Abstract

Poe’s mention of Archimedes in a footnote added to “A Descent into the Maelström” in the 1845 edition of the Tales, as well as some items of the “Marginalia” (nos. 87, 94, 101; maybe also nos. 93, 104, 169), were derived from Thomas Thomson’s Sketch of the Progress of Physical Science, as reprinted, bound with Dionysius Lardner’s Course of Lectures, in an 1843 pamphlet. This discovery helps clarify Poe’s use of scientific sources and his attitude toward science.

“A Descent into the Maelström”, “Marginalia”, Poe’s scientific culture, Archimedes, Thomas Thomson, Dionysius Lardner
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2019
The Pennsylvania State University
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