“The Oval Portrait” by Edgar Allan Poe

Among the pitfalls of engaging with works over a century old comes with having absorbed works that have been influenced, work as commentary on, or otherwise wouldn’t exist in their completed form without the original work, which can cheapen the original work by association. That said, this isn’t a universal problem with Poe’s work, so I think I’m safe in saying I wouldn’t hold “The Oval Portrait” in high regard if it hadn’t been cannibalized by so many other artists (including Poe himself). It’s capital-I Important, sure, but there are other Important Poe works that are far easier to recommend.

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