Depiction of The Women in Transit in Edgar Allan Poe's Short Stories

Introduction

In his stories "Ligeia," "Berenice," and "The Fall of the House of Usher," Poe presents a series of women in transit. These women exist in a liminal space between life and death, highlighting the fluidity of their existence. This perpetual state of transition emphasizes the uncertainty and impermanence of life. More immediately, the narrator always observes these women in transit between physical places. The one glimpse we get of Madeline Usher occurs when the lady "passed slowly through a remote portion of the apartment, and, without having noticed my presence, disappeared" (Poe, 1839, p. 120). In "Berenice," the instance in which the titular character is actually present occurs when Berenice dashes into the room, bears her white teeth, and dashes out, never speaking a word (Poe, 1835, p. 88). Of Ligeia, the narrator says, "she came and departed as a shadow" (Poe, 1838, p. 104). The narrator almost never captures these women standing still or speaking a word. The perpetual state of physical transit seems to underscore the larger state of mortal flux in which these women exist.

Beauty and Transience

Their perpetual flux also elucidates Poe's notion of beauty. Each of these transitory women is the defining subject of stories that take "the most poetic topic in the world:" "the death of a beautiful woman" (Poe, 1846, "The Philosophy of Composition"). But if the death of beauty is the center of these stories, why do we only get fleeting glimpses of the women? How are we to know their beauty? It seems that the very quality of beauty lies in its ethereal, unsubstantive quality; or, as Poe articulates, as "not a quality." As opposed to truth, which is of the intellect, and passion, which is of the heart, beauty is of the soul. While heart and mind seem to make judgments based on contemplation of empirical data, it seems that the soul's way of knowing (though perhaps "knowing" is not the most precise term) is based on the immediate effect of this empirical data. The transitory women are thus the ideal subjects of beauty. As the heart and mind can easily corrupt the soul, it seems the ideal way for the soul to confront beauty is to come only briefly in contact with it, not allowing for the heart or mind to begin their corruption. The most valuable quality of these women is not something they do or say, but rather some immediate emanation.

The Role of Absence

But in order for this immediate emanation of beauty to live on, the woman must also absent herself from the viewer's heart and mind: truth and passion are "absolutely antagonistic to that Beauty" (Poe, 1846, "The Philosophy of Composition"). Therefore, Poe's notion of beauty also relies on what one does not know of the object of beauty, namely all her humanly perfections. These holdings of the intellect and heart corrupt the transparent sheet of beauty. It is thus understandable that Poe drives all of his women to death. It is with them under the ground that he can maintain his fantasy of their voiceless, actionless perfection. Perhaps the constant premature entombment of these women stems from a deeper fantasy to place all women in a space where he can keep his romantic notion of them alive. This suggests an unsettling desire to preserve an idealized image of femininity that is untainted by the complexities of life.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the women in Poe's stories are emblematic of a transient beauty that exists beyond the grasp of intellect and passion. Their presence in a state of perpetual flux reflects Poe's fascination with the ethereal and the ephemeral. By examining these women through the lens of Poe's work, we gain insight into his complex relationship with beauty and the ideals he imposed on femininity. This exploration not only enhances our understanding of Poe's literary themes but also invites reflection on the nature of beauty and its perception.

References

• Poe, E. A. (1835). Berenice. In The Southern Literary Messenger.
• Poe, E. A. (1838). Ligeia. In The American Museum.
• Poe, E. A. (1839). The Fall of the House of Usher. In Burton's Gentleman's Magazine.
• Poe, E. A. (1846). The Philosophy of Composition. In Graham's Magazine.