46 pages 1 hour read

Edgar Allan Poe

The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1838

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Essay Topics

1.

To what genre would you assign this novel? Is it action/adventure, coming of age, mystery, horror, magical realism, or some other genre? Defend your choice with evidence from the text.

2.

Compare and contrast Pym with one of Poe’s short stories. How are the two texts similar, and how are they different? Why are the similarities and differences significant?

3.

Many critics claim that the novel’s representation of time does not make sense, arguing that the text’s chronology is either too compressed or too drawn out to be realistic. Examine places where the novel explicitly discusses or depicts time, and analyze the role time plays in the broader context of the story.