Hitchcock and Poe : the legacy of delight and terror
Author(s)
Bibliographic Information
Hitchcock and Poe : the legacy of delight and terror
（Filmmakers series, no. 106）
Scarecrow Press, 2003
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Note
Includes bibliographical references (p. 209-216) and index
Description and Table of Contents
Description
This first comprehensive study of the relationship between the tales of Edgar Allan Poe and the films of Alfred Hitchcock uncovers an unexpected range of affinities underlying the director's well-known regard for Poe. As an adolescent Hitchcock avidly read Poe and later acknowledged a direct influence: "I can't help but compare what I try to put in my films with what Poe put in his stories." Hitchcock's chief take-home lesson from Poe was that "fear...is a feeling people like to feel when they are certain of being in safety." Thus, Poe's legacy to Hitchcock was an obsession to delight and terrify audiences simultaneously. This study explores the aesthetic of Poe and Hitchcock in terms of a set of common obsessions, techniques, and genres. The structure of the study revolves around Eureka, Poe's explicit and allegorical treatise on the development of the universe. Each chapter explores the similarities and differences between Poe's and Hitchcock's treatment of such issues as doubles, the perverse, voyeurism, and romantic obsession. While Hitchcock's films consistently mirror plots, imagery, and relationships within Poe's tales, Perry also shows how Hitchcock's resistance to the traditional trappings of gothic tales sets his films apart from the works of Poe and gives them a unique touch. Researchers, students, and Hitchcock fans alike will by stirred by the original ideas and detailed research in this fantastic resource.
Table of Contents
Part 1 Preface Part 2 1. Introduction: Hitchcock and Poe Chapter 3 Eureka and Hitchcock's Canon Part 4 2. Ratiocination: Original Unity Chapter 5 "The Purloined Letter" and Murder Part 6 3. Apocalypse: Crises of Fragmentation Chapter 7 "The Masque of the Red Death" and The Birds Part 8 4. Inexplicable Predicaments: Diffusion from the Center Chapter 9 "The Pit and the Pendulum" and North by Northwest Part 10 5. Doubles: The Universe of Others Chapter 11 "William Wilson" and Strangers on a Train Part 12 6. Imps of the Perverse: Diffusion from the Self Chapter 13 "The Tell-Tale Heart" and Rope Part 14 7. Voyeurism: Eyes of the Perverse Chapter 15 "A Man of the Crowd" and Rear Window Part 16 8. Romantic Obsession: Return to Transcendence Chapter 17 "The Fall of the House of Usher" and Vertigo Part 18 9. Humor and Horror: Collapsing into Unity Chapter 19 "Ligeia" and The 39 Steps Part 20 Annotated Bibliography Part 21 Index Part 22 About the Author
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