The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket Book Review

There are plenty of books that have been cited as an influence to other works. However, what people don’t realize is that any material can inspire other stories, regardless of how good or bad it is. An example of this is Edgar Allan Poe’s only novel The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket published in 1838. I can see its influence on several nineteenth-century writers, and it works well as an adventure tale, but its ramblings bring it down.

Normally, this is where I would give my summary of the novel, but it actually does that with its full title. Here it goes: The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket. Comprising the Details of a Mutiny and Atrocious Butchery on Board the American Brig Grampus, on her way to the South Seas, in the month of June 1827 – with an account of the Recapture of the Vessel by the Survivers; Their Shipwreck and Subsequent Horrible Sufferings From Famine; Their Deliverance by Means of the British Schooner Jane Guy; Their Brief Cruise of this Latter Vessel in the Antarctic Ocean; Her Capture, and the Massacre of Her Crew among a Group of Islands in the Eighty-Fourth Parallel of Southern Latitude; together with the Incredible Adventures and Discoveries still farther South to which that Distressing Calamity gave Rise. Thanks, Edgar!

While Poe was better known for his poems and short stories, this novel has had an impact on writers. The scenes involving the fantasy island with the natives are so racist that they would have been in H.P. Lovecraft’s fantasies. The adventures the main characters go on are similar to those found in Jules Verne novels like Journey to the Center of the Earth and Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. In fact, Verne actually wrote a sequel to Poe’s novel in 1897 titled An Antarctic Mystery. Finally, The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym shares some similarities with Herman Melville’s 1851 classic novel Moby Dick, especially with how both take place on the high seas and involve isolation. Even their opening lines are almost identical. The former begins with, “My name is Arthur Gordon Pym.”

Call me crazy (as well as Ishamel)! At the same time, just because authors have cited it as an influence on their work doesn’t make it any better than it is. It’s filled with lots of ramblings. These include how certain ships operate, penguins (though I love those animals), and how black the natives were. At one point, the book brings up that even their teeth are that color. Poe keeps the ramblings to a minimum in the first half, but once the remaining crew members get on the Jane Guy, this rears its ugly head to the point that the novel loses momentum. I understand that it was published in a newspaper in two parts in 1837, which certainly explains how Poe fell into the trap of many nineteenth-century authors by writing like they’re getting paid by the word. And the irony to all of this is that the book itself is less than 200 pages.

Reading this novel reminded me of my experience with Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator by Roald Dahl. I wondered why both existed to begin with, and there was plenty of racism. At the same time, while those two are products of their time in many ways, I still enjoyed the rides I went on.

With The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket, I liked the adventures the main character went on, the macabre tone, and the ambiguity regarding how real it is. It was interesting to see how Arthur and his friends dealt with a mutiny, famine, and a massacre because he wanted to be on the high seas. I also found it fascinating that he went through all those ordeals, and he remained positive. He even hid in the brig for a long time. Arthur and the title character from Candide by Voltaire should get together and share stories sometime. In addition, there’s a scene in which the men on the Grampus see a ghost ship. It was written in a way that one would expect from Poe. Moreover, I liked the overall framework of this supposedly being a true story told by Pym to Poe himself. Readers are never really clear if it’s authentic because the supernatural elements are combined with a lot of nautical knowledge. On top of that, the novel ends abruptly, so one does wonder, “What was the point?”

The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket by Edgar Allan Poe certainly exists. While I’m still not sure what the point was, I appreciate how it includes so many genres all in one story. I enjoyed the adventures and the supernatural parts. And of course, I can see how it influenced the tales to come. However, it would have worked better if it rambled less. I would only recommend it to diehard Poe, Lovecraft, Verne, and Melville fans. It truly proves that a story can be impactful despite its flaws.

Before I go, I want to let everyone know that I recorded the latest episode of the Adapt Me Podcast recently. Kristin Battestella – co-host of the Women InSession Podcast – and I will talk about how we would adapt this novel. Keep an eye out for the link.

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