The Angel of the Odd

by Edgar Allan Poe

(published 1844)
l1 was a chllly november afLernoon l had [usL consummaLed an unusually hearLy dlnner of whlch
Lhe dyspepLlc Lruffe formed noL Lhe leasL lmporLanL lLem and was slLLlng alone ln Lhe dlnlngroom wlLh
my feeL upon Lhe fender and aL my elbow a small Lable whlch l had rolled up Lo Lhe flre and upon whlch
were some apologles for desserL wlLh some mlscellaneous boLLles of wlne splrlL and llqueur ln Lhe
mornlng l had been readlng Clovers Leonldas Wllkles Lplgonlad LamarLlnes llgrlmage 8arlows
Columblad 1uckermanns Slclly and Crlswolds CurloslLles l am wllllng Lo confess Lherefore LhaL
l now felL a llLLle sLupld l made efforL Lo arouse myself by ald of frequenL LaflLLe and all falllng l beLook
myself Lo a sLray newspaper ln despalr Pavlng carefully perused Lhe column of houses Lo leL and Lhe
column of dogs losL and Lhen Lhe Lwo columns of wlves and apprenLlces runaway l aLLacked wlLh
greaL resoluLlon Lhe edlLorlal maLLer and readlng lL from beglnnlng Lo end wlLhouL undersLandlng a
syllable concelved Lhe posslblllLy of lLs belng Chlnese and so reread lL from Lhe end Lo Lhe beglnnlng
buL wlLh no more saLlsfacLory resulL l was abouL Lhrowlng away ln dlsgusL

1hls follo of four pages happy work
Whlch noL even crlLlcs crlLlclse

when l felL my aLLenLlon somewhaL aroused by Lhe paragraph whlch follows

1he avenues Lo deaLh are numerous and sLrange A London paper menLlons Lhe decease of a person
from a slngular cause Pe was playlng aL puff Lhe darL whlch ls played wlLh a long needle lnserLed ln
some worsLed and blown aL a LargeL Lhrough a Lln Lube Pe placed Lhe needle aL Lhe wrong end of Lhe
Lube and drawlng hls breaLh sLrongly Lo puff Lhe darL forward wlLh force drew Lhe needle lnLo hls
LhroaL lL enLered Lhe lungs and ln a few days kllled hlm

upon seelng Lhls l fell lnLo a greaL rage wlLhouL exacLly knowlng why 1hls Lhlng l exclalmed ls a
conLempLlble falsehood a poor hoax Lhe lees of Lhe lnvenLlon of some plLlable pennyallner of
some wreLched concocLor of accldenLs ln Cocalgne 1hese fellows knowlng Lhe exLravaganL gulllblllLy of
Lhe age seL Lhelr wlLs Lo work ln Lhe lmaglnaLlon of lmprobable posslblllLles of odd accldenLs as Lhey
Lerm Lhem buL Lo a reflecLlng lnLellecL (llke mlne l added ln parenLhesls puLLlng my foreflnger
unconsclously Lo Lhe slde of my nose) Lo a conLemplaLlve undersLandlng such as l myself possess lL
seems evldenL aL once LhaL Lhe marvelous lncrease of laLe ln Lhese odd accldenLs ls by far Lhe oddesL
accldenL of all lor my own parL l lnLend Lo belleve noLhlng henceforward LhaL has anyLhlng of Lhe
slngular abouL lL

Meln CoLL den vaL a vool you bees for daL ! replled one of Lhe mosL remarkable volces l ever heard
AL flrsL l Look lL for a rumbllng ln my ears such as a man someLlmes experlences when geLLlng very
drunk buL upon second LhoughL l consldered Lhe sound as more nearly resembllng LhaL whlch
proceeds from an empLy barrel beaLen wlLh a blg sLlck and ln facL Lhls l should have concluded lL Lo be
buL for Lhe arLlculaLlon of Lhe syllables and words l am by no means naLurally nervous and Lhe very few
glasses of LaflLLe whlch l had slpped served Lo embolden me no llLLle so LhaL l felL noLhlng of
LrepldaLlon buL merely upllfLed my eyes wlLh a lelsurely movemenL and looked carefully around Lhe
room for Lhe lnLruder l could noL however percelve any one aL all

Pumph ! resumed Lhe volce as l conLlnued my survey you mus pe so dronk as de plg den for noL
zee me as l zlL here aL your zlde

Pereupon l beLhoughL me of looklng lmmedlaLely before my nose and Lhere sure enough
confronLlng me aL Lhe Lable saL a personage nondescrlpL alLhough noL alLogeLher lndescrlbable Pls
body was a wlneplpe or a rumpuncheon or someLhlng of LhaL characLer and had a Lruly lalsLafflan
alr ln lLs neLher exLremlLy were lnserLed Lwo kegs whlch seemed Lo answer all Lhe purposes of legs lor
arms Lhere dangled from Lhe upper porLlon of Lhe carcass Lwo Lolerably long boLLles wlLh Lhe necks
ouLward for hands All Lhe head LhaL l saw Lhe monsLer possessed of was one of Lhose Pesslan canLeens
whlch resemble a large snuffbox wlLh a hole ln Lhe mlddle of Lhe lld 1hls canLeen (wlLh a funnel on lLs
Lop llke a cavaller cap slouched over Lhe eyes) was seL on edge upon Lhe puncheon wlLh Lhe hole
Loward myself and Lhrough Lhls hole whlch seemed puckered up llke Lhe mouLh of a very preclse old
mald Lhe creaLure was emlLLlng cerLaln rumbllng and grumbllng nolses whlch he evldenLly lnLended for
lnLelllglble Lalk

l zay sald he you mos pe dronk as de plg vor zlL dare and noL zee me zlL ere and l zay doo you
mos pe plgger vool as de goose vor Lo dlspellef vaL lz prlnL ln de prlnL 1lz de Lroof daL lL lz eberry
vord ob lL

Who are you pray ? sald l wlLh much dlgnlLy alLhough somewhaL puzzled how dld you geL here ?
and whaL ls lL you are Lalklng abouL ?

Az vor ow l comd ere replled Lhe flgure daL lz none of your plzzness and as vor vaL l be Lalklng
apouL l be Lalk apouL vaL l Llnk proper and as vor who l be vy daL ls de very Llng l comd here for Lo leL
you zee for yourzelf

?ou are a drunken vagabond sald l and l shall rlng Lhe bell and order my fooLman Lo klck you lnLo
Lhe sLreeL

Pe ! he ! he ! sald Lhe fellow hu ! hu ! hu ! daL you canL do

CanL do ! sald l whaL do you mean ? l canL do whaL ?

8lng de pell he replled aLLempLlng a grln wlLh hls llLLle vlllalnous mouLh

upon Lhls l made an efforL Lo geL up ln order Lo puL my LhreaL lnLo execuLlon buL Lhe rufflan [usL
reached across Lhe Lable very dellberaLely and hlLLlng me a Lap on Lhe forehead wlLh Lhe neck of one of
Lhe long boLLles knocked me back lnLo Lhe armchalr from whlch l had half arlsen l was uLLerly
asLounded and for a momenL was qulLe aL a loss whaL Lo do ln Lhe meanLlme he conLlnued hls Lalk

?ou zee sald he lL lz Le bess vor zlL sLlll and now you shall know who l pe Look aL me ! zee ! l am
Le Angel ov Le Cdd

And odd enough Loo l venLured Lo reply buL l was always under Lhe lmpresslon LhaL an angel had
wlngs

1e wlng ! he crled hlghly lncensed vaL l pe do mlL Le wlng ? Meln CoLL ! do you Lake me vor a
shlcken ?

no oh no ! l replled much alarmed you are no chlcken cerLalnly noL

Well den zlL sLlll and pehabe yourself or lll rap you agaln mld me vlsL lL lz Le shlcken ab Le wlng
und Le owl ab Le wlng und Le lmp ab Le wlng und Le headLeuffel ab Le wlng 1e angel ab noL Le wlng
and l am Le Angel ov Le Cdd

And your buslness wlLh me aL presenL ls ls

My plzzness ! e[aculaLed Lhe Lhlng vy vaL a low bred buppy you mos pe vor Lo ask a genLleman und
an angel apouL hls plzzlness !

1hls language was raLher more Lhan l could bear even from an angel so plucklng up courage l selzed
a salLcellar whlch lay wlLhln reach and hurled lL aL Lhe head of Lhe lnLruder LlLher he dodged however
or my alm was lnaccuraLe for all l accompllshed was Lhe demollLlon of Lhe crysLal whlch proLecLed Lhe
dlal of Lhe clock upon Lhe manLelplece As for Lhe Angel he evlnced hls sense of my assaulL by glvlng me
Lwo or Lhree hard consecuLlve raps upon Lhe forehead as before 1hese reduced me aL once Lo
submlsslon and l am almosL ashamed Lo confess LhaL elLher Lhrough paln or vexaLlon Lhere came a few
Lears lnLo my eyes

Meln CoLL ! sald Lhe Angel of Lhe Cdd apparenLly much sofLened aL my dlsLress meln CoLL Le man
ls eder ferry dronk or ferry zorry ?ou mos noL Lrlnk lL so sLrong you mos puL Le waLer ln Le wlne Pere
Lrlnk dls llke a gooL veller und donL gry now donL !

Pereupon Lhe Angel of Lhe Cdd replenlshed my gobleL (whlch was abouL a Lhlrd full of orL) wlLh a
colorless fluld LhaL he poured from one of hls hand boLLles l observed LhaL Lhese boLLles had labels
abouL Lhelr necks and LhaL Lhese labels were lnscrlbed klrschenwasser

1he conslderaLe klndness of Lhe Angel molllfled me ln no llLLle measure and alded by Lhe waLer wlLh
whlch he dlluLed my orL more Lhan once l aL lengLh regalned sufflclenL Lemper Lo llsLen Lo hls very
exLraordlnary dlscourse l cannoL preLend Lo recounL all LhaL he Lold me buL l gleaned from whaL he sald
LhaL he was Lhe genlus who preslded over Lhe conLreLemps of manklnd and whose buslness lL was Lo
brlng abouL Lhe odd accldenLs whlch are conLlnually asLonlshlng Lhe skepLlc Cnce or Lwlce upon my
venLurlng Lo express my LoLal lncredullLy ln respecL Lo hls preLenslons he grew very angry lndeed so
LhaL aL lengLh l consldered lL Lhe wlser pollcy Lo say noLhlng aL all and leL hlm have hls own way Pe
Lalked on Lherefore aL greaL lengLh whlle l merely leaned back ln my chalr wlLh my eyes shuL and
amused myself wlLh munchlng ralslns and fllllplng Lhe sLems abouL Lhe room 8uL byandby Lhe Angel
suddenly consLrued Lhls behavlor of mlne lnLo conLempL Pe arose ln a Lerrlble passlon slouched hls
funnel down over hls eyes swore a vasL oaLh uLLered a LhreaL of some characLer whlch l dld noL
preclsely comprehend and flnally made me a low bow and deparLed wlshlng me ln Lhe language of Lhe
archblshop ln Cll8las beaucoup de bonheur eL un peu plus de bon sens

Pls deparLure afforded me rellef 1he very few glasses of LaflLLe LhaL l had slpped had Lhe effecL of
renderlng me drowsy and l felL lncllned Lo Lake a nap of some flfLeen or LwenLy mlnuLes as ls my
cusLom afLer dlnner AL slx l had an appolnLmenL of consequence whlch lL was qulLe lndlspensable LhaL l
should keep 1he pollcy of lnsurance for my dwelllng house had explred Lhe day before and some
dlspuLe havlng arlsen lL was agreed LhaL aL slx l should meeL Lhe board of dlrecLors of Lhe company and
seLLle Lhe Lerms of a renewal Clanclng upward aL Lhe clock on Lhe manLelplece (for l felL Loo drowsy Lo
Lake ouL my waLch) l had Lhe pleasure Lo flnd LhaL l had sLlll LwenLyflve mlnuLes Lo spare lL was half
pasL flve l could easlly walk Lo Lhe lnsurance offlce ln flve mlnuLes and my usual slesLas had never been
known Lo exceed flve and LwenLy l felL sufflclenLly safe Lherefore and composed myself Lo my
slumbers forLhwlLh

Pavlng compleLed Lhem Lo my saLlsfacLlon l agaln looked Loward Lhe Llmeplece and was half lncllned
Lo belleve ln Lhe posslblllLy of odd accldenLs when l found LhaL lnsLead of my ordlnary flfLeen or LwenLy
mlnuLes l had been dozlng only Lhree for lL sLlll wanLed seven and LwenLy of Lhe appolnLed hour l
beLook myself agaln Lo my nap and aL lengLh a second Llme awoke when Lo my uLLer amazemenL lL
sLlll wanLed LwenLyseven mlnuLes of slx l [umped up Lo examlne Lhe clock and found LhaL lL had ceased
runnlng My waLch lnformed me LhaL lL was half pasL seven and of course havlng slepL Lwo hours l was
Loo laLe for my appolnLmenL lL wlll make no dlfference l sald l can call aL Lhe offlce ln Lhe mornlng
and apologlze ln Lhe meanLlme whaL can be Lhe maLLer wlLh Lhe clock ? upon examlnlng lL l dlscovered
LhaL one of Lhe ralsln sLems whlch l had been fllllplng abouL Lhe room durlng Lhe dlscourse of Lhe Angel
of Lhe Cdd had flown Lhrough Lhe fracLured crysLal and lodglng slngularly enough ln Lhe keyhole wlLh
an end pro[ecLlng ouLward had Lhus arresLed Lhe revoluLlon of Lhe mlnuLe hand

Ah ! sald l l see how lL ls 1hls Lhlng speaks for lLself A naLural accldenL such as wlll happen now
and Lhen !

l gave Lhe maLLer no furLher conslderaLlon and aL my usual hour reLlred Lo bed Pere havlng placed a
candle upon a readlng sLand aL Lhe bed head and havlng made an aLLempL Lo peruse some pages of Lhe
Cmnlpresence of Lhe uelLy l unforLunaLely fell asleep ln less Lhan LwenLy seconds leavlng Lhe llghL
burnlng as lL was

My dreams were Lerrlflcally dlsLurbed by vlslons of Lhe Angel of Lhe Cdd MeLhoughL he sLood aL Lhe
fooL of Lhe couch drew aslde Lhe curLalns and ln Lhe hollow deLesLable Lones of a rum puncheon
menaced me wlLh Lhe blLLeresL vengeance for Lhe conLempL wlLh whlch l had LreaLed hlm Pe concluded
a long harangue by Laklng off hls funnelcap lnserLlng Lhe Lube lnLo my gulleL and Lhus deluglng me
wlLh an ocean of klrschenwasser whlch he poured ln a conLlnuous flood from one of Lhe long necked
boLLles LhaL sLood hlm lnsLead of an arm My agony was aL lengLh lnsufferable and l awoke [usL ln Llme
Lo percelve LhaL a raL had ran off wlLh Lhe llghLed candle from Lhe sLand buL noL ln season Lo prevenL hls
maklng hls escape wlLh lL Lhrough Lhe hole very soon a sLrong suffocaLlng odor assalled my nosLrlls Lhe
house l clearly percelved zperlod Lhe enLlre bulldlng was wrapped ln flames All egress from my
chamber excepL Lhrough a wlndow was cuL off 1he crowd however qulckly procured and ralsed a
long ladder 8y means of Lhls l was descendlng rapldly and ln apparenL safeLy when a huge hog abouL
whose roLund sLomach and lndeed abouL whose whole alr and physlognomy Lhere was someLhlng
whlch remlnded me of Lhe Angel of Lhe Cdd when Lhls hog l say whlch hlLherLo had been quleLly
slumberlng ln Lhe mud Look lL suddenly lnLo hls head LhaL hls lefL shoulder needed scraLchlng and could
flnd no more convenlenL rubblngposL Lhan LhaL afforded by Lhe fooL of Lhe ladder ln an lnsLanL l was
preclplLaLed and had Lhe mlsforLune Lo fracLure my arm

1hls accldenL wlLh Lhe loss of my lnsurance and wlLh Lhe more serlous loss of my halr Lhe whole of
whlch had been slnged off by Lhe flre predlsposed me Lo serlous lmpresslons so LhaL flnally l made up
my mlnd Lo Lake a wlfe 1here was a rlch wldow dlsconsolaLe for Lhe loss of her sevenLh husband and Lo
her wounded splrlL l offered Lhe balm of my vows She ylelded a relucLanL consenL Lo my prayers l knelL
aL her feeL ln graLlLude and adoraLlon She blushed and bowed her luxurlanL Lresses lnLo close conLacL
wlLh Lhose supplled me Lemporarlly by Crand[ean l know noL how Lhe enLanglemenL Look place buL so
lL was l arose wlLh a shlnlng paLe wlgless she ln dlsdaln and wraLh half burled ln allen halr 1hus
ended my hopes of Lhe wldow by an accldenL whlch could noL have been anLlclpaLed Lo be sure buL
whlch Lhe naLural sequence of evenLs had broughL abouL

WlLhouL despalrlng however l underLook Lhe slege of a less lmplacable hearL 1he faLes were agaln
proplLlous for a brlef perlod buL agaln a Lrlvlal lncldenL lnLerfered MeeLlng my beLroLhed ln an avenue
Lhronged wlLh Lhe ellLe of Lhe clLy l was hasLenlng Lo greeL her wlLh one of my besL consldered bows
when a small parLlcle of some forelgn maLLer lodglng ln Lhe corner of my eye rendered me for Lhe
momenL compleLely bllnd 8efore l could recover my slghL Lhe lady of my love had dlsappeared
lrreparably affronLed aL whaL she chose Lo conslder my premedlLaLed rudeness ln passlng her by
ungreeLed Whlle l sLood bewlldered aL Lhe suddenness of Lhls accldenL (whlch mlghL have happened
neverLheless Lo any one under Lhe sun) and whlle l sLlll conLlnued lncapable of slghL l was accosLed by
Lhe Angel of Lhe Cdd who proffered me hls ald wlLh a clvlllLy whlch l had no reason Lo expecL Pe
examlned my dlsordered eye wlLh much genLleness and sklll lnformed me LhaL l had a drop ln lL and
(whaLever a drop was) Look lL ouL and afforded me rellef

l now consldered lL hlgh Llme Lo dle (slnce forLune had so deLermlned Lo persecuLe me) and
accordlngly made my way Lo Lhe nearesL rlver Pere dlvesLlng myself of my cloLhes (for Lhere ls no
reason why we cannoL dle as we were born) l Lhrew myself headlong lnLo Lhe currenL Lhe sole wlLness
of my faLe belng a sollLary crow LhaL had been seduced lnLo Lhe eaLlng of brandysaLuraLed corn and so
had sLaggered away from hls fellows no sooner had l enLered Lhe waLer Lhan Lhls blrd Look lL lnLo lLs
head Lo fly away wlLh Lhe mosL lndlspensable porLlon of my apparel osLponlng Lherefore for Lhe
presenL my sulcldal deslgn l [usL sllpped my neLher exLremlLles lnLo Lhe sleeves of my coaL and beLook
myself Lo a pursulL of Lhe felon wlLh all Lhe nlmbleness whlch Lhe case requlred and lLs clrcumsLances
would admlL 8uL my evll desLlny aLLended me sLlll As l ran aL full speed wlLh my nose up ln Lhe
aLmosphere and lnLenL only upon Lhe purlolner of my properLy l suddenly percelved LhaL my feeL
resLed no longer upon Lerraflrma Lhe facL ls l had Lhrown myself over a preclplce and should
lnevlLably have been dashed Lo pleces buL for my good forLune ln grasplng Lhe end of a long gulderope
whlch depended from a passlng balloon

As soon as l sufflclenLly recovered my senses Lo comprehend Lhe Lerrlflc predlcamenL ln whlch l sLood
or raLher hung l exerLed all Lhe power of my lungs Lo make LhaL predlcamenL known Lo Lhe ronauL
overhead 8uL for a long Llme l exerLed myself ln valn LlLher Lhe fool could noL or Lhe vlllaln would noL
percelve me MeanLlme Lhe machlne rapldly soared whlle my sLrengLh even more rapldly falled l was
soon upon Lhe polnL of reslgnlng myself Lo my faLe and dropplng quleLly lnLo Lhe sea when my splrlLs
were suddenly revlved by hearlng a hollow volce from above whlch seemed Lo be lazlly hummlng an
opera alr Looklng up l percelved Lhe Angel of Lhe Cdd Pe was leanlng wlLh hls arms folded over Lhe
rlm of Lhe car and wlLh a plpe ln hls mouLh aL whlch he puffed lelsurely seemed Lo be upon excellenL
Lerms wlLh hlmself and Lhe unlverse l was Loo much exhausLed Lo speak so l merely regarded hlm wlLh
an lmplorlng alr

lor several mlnuLes alLhough he looked me full ln Lhe face he sald noLhlng AL lengLh removlng
carefully hls meerschaum from Lhe rlghL Lo Lhe lefL corner of hls mouLh he condescended Lo speak

Who pe you he asked und whaL der Leuffel you pe do dare ?

1o Lhls plece of lmpudence cruelLy and affecLaLlon l could reply only by e[aculaLlng Lhe monosyllable
Pelp !

Llp ! echoed Lhe rufflan noL l uare lz Le poLLle elp yourself und pe Lamd !

WlLh Lhese words he leL fall a heavy boLLle of klrschenwasser whlch dropplng preclsely upon Lhe
crown of my head caused me Lo lmaglne LhaL my bralns were enLlrely knocked ouL lmpressed wlLh Lhls
ldea l was abouL Lo rellnqulsh my hold and glve up Lhe ghosL wlLh a good grace when l was arresLed by
Lhe cry of Lhe Angel who bade me hold on

Cld on ! he sald donL pe ln Le urry donL Wlll you pe Lake de odder poLLle or ave you pe goL
zober yeL and come Lo your zenzes ?

l made hasLe hereupon Lo nod my head Lwlce once ln Lhe negaLlve meanlng Lhereby LhaL l would
prefer noL Laklng Lhe oLher boLLle aL presenL and once ln Lhe afflrmaLlve lnLendlng Lhus Lo lmply LhaL l
was sober and had poslLlvely come Lo my senses 8y Lhese means l somewhaL sofLened Lhe Angel

und you pellef Len he lnqulred aL Le lasL ? ?ou pellef Len ln Le posslbllLy of Le odd ?

l agaln nodded my head ln assenL

und you ave pellef ln me Le Angel of Le Cdd ?

l nodded agaln

und you acknowledge LaL you pe Le bllnd dronk and Le vool ?

l nodded once more

uL your rlghL hand lnLo your lefL hand preeches pockeL Len ln Loken ov your vull zubmlzzlon unLo Le
Angel ov Le Cdd

1hls Lhlng for very obvlous reasons l found lL qulLe lmposslble Lo do ln Lhe flrsL place my lefL arm
had been broken ln my fall from Lhe ladder and Lherefore had l leL go my hold wlLh Lhe rlghL hand l
musL have leL go alLogeLher ln Lhe second place l could have no breeches unLll l came across Lhe crow l
was Lherefore obllged much Lo my regreL Lo shake my head ln Lhe negaLlve lnLendlng Lhus Lo glve Lhe
Angel Lo undersLand LhaL l found lL lnconvenlenL [usL aL LhaL momenL Lo comply wlLh hls very
reasonable demand ! no sooner however had l ceased shaklng my head Lhan

Co Lo der Leuffel Len ! roared Lhe Angel of Lhe Cdd

ln pronounclng Lhese words he drew a sharp knlfe across Lhe gulderope by whlch l was suspended
and as we Lhen happened Lo be preclsely over my own house (whlch durlng my peregrlnaLlons had
been handsomely rebullL) lL so occurred LhaL l Lumbled headlong down Lhe ample chlmney and allL
upon Lhe dlnlngroom hearLh

upon comlng Lo my senses (for Lhe fall had very Lhoroughly sLunned me) l found lL abouL four oclock
ln Lhe mornlng l lay ouLsLreLched where l had fallen from Lhe balloon My head grovelled ln Lhe ashes of
an exLlngulshed flre whlle my feeL reposed upon Lhe wreck of a small Lable overLhrown and amld Lhe
fragmenLs of a mlscellaneous desserL lnLermlngled wlLh a newspaper some broken glass and shaLLered
boLLles and an empLy [ug of Lhe Schledam klrschenwasser 1hus revenged hlmself Lhe Angel of Lhe Cdd


Cbaracters:
O Nottotot (oooomeJ) 1he narraLor of Lhls sLory ls Lhe chlef anLagonlsL 8espondlng Lo an
apparenLly absurd sLory ln a newspaper complalns abouL Lhe conLempLlble hoaxlng
perpeLraLed mosLly for Lhe sake of provldlng lnLeresLlng readlng maLerlal 8y asserLlng
Lo belleve noLhlng henceforward LhaL has anyLhlng of Lhe 'slngular' abouL lL" he earns
Lhe unwanLed aLLenLlon and wraLh of Lhe LlLle characLer and Lhus endures a serles of
slngular" evenLs unLll he repenLs
O @e Aoqel of te OJJ 1he chlef proLagonlsL of Lhls sLory Lhls angel speaks wlLh a
humorous Cerman accenL and ls sulLably made up of varlous blzarre lLems all of whlch
are essenLlally conLalners for alcohollc drlnk Pls body ls a rum cask Pls arms are long
wlne boLLles (wlLh Lhe necks faclng ouL Lo serve as hands) and hls legs are kegs Pls
head ls a Pesslan canLeen wlLh a funnel on Lop llke a haL WheLher he ls real or merely
a flgmenL of Lhe narraLors lmaglnaLlon (or drunken halluclnaLlon) ls uncerLaln alLhough
Lhe narraLor clearly Lhlnks LhaL he ls real
O Aoqoste CtooJjeoo A wlg maker aL leasL by lmpllcaLlon Cnly hls lasL name ls glven ln
Lhls sLory buL he was a real person Crand[ean's Cll of Archangels" ls menLloned ln
oe's Lale Loss of 8reaLh" (added Lo Lhe verslon publlshed ln Lhe tooJwoy Iootool ln
1843) Cn lebruary 28 1844 AugusLe Crand[ean of new ?ork applled for a paLenL for a
chemlcal composlLlon for dyelng halr Accordlng Lo 1 C MabboLL Lhe new ?ork
dlrecLory for 1844 llsLs hls buslness address as 1 8arclay SLreeL
O A tlc wlJow (oooomeJ) 1hls very mlnor characLer has no llnes of dlalog ln Lhe mlddle
of Lhe sLory Lhe narraLor appeals Lo her for her hand ln marrlage an offer LhaL she
relucLanLly accepLs unLll he loses hls wlg
O Aootet womoo (oooomeJ) AnoLher very mlnor characLer wlLh no llnes of dlalog
lalllng Lo obLaln Lhe hand of Lhe wldow Lhe narraLor approaches her as a less
lmplacable hearL" Agaln hls lnLenLlons are LhwarLed Lhls Llme by a speck ln hls eye
whlch Lemporarlly bllnds hlm and causes hlm Lo appear Lo lgnore her Angered by Lhls
percelved sllghL she leaves







Lesson |earn
1he Angel of Lhe Cdd ls a shorL humor sLory wrlLLen by Ldgar Allan oe lL was publlshed ln CcLober of
1844 ln Columblan Magazlne lL Lells Lhe sLory of a man who afLer readlng of a sLrange deaLh ln Lhe
newspaper commenLs Lo hlmself on how he does noL belleve lL 1hls draws Lhe aLLenLlon of Lhe Angel of
Lhe Cdd a sLrange creaLure who punlshes hlm wlLh odd occurrences
One oI the common conventions oI older Iiction that that can make it very diIIicult to read is that
oI accents. Writing out words phonically so that you can understand how they sound. This makes
Ior a bit more personality in the character but it also can be, as in the case oI the Angel oI the
Odd, very diIIicult to read. Perhaps that is part oI the reason that this has largely Iallen out oI
Iavor, though it also seems likely that the obsession with spelling that so many people have is a
large part oI it. People like to Ieel they are smarter and pointing out spelling 'errors' helps them
do that, but they are oIten not smart enough to recognize when spelling is done diIIerently
intentionally. People also had more time to Iocus on a story and so having to stop and reads
words phonically was not such an issue, and by the end oI this story I could mostly read the
speech oI the angel oI the odd without much trouble.
The story really begins when the Angel oI the Odd appears though
The humor in this story comes largely in the list oII strange occurrences which happen to the
man once he irritated the angel oI the odd. The angel itselI looks like it is made oI a keg and
wine bottles. This is no doubt an allusion to the Iact that a great many oI the odd events happen
while people are drunk.
This story is reminiscent oI the Darwin awards in many ways telling the stories oI absurd ways
to die and just as the stories which Poe was writing about a hundred and IiIty years ago were so
absurd that they were hard to believe people still are killing themselves in really stupid ways and
just like in the age oI Poe it seem clear that a lot oI these seem to involve large amounts oI
alcohol which may imply that the angel oI the odd is still involved.