The writings of Edgar Allan Poe are often considered to be quite dark and disturbing. They are even described in the Norton Anthology of English Literature as showing strong signs of Gothicism; being “terrifying” and including “mysterious deaths and supernatural happenings”. In fact a large number of Poe's stories and poems depict the death of the woman that he loves. For example in his poem “The Raven” Poe writes of a man yearning for the company of his lost love Lenore, only to be confronted with a bird who's single single known word is “nevermore”. The tone and mood of this poem are very gloomy and bring about the deep feeling of loneliness in the main character. For example, the man initially finds the raven to be a welcome guest stating “Till I scarcely more than muttered `Other friends have flown before/On the morrow he will leave me, as my hopes have flown before”(ll.58-59). This shows the level of loneliness that this man is dealing with since the loss of his beloved Lenore, as he would readily welcome the presence of raven; a bird used to symbolize “ill-omen...and melancholy”(poedecoder.com).

     One thing that we are able to use to stave off loneliness and feelings of melancholy in this day and age is music. Today we can find music to suit our every mood and whim, whether we wish to be cheered up or chilled out. I think that if Poe were alive today and owned an iPod or something of the like, his favorite song would be “Possum Kingdom” by the Toadies. Like Poe's writings, this song is dark and moody, and has frightening and mysterious aspects; bringing out tones of Gothicism. For example the song seems to be about a vampire attempting to lure a girl into becoming undead as well, as shown in the lines “Make up your mind/Decide to walk with me...I'll show you my dark secret”(Todd Lewis). This is definitely creepy and seems like something Poe would have appreciated. These lines also show signs of the loneliness that “The Raven” exhibits, as the main character in the song is trying to convince a girl to join him, stating “I can promise you/You'll stay as beautiful/With dark hair/And soft skin...forever” (Todd Lewis). To me, it seems that only someone who is feeling the effects of loneliness would stoop to this level of manipulation. I also think that Poe would have felt a connection to this song because of his issues with losing the women that he loved, he may have wished that he too could promise to keep someone alive and beautiful forever, never again having to feel the agony of loss.

     Another song that I feel would make a good fit for Poe's playlist is “I will Follow You Into The Dark” by Death Cab For Cutie. This song has a very similar theme to Poe's poem “Annabel Lee”, which is that of sweetness and death. In the poem Poe writes again of losing a love, this time focusing on the effects that the loss is having on him. For example he states "the stars never rise, but I feel the bright eyes/Of the beautiful Annabel Lee" (ll. 36-37). By saying that he feels the eyes of his lover on him whenever the stars are out (Daniel Schwab “Romanticism in the Writings of Poe”), he is putting "stress on emotion rather than reason", showing aspects of Romanticism(Reuben). It is irrational to think that his dead lover is watching him via the stars, but it shows the feeling of strong emotions. Here Poe also uses the imagery of dark and light in regards to Annabel Lee, showing that she makes him think of light “the stars never rise”, and “the moon never beams without bringing me dreams/ of the beautiful Annabel Lee” (ll.34-35). He also makes note of the dark stating “the wind came out of the cloud by night/Chilling and killing my Annabel Lee” (ll.26-27). This ties in with the song “I Will Follow You Into The Dark”, which uses the imagery of dark and light as well. For example the lines “ I'll follow you into the dark/No blinding light or tunnels to gates of white”(Gibbard) depict the darkness of death and the afterlife, while the lines “Just our hands clasped so tight/Waiting for the hint of a spark” (ll.5-6) and “Illuminate the NOs on their vacancy signs” (Gibbard) depict the light of their love and imply that perhaps this light will help them to cheat death. Another common idea between the poem and the song is the focus on emotion rather than reason that I mentioned previously. Just as Poe used this form of Romanticism in Annabel Lee, Benjamin Gibbard's song is highly emotional and not very reasonable as he states “ Love of mine some day you will die/But I'll be close behind/I'll follow you into the dark” (Gibbard). The idea of following a loved one into death so that they need not be alone is very sweet, but highly irrational. However, Poe seemed to share this idea stating “I lie down by the side/Of my darling — my darling — my life and my bride/In her sepulchre there by the sea/In her tomb by the sounding sea” (ll.39-42). Here he shows that he had basically the same idea; to follow his love into the dark.

     A very different sort of author, Mary Rowlandson, deserves a very different sort of playlist. Rowlandson; queen of the captivity narrative, used her writing as a way to express her religious preferences (“Early American Captivity Narratives”). In regards to being kidnapped by some local natives she stated “Oh, I may see the wonderful power of God, that my Spirit did not utterly sink under my affliction: still the Lord upheld me with His gracious and merciful spirit, and we were both able to see the light of the next morning”(Rowlandson). Here she is not only expressing herself religiously but is also thanking god that she was able to survive due to his “wonderful power”. As stated by Ryan Widuch “in the narrative it is clear that she recognizes that the events unfolding are in God's hands”(“Rowlandson and Captivity”). This is why I think that Rowlandson would have had Depeche Mode's “Personal Jesus” in the top ten on her iPod. Mary believed that the lord saved her life with his “merciful spirit”, in a way making him her own personal Jesus, “someone to hear your prayers/ someone who cares” (Martin Gore). Regardless of whether this song is really about religion or not, I think that Rowlandson would have believed it was, as she seemed truly convinced that god had a “personal” hand in her survival. Perhaps she would have even thought that this song was written just for her.

     Another aspect to Rowlandson's writing was her use of grisly detailed description . For example she stated “It is a solemn sight to see so many Christians lying in their blood, some here, and some there, like a company of sheep torn by wolves”(Rowlandson). It seems that she used this pattern in her story to shed light on the physical and mental torture that she and others were forced to endure while in the custody of the natives (“Early American Captivity Narratives”). Being that she was not put off by talking about her rocky past and wanted to get the word out about being held captive, I think that she might have felt a connection to the song “Polly” by Nirvana. This song is about a young woman who is also held captive and tortured, but like Rowlandson, is able to escape and regain freedom. Similar to Rowlandson's writing, this song depicts unsettling imagery such as “I think she wants some water/ to put out the blowtorch”(Curt Cobain). These lines tell of the torture endured by the subject of this song; being burned with a blowtorch. Also, the lines “ Let me clip/Dirty wings”(Cobain), signify the removal of freedom; clipping the wings to inhibit the ability to fly away. Nevertheless, both women were able to overcome their misfortune and live to tell the tale.

     The playlists of Poe and Rowlandson are quite different. Poe's playlist is openly eerie, having to do with ambitious vampires and much death and darkness. While Rowlandson's playlist could be seen as uplifting, informative and empowering depending on the way you look at it. However, I see a similarity between the writings and playlist of Poe and those of Rowlandson, both are dark in ways. Poe is obviously well know for the gloomy and frightening, but Rowlandson's disturbing descriptions of abuse and torture are almost just as grotesque. Perhaps if her writing had taken place in a different time, with the addition of a castle and a ghost she would have been classified as a Gothic writer.

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