Edgar Alan Poe (1809–1849) lived a short, only forty years, life, full of poverty and misunderstanding of his work among his contemporaries in America. Meanwhile, B. Shaw categorically stated that in the United States there are only two great writers: E. Poe and M. Twain.
The childhood of the future writer
His mother Elizabeth Arnold Poe was a young talented singer and dancer. She was adored by the public of Boston and Charleston. But the family was so poor that two weeks after the birth of a baby in Boston, she went on stage. Later, the son will be proud that she gave art to talent, beauty and youth. His father was a mediocre actor and died in New York a year after the birth of Edgar. The following year, the mother died. The two-year-old was in the hands of the ladies-trustees of Richmond.
He liked the family of a wealthy virgin merchant Allan. They established guardianship over the child. A black nanny told him terrible tales of ghosts, open graves, and buried alive. His imagination was excited by the stories of sailors and merchants, who often visited the house of the Allans, about incredible sea adventures. Is it not from here that his interest in mysticism appeared, which was later reflected in many stories, including the work The System of Dr. Smol and Professor Perrault?
Education
Five years the boy spent in one of London's boarding houses, where he received a comprehensive education. Returning to the United States, he continued his studies at Richmond College. Knowledge was given to a handsome young man, a clever rider, swimmer and musician, easily. He met only with Mrs. Allan. The head of the house was a stranger to art and poetry and deprived of financial assistance to a seventeen-year-old boy.
Troubles
Edgar Alan Poe was forced to leave college and enlist in the soldiers, since he had neither a livelihood, nor a shelter over his head. So he suffered for a year, and then turned to Mrs. Allan for help. Her intercession in front of her husband helped to redeem the young man from the army. At the request of John Allan, he enrolled in the Military Academy, but stayed there for only seven months, deliberately violated the charter and was expelled. By this, the young man forever deprived himself of the protection of Mr. Allan. When he died, he did not mention Edgar in his will, who remained at age 22 in utter poverty.
Wanderings
The novice writer moved to New York, where in 1831 he managed to release a collection of "Poems" - another book by Po. Then Edgar moved to Baltimore, where in 1835 he married a young cousin.
At this time, he worked, creating short stories that from the first page attracted the attention of the reader: “Date”, “Without Breath”, “King of the Plague” (1835). After that, the young writer moved to Richmond with his family. He worked as an assistant editor in a major magazine. But a year later he was fired. The reason was an inactive character. Although he collaborated with several magazines at the same time, there was no money in the family. He was paid poorly. For the poem "Raven" (1846), he received only five dollars. There was no concept of copyright then. Publishers profited from the reprint of poems and books by Poe. The author was in poverty.
Wife's illness and death
In 1840, two volumes of his short stories, Grotesques and Arabesques, were published. In 1842, his beloved wife discovered tuberculosis. For five years she was on the verge of life and death. Hopes for recovery were replaced by despair. In 1847, Virginia passed away. Over the years, E. Poe is used to drinking a lot and consuming opium, undermining his health. Surprisingly, he also wrote. His best poems: “Ulyalum” (1848), “Bells” and “Annabelle Lee” (1849), he created in the last years of his life.
The mysterious death of a writer
Having successfully delivered a lecture in Richmond on the Principle of Poetry and received a large sum of money for it, E. Poe came to Baltimore. A few days later he was found on a street bench unconscious. There are suggestions that he was intoxicated with and robbed. The writer died in a Baltimore hospital from a brain hemorrhage. After him, there are about 70 stories left, one of which is “The System of Dr. Smol and Professor Perrault” - we will now consider.
Scary story
This short work describes a psychiatric hospital in the south of France. The genre of "The System of Dr. Smol and Professor Perrault" was original at that time, now it is called a thriller. It is no coincidence that the film "The Abode of the Damned" was created in this style. E. Poe's story consists of a description of strange but interesting methods of treatment and funny eccentric stories that people gathered at dinner entertain themselves. It is not known whether the author of the story “The System of Dr. Smol and Professor Perrault,” whose creation story dates back to November 1845, visited real psychiatric hospitals. This work was first published in Graham Magazine. But it looks like everything to the smallest detail is just a fiction of a writer who possessed an inexhaustible imagination. Next, we will get acquainted with the story "The system of Dr. Smol and Professor Perrault," a summary of which is set out below.
First hospital inspection
First, we learn how a young Frenchman, traveling to the southernmost departments of France, decided out of curiosity to visit a private hospital for the mentally ill.
He heard about it from many Parisian doctors. From this begins the story "The system of Dr. Smol and Professor Perrault." To get into it, it took the recommendation of a fellow traveler who was familiar with the head doctor, but did not want to go there himself. The road passed through a damp gloomy thicket and led to an abandoned castle. Seeing him, the narrator shuddered with fear and already wanted to return, but then he shamed himself and drove up to the half-open gate.
He was warmly greeted by the good-natured, well-mannered head doctor named Mayar and escorted into the living room. In this small, elegantly furnished room, a young beauty sat in deep mourning. She played the piano and sang an aria from the opera. The narrator was afraid that this was a patient of the hospital, and the conversation with her led on neutral topics. When she left the room, Dr. Mayar informed the guest that the lady was quite healthy, but praised the prudence of the young man. He also said that he no longer has a "concession system" in which patients behaved freely, and he recently returned to traditional methods of treatment with isolation of sick people. The conversation went on for about two hours, and at that time the orangery and the garden were shown to the narrator.
Dinner
This is one of the most interesting parts of the story “The System of Dr. Smole and Professor Perrault.” By six o'clock in the dining room about twenty-five people, or maybe thirty, had gathered. They made a double impression on the narrator. They seemed to him noble and well-mannered, but their clothes were rude and out of date and sat on them poorly. The ladies were overly adorned with jewelry. In general, a Parisian would not have found a good taste in anyone. The attire of the audience made the guest think that he had nevertheless ended up in a society of the insane. Dr. Mayar did not inform him of this previously, not wanting to scare him. Now we will get to know the characters better.
Curious characters
At the same time, the guest carefully examined the large room and counted ten windows in it, which were tightly closed by shutters on the bolts, and one door. The table was so richly covered with gourmet food that it would be enough even for biblical giants. On it and wherever possible, there were candles in silver candelabra and blinded eyes. There was also a small orchestra, which, with its sharp sounds, annoyed the guest, but brought pleasure to others. In the story “The System of Dr. Smol and Professor Perrault,” the characters talked very lively. Everyone tried to tell some interesting story.
One of them told about a man who considered himself an English teapot and polished himself with suede and chalk every morning. The other, continuing the conversation, described with pleasure a man who presented himself as a donkey and refused to eat ordinary food. He was quickly healed, giving him only a thistle. Someone remembered a patient who imagined himself to be cheese and went with a knife, begging everyone to cut a slice. Then they remembered a man who believed that he was a bottle of champagne. He constantly uncorked himself and portrayed at the same time the sound of a flying cork and the hiss of a drink. These conversations looked very unaesthetic.
Continuation of the conversation
It was evident from Dr. Mayar's face that he did not like it, and another person quickly interrupted the conversation on this subject. He told about a frog man. The next one amused society with a story about a sufferer who mistook himself for a snuff of tobacco and was tormented by the fact that he could not pinch it between his fingers. They also remembered the pumpkin man who begged the cook to bake it. From the other end of the table came the story of a lover who decided that he had two heads. They also talked about a man-yule who liked to spin on one heel for a long time. An elderly lady was dismissive of this and suggested a story about Madame Zhuayez, who turned into a young cockerel and remarkably flapped her wings and crowed loudly. She immediately pictured it. Dr. Mayard was outraged by this behavior and suggested: "Either you, Madame Jouillais, are behaving decently, or leave the table." The narrator was incredibly amazed that the old lady invited everyone to hear a story about herself. The young Mademoiselle immediately told everyone a new joke about a girl who wanted to get rid of her clothes. She began to show how simple it is. She was all indignantly interrupted, not wanting to see how she was naked.
General fear
The book "The system of Dr. Smol and Professor Perrault" continues in this place with loud cries that come from the central part of the castle. They mortally scared the whole company and their guest. The screams repeated even louder, and it seemed that closer. By the fourth time they began to sound quieter, and the audience perked up. And when everyone was sure that nothing would happen, anecdotal stories again rained down.
Chief Physician's Explanations
The guest asked Dr. Mayar what it was. "Slacker, sheer trifles," was the answer. “These patients tried to break free,” he continued. The narrator asked how many people are now being cured. He was told that there are ten strong men. The guest did not hide his surprise, as he believed that mainly women are sick. All together began to assure him that now the situation had changed, everyone who was sitting here was caring for the crazy. But the narrator continued to find out how strictly they are treated, and who is the creator of the new order. “This is the system of Dr. Smol and Professor Perrault,” the head physician replied. “Alas,” the guest admitted, “I have never heard their names. This, of course, is a shame, and I am very ashamed. ” Dr. Mayar consoled him, believing that there was nothing special about this. Meanwhile, the feast continued with renewed vigor. The orchestra thundered, everyone was noisy and fooling around as best they could.
Everything falls into place
There is a twist in the story "The system of Dr. Smol and Professor Perrault." The plot is changing dramatically. Suddenly, there were loud screams that all came nearer and nearer. People outside pounded windows and doors with a sledgehammer, trying to break into the room. The mess started. There were crowing, croaking, the sounds of an opening bottle of champagne, the roar of a donkey. And Mayar hid behind the sideboard, turning pale. Having knocked out windows and doors, people burst into the room. The narrator climbed under the sofa. He watched what was happening from there. Later, he found out that Mayar had been the head physician for a long time, and then he got mad and, having fallen ill, with the help of the patients of all the doctors and orderlies put him in the basement. Now they managed to get out and restore justice. The real head doctor said that the madmen made a coup and put the doctors in prison. This went on for about a month, and no one knew about it.
Filmography
According to this story, three films were shot at different times. The latter (directed by B. Andersen) is called The Abode of the Damned (2014). Its plot is noticeably different from the original.
"The system of Dr. Smole and Professor Perrault." Reviews
Readers were intrigued by this work, and was particularly impressed by the unpredictable denouement. The story makes you think about many socio-psychological questions: how should psychiatric patients be treated? Where is the difference between healthy and sick people? What is behind the madness of man and is it possible to cure?