The Raven

         This cartoon series was new for us, much more of a challenge than others, simply because not everyone is used to reading poetry. Yet, Poe’s long poem from 1844 does tell an intriguing story. Since we couldn’t write out the entire poem in the cartoon series, we had to pick the most dramatic lines that tell the story in a more-or-less comprehensible way.

         Since Edgar Allen Poe was one of the original “goths” (see the blog on “Edgar Allen Poe: A Graphic Biography”), we wanted to draw the graphics in black and white, with an emphasis on darkness.

         The pictures greatly enhance this story, showing the man’s dearly beloved Lenore, and how her death haunts him. They also show how the raven becomes a constant presence in his life as it taunts him, making the man’s suffering all the worse.

         But why does the raven come to him, and why does it speak the word “Nevermore”? For possible answers, see our cartoon series, “Edgar Allan Poe: A Graphic Biography.”  It is, of course, open to interpretation. In Poe’s life, love was always linked with death, and the feeling of loss never left his side. So, “The Raven” is not just fantasy, but straight from Poe’s life experience.