gory movies. 

Anyway, if what you like is to feel panic you should watch “Paranormal Activity”. There is a special scene which could scare you to death.

“1408” is a film that could also make you absolutely petrified. John Cusack plays a writer who is specialized in debunking paranormal occurrences. He checks into the fabled room 1408 in the Dolphin Hotel. After settling in, he confronts genuine terror.

However, my favourite one is “The Changeling”, directed by Peter Medak in 1980. Have you ever noticed the presence of a spectre?