"Metzengerstein: A Tale in Imitation of the German" is a short story by American writer and poet Edgar Allan Poe, his first to see print. It was first published in the pages of Philadelphia's Saturday Courier magazine, in 1832. The story follows the young Frederick, the last of the Metzengerstein family, who carries on a long-standing feud with the Berlifitzing family. Suspected of causing a fire that kills the Berlifitzing family patriarch, Frederick becomes intrigued with a previously unnoticed and untamed horse. Metzengerstein is punished for his cruelty when his own home catches fire and the horse carries him into the flame. Part of a Latin hexameter by Martin Luther serves as the story's epigraph: Pestis eram vivus—moriens tua mors ero ("Living I have been your plague, dying I shall be your death").
"Metzengerstein" follows many conventions of Gothic fiction and, to some, exaggerates those conventions. Consequently, critics and scholars debate if Poe intended the story to be taken seriously or considered a satire of Gothic stories. Regardless, many elements introduced in "Metzengerstein" would become common in Poe's future writing. Because the story follows an orphan raised in an aristocratic household, some critics suggest an autobiographical connection with its author.
The story was submitted as Poe's entry to a writing contest at the Saturday Courier. Though it did not win, the newspaper published it in January 1832. It was re-published with Poe's permission only twice during his lifetime; its subtitle was dropped for its final publication. Poe intended to include it in his collection Tales of the Folio Club or another called Phantasy Pieces, but neither collection was ever produced.
"Metzengerstein: A Tale in Imitation of the German" is a short story by American writer and poet Edgar Allan Poe, his first to see print. It was first...
his stories. Vadim's segment, "Metzengerstein", tells the story of the debauched Countess Frédérique de Metzengerstein (Jane Fonda), who devotes herself...
often in an attempt to liberate the reader from cultural conformity. "Metzengerstein" is the first story that Poe is known to have published and his first...
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Baltimore before delving into short stories for the first time with "Metzengerstein" in 1832. His most successful and most widely read prose during his...
McGee Histoires extraordinaires (1968) as Countess' Adivisor (segment "Metzengerstein") Mayerling (1968) as Prince of Wales Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968)...
many of his works reflect her influence. His first published work "Metzengerstein" features a fire burning down a large home, possibly reflecting the...
Carmen Ghia Histoires extraordinaires (1968) - A Courtier (segment "Metzengerstein") (uncredited) Fräulein Doktor (1969) The Twelve Chairs (1970) - Nikolai...
Resurrection (see also: "The Fall of the House of Usher", "Morella", "Metzengerstein") Substance abuse (see also: "The Black Cat", "Hop-Frog") Roger Corman...
corpse. After his wife's death, Poe edited his first published story, "Metzengerstein", to remove the narrator's line, "I would wish all I love to perish...
Cotignola), can be seen painted in a tapestry, in the first segment ("Metzengerstein") of the 1968 omnibus film Spirits of the Dead. In the 4th Episode (Lucrezia's...
The Trip Paul Groves 1968 Spirits of the Dead Baron Wilhelm (segment "Metzengerstein") 1969 Easy Rider Wyatt Also writer and producer Nominated — Academy...
One Hans Pfaall" "A Tale of Jerusalem" "Von Jung" "Loss of Breath" "Metzengerstein" "Berenice" "Why the Little Frenchman Wears His Hand in a Sling" "The...
Burgess Meredith Peter Cushing 1967 United Kingdom Spirits of the Dead "Metzengerstein" after Edgar Allan Poe "William Wilson" "Toby Dammit" Roger Vadim Louis...
Reincarnation is a key plot device in Edgar Allan Poe's short story "Metzengerstein" (1832), in his "Morella" (1835) and "The Oval Portrait" (1842). Mark...
able to be alone. This same quotation is used in Poe's earliest tale, "Metzengerstein". After an unnamed illness, the unnamed narrator sits in an unnamed...
Marianne Jean-Luc Godard 1968 Spirits of the Dead A Courtesan Roger Vadim "Metzengerstein" segment The Return of Monte Cristo Maria André Hunebelle 1969 Les Femmes...
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