Edgar Allen Poe "The Man of the Crowd" Flashcards
Who wrote “The Man of the Crowd”
Edgar Allen Poe
time period and relevant historical context “The Man of the Crowd”
Published in 1840, perhaps influenced by Industrial Revolution which brought swaths of people to the cities like London the largest at the time
plot summary “The Man of the Crowd”
Follows an unnamed first-person narrator as he people-watches from a London coffee house, characterizing the people in the crowd. He zeroes in on an old man, becoming obsessed with him and following him through the night as he traipses around the city. Finally giving up upon realizing he will never know his secret.
key characters “The Man of the Crowd”
Nameless narrator
Nameless man of the crowd
notable formal or stylistic elements “The Man of the Crowd”
First person narration, repeated listing of people the narrator sees
Gothic style, vivid imagery
important themes and recurring motifs “The Man of the Crowd”
Theme of identity and unknown identity, both characters remain illusively unknown
Theme of obsession and psychological madness, the man in the crowd is puzzling and frightening like a threat
Crowds as a symbol of horror but also loss of self/identity
literary ‘schools’ or genres; analytical concepts; relevance to history “The Man of the Crowd”
Gothic influence, unsettling word choices, unsettling characters (strange man, stalker narrator), unsettling setting (crowds of London almost terrifying)
Reliably unreliable narrator, reader is limited to 1st POV
Represents anxiety of Industrial Revolution and vast urbanization with themes of madness and loss of identity, mood of unease and fear, and symbolism of crowds
2-3 quotation samples “The Man of the Crowd”
other useful hints ID “The Man of the Crowd”
long lists, gothic style
