Erika Dreifus

Thanks to Mark Sarvas for pointing out that “From Out That Shadow: The Life and Legacy of Edgar Allan Poe” has just opened at the Harry Ransom Center (University of Texas at Austin). (It runs through January 3, 2010, for any of you who may get to Austin between now and then.)

The exhibition marks Poe’s bicentennial, and it sounds terrific:

The exhibition is organized into 12 sections: “The Early Years,” which covers Poe’s family and his student days at the University of Virginia; “Working Writer,” about Poe’s daily activities earning money and engaging with other writers; “Poe in Love,” which documents the many women in Poe’s life; “Death and Infamy,” devoted to the circumstances of Poe’s death and the immediate downturn of his reputation; “Poe the Poet”; “The Raven,” which is dedicated to the most famous of Poe’s poems; “Poe the Critic”; “Detection,” which surveys Poe’s stories and his influence upon later writers of mysteries; “Poe and Science,” which explores Poe’s engagement in topics ranging from shells to astronomy; “The Haunted Mind,” which uses portraits and illustrations to investigate the psychological aspects of Poe’s work and Poe the man; and “Poe in France” and “Perspectives on Poe,” which look at the important influence of Poe upon later writers.

If any of you do visit the exhibition (or if you caught it when it was at the University of Virginia Library earlier this year), please share your impressions! I’m sure I’m not the only one who’d be grateful.