Edgar Allan Poe, "The System of Dr. Small and Professor Perrault": a summary, heroes, reviews

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849) lived a short life of only forty years, full of poverty and misunderstanding of his work among his contemporaries in his homeland in America. Meanwhile, B. Shaw categorically stated that there are only two great writers in the United States: E. Poe and M. Twain.

Childhood of the future writer

His mother Elizabeth Arnold Poe was a talented young singer and dancer. She was adored by the public of Boston and Charleston. But the family was so poor that just two weeks after the birth of a child in Boston, she went on stage. Later, the son will be proud that she gave art talent, beauty and youth. His father was a mediocre actor who died in New York a year after Edgar was born. Mother died the following year. A two-year-old baby was taken by the ladies of Richmond.

He liked the family of a we althy Virginian merchant Allan. They established guardianship over the child. The Negro nanny told him terrible tales about ghosts, dug up graves, about aliveburied. His imagination was excited by the stories of sailors and merchants, who often visited the Allans' house, about incredible sea adventures. Isn't that where his interest in mysticism came from, which was later reflected in many stories, including the work "The System of Dr. Small and Professor Perrault"?

Education

The boy spent five years in one of the London boarding houses, where he received a comprehensive education. Returning to the US, he continued his studies at Richmond College. Knowledge was given to a handsome young man, a dexterous rider, swimmer and musician, easily. Understanding he met only with Mrs. Allan. The head of the house was a stranger to art and poetry and deprived a seventeen-year-old youth of material assistance.

Trouble

Edgar Allan Poe was forced to leave college and enlist in the army, as he had no livelihood or shelter. So he suffered for a year, and then turned to Mrs. Allan for help. Her intercession before her husband helped to redeem a young man from the army. At the request of John Allan, he entered the Military Academy, but lasted only seven months there, 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 the age of 22 in complete poverty.

Wandering

The novice writer moved to New York, where in 1831 he managed to publish a collection of "Poems" - another book by Poe. Edgar then moved to B altimore, where he married a young cousin in 1835.

During this time, he worked creating short stories that caught the reader's attention from the first page: "Rendezvous," "Without Breathing," "The Plague King" (1835). After that, the young writer moved to Richmond with his family. He worked as an assistant editor for a major magazine. But a year later he was fired. The reason was the quarrelsome character. There was no money in the family, although he collaborated with several magazines at the same time. He was paid poorly. For the poem "The Raven" (1846), he received only five dollars. The concept of copyright did not yet exist. Publishers profited from the reprinting of Poe's poems and books. The author was in poverty.

Illness and death of wife

In 1840, two volumes of his short stories "Grotesques and Arabesques" were published. In 1842, his beloved wife was diagnosed with tuberculosis. For five years she was on the verge of life and death. Hopes for recovery were replaced by despair. Virginia died in 1847. Over the years, E. Poe got used to drinking a lot and using opium, undermining his he alth. It is amazing that he also wrote. His best poems: "Ulyalum" (1848), "The Bells" and "Annabel 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 having received a large amount of money for it, E. Poe came to B altimore. A few days later, he was found unconscious on a street bench. There are suggestions that he was drugged and robbed. The writer died in a B altimore hospital from a brain hemorrhage. He left about 70stories, one of which is "The System of Dr. Small and Professor Perrault" - we will now consider.

"Scary" story

This short piece describes a psychiatric hospital in the south of France. The genre of "The Systems of Dr. Small and Professor Perrault" was original at that time, now it is called a thriller. It is no coincidence that the film "Resident of the Damned" was created in this style. E. Poe's story consists of descriptions of strange but interesting methods of treatment and funny eccentric stories with which people who have gathered at dinner entertain themselves. It is not known whether the author of the story “The System of Dr. Small and Professor Perrault”, the story of which dates back to November 1845, has been in real psychiatric hospitals. This work was first published in Graham's Magazine. But it is very likely that everything down to the smallest detail is just an invention of a writer who had an inexhaustible imagination. Next, we will get acquainted with the story "The System of Dr. Small and Professor Perrault", a summary of which is given below.

First hospital visit

First we learn how a young Frenchman, traveling through the southernmost departments of France, decided out of curiosity to visit a private asylum for the mentally ill.

He heard about her from many doctors in Paris. This is where the story "The System of Dr. Small and Professor Perrault" begins. To get into it, it took a recommendation from a fellow traveler who was familiar with the head physician, but did not want to go there himself. The road passed through a damp gloomy thicket and led to an abandonedcastle. 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 a good-natured, well-mannered chief physician named Mayar, who led him into the living room. In this small, elegantly furnished room sat a young beauty in deep mourning. She played the piano and sang an aria from the opera. The narrator was afraid that this was a hospital patient, and the conversation with her led to neutral topics. When she left the room, Dr. Mayar informed the guest that the lady was in good he alth, but praised the young man's prudence. He also said that he no longer has a “permissive system” in which the sick behave freely, and he recently returned to traditional methods of treatment with isolation of sick people. The conversation went on for two hours, and at that time the narrator was shown the greenhouse and the garden.

Lunch

This is one of the most curious parts of the story "The System of Doctor Small and Professor Perrault". By six o'clock there were about twenty-five or maybe thirty people gathered in the dining room. They made an ambivalent impression on the narrator. They seemed to him noble and well-mannered, but their clothes were coarse and out-of-date and did not sit well on them. The ladies were over-bejeweled. In general, a Parisian would not find good taste in anyone. The outfits of those gathered made the guest think that he still ended up in a society of insane people. Dr. Mayar did not inform him of this beforehand, not wanting to frighten 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 with bolted shutters, and one door. The table was so plentifully covered with exquisite food that it would have been enough even for biblical giants. On it and everywhere, where possible, there were candles in silver candelabra and dazzled the eyes. There was also a small orchestra, which, with its sharp sounds, annoyed the guest, but gave pleasure to those around him. In the story "The System of Dr. Small and Professor Perrault," the characters talked very animatedly. Everyone tried to tell some entertaining story.

One of them told of a man who considered himself an English teapot and every morning polished himself with suede and chalk. Another, continuing the conversation, described with pleasure a man who pretended to be an ass and refused to eat ordinary food. He was quickly cured by giving him only thistles. Someone remembered a patient who imagined himself as a cheese and walked around with a knife, begging everyone to cut off a slice. Then they remembered the man who thought he was a bottle of champagne. He constantly uncorked himself and at the same time imitated the sound of a flying cork and the hiss of a drink. These conversations looked very unaesthetic.

Conversation continues

Dr. Mayar's face showed that he did not like it, and another person quickly interrupted the conversation on this topic. He told about the frog man. Next amused societya story about a sufferer who took himself for a pinch of snuff and was tormented by the fact that he could not squeeze it between his fingers. They also remembered the pumpkin man who begged the cook to bake him. From the other end of the table came the story of a lover who thought he had two heads. They also told about the Yulia man, who liked to spin on one heel for a long time. The old lady was dismissive and suggested a story about Madame Joyeuse, who turned into a young cockerel and flapped her wings wonderfully and crowed loudly. She immediately pictured it. Dr. Maiart was outraged by this behavior and suggested: "Either you, Madame Joyeuse, behave decently, or leave the table." The narrator was incredibly surprised that the old lady invited everyone to hear her story. The young mademoiselle immediately told everyone a new anecdote about a girl who wanted to get rid of her clothes. She began to show how easy it is to do. Everyone interrupted her indignantly, not wanting to see her get naked.

Everyone's Fright

The book "The System of Dr. Small and Professor Perrault" continues at this point with loud screams that come from the central part of the castle. They mortally frightened the whole company and their guest. The screams were repeated even louder, and it seemed that they were closer. By the fourth time, they began to sound quieter, and the audience cheered up. And when everyone was convinced that nothing would happen, anecdotal stories began to rain down again.

Explanations from the head physician

The guest asked Dr. Maiar whatIt was. “A trifle, mere trifles,” was the answer. “It was the patients who were trying to break free,” he continued. The narrator asked how many people are currently being treated. He was told that ten strong men. The guest did not hide his surprise, as he believed that it was mostly women who were sick. Everyone unanimously began to assure him that now the situation has changed, everyone who sits here is caring for madmen. But the narrator continued to find out how strictly they are being treated, and who is the creator of the new order. “This is the system of Dr. Small and Professor Perrault,” replied the head physician. “Alas,” the guest admitted, “I never heard their names. It's a disgrace, of course, and I'm very ashamed. Doctor Maiar consoled him, believing that there was nothing special about it. Meanwhile, the feast continued with renewed vigor. The orchestra was roaring, everyone was making noise and fooling around as much as they could.

Everything falls into place

Here comes a twist in the story "The System of Doctor Small and Professor Perrault". The plot changes dramatically. Suddenly there were loud screams that got closer and closer. People outside were pounding on the windows and doors with sledgehammers, trying to force their way into the room. A mess has begun. There were crowing, croaking, the sound of an opening bottle of champagne, the roar of a donkey. And Mayar hid, turning pale, behind the sideboard. Having broken windows and doors, people burst into the room. The narrator crawled under the sofa. He watched from there. Later, he found out that Mayar had been the chief doctor for a long time, and then went crazy and, having fallen ill, with the help of patients, all the doctors and orderlies were imprisoned in the basement. Now immanaged to get out and restore justice. The real chief physician said that the lunatics staged a coup and put the doctors in a dungeon. This went on for about a month and no one knew about it.

Filmography

Three movies were made based on this story at different times. The last one (directed by B. Andersen) is called The Abode of the Damned (2014). Its plot differs markedly from the original.

"The system of Dr. Small and Professor Perrault". Reviews

Readers were intrigued by this work, and especially impressed by the unpredictable ending. The story makes you think about many socio-psychological questions: how should psychiatric patients be treated? Where lies the difference between he althy and sick people? What is behind the madness of a person and is it possible to cure it?