LyricVictorian · 18453 min · 2 passagesGentle

The Raven

American, written in Queen Victoria's shadow, and built like a machine. Read it aloud — the rhyme scheme is doing the haunting, not the story.

Mortality Madness Memory

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Opening

Internal rhyme

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary, Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore— While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping, As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.

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Plain English

Once, at a dreary midnight, while I sat tired and weak over many old books of forgotten knowledge — almost dozing — there came a tapping at my door, like someone gently knocking.

Into the darkness

Alliteration

Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing, Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before;

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Plain English

Staring into that darkness, I stood a long time, wondering and afraid, doubting, dreaming dreams no living person had ever dared to dream.

Test what you noticed

The Shadow · Gothic fiction

The thing in the house is usually the thing in the mind. Every answer comes with the reason and the line that proves it.

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Go deeper

Mortality — how other works handle it →Madness — how other works handle it →Memory — how other works handle it →

That's the whole thing.

Read it again slowly — it gets better the second time.

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