Poe Fridays: Morella

This week's Poe Friday selection was the short story Morella. It's rather short so go ahead and give it a quick read here!

The narrator tells us of his great friend, Morella, a young woman who he married despite never loving her. She however was entirely devoted to him. They would spend their days discussing philosophy which she was especially interested in. Eventually though, the narrator loses his interest in these bizarre topics and starts to turn his thoughts against Morella. She becomes ill and wastes away for many months and he grows impatient waiting for her death. When that day finally comes, she speaks her enigmatic last words -- "I am dying, yet shall I live." After she sighs her last breath, a daughter is born alive. This girl grows abnormally fast, both physically and mentally. She is the spitting image of her mother and even says things in the exact way that Morella did. Time has passed and the narrator finally decides to get his daughter baptized and give her a name. Up until now he has simply called her "my child" or "my love". So, in the church, he is going through all of the glorious names he can think of but for some reason he speaks a terrible name to the priest -- Morella. At this word, the girl (or the spirit in the girl) must take its rightful place and so she drops dead. When the narrator takes her to be buried in the same place as her mother, he finds no previous body there.

Well, here is our return to the stereotypical Poe story. This is exactly what one expects from the horror master -- unrequited love, death and a wandering spirit. This wasn't my favorite story though. There were some strange tangents with the philosophy and the kid part was a little too creepy.

Next on our Poe Fridays journey, let's read the poem Bridal Ballad.

Glad that Z does not creep me out,
K