Its style is very straightforward and plainspoken, in contrast to the more elaborate and decorated prose of Poe's earlier stories, implying a shift in Poe's writing style which the author did not live to realize. Themes of foreboding, isolation and paranoia are apparent in 'The Light-House'. ( December 2007) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message) Statements consisting only of original research should be removed. Please improve it by verifying the claims made and adding inline citations. This article possibly contains original research. It is likely the last fiction work Poe wrote. Silverman speculates that the work might have been complete in its two-page form and the final blank entry implied the narrator's death. It is uncertain how the story would have ended and there is some debate if 'The Light-House' was intended as a short story or a novel. The last line reads, 'The basis on which the structure rests seems to me to be chalk.'Ī heading for January 4 follows, but there is no text.īiographer Kenneth Silverman believes Poe began writing 'The Light-House' between May and August 1849. He again begins to worry about the safety of the structure but tries to reassure himself. On January 3, he describes the day as being calm and placid and resolves to explore the lighthouse. On January 2, he describes the sea as being calm and uneventful, the wind having 'lulled about', and expounds on his passion for being alone. He briefly comments that he hears some echo in the walls, thinking they may not be sturdy, but catches himself and claims that his worries are 'all nonsense', alluding to a prophecy made by his friend DeGrat, who got him the appointment to the lighthouse. He also dwells on the concept of being alone, and how much he looks forward to spending time alone, just him and his dog Neptune, so he can write his book. He records that a storm is in progress, and that the ship that brought him 'had a narrow escape'. On January 1, the narrator records that it is his first day in the lighthouse, and records his annoyance at the fact that he had a difficult time getting the appointment to man it, even though he is of noble birth. The setting is an island off the coast of Norway. The story is told as a series of diary entries, the first being New Year's Day, 1796. He did not live to finish it, and had barely begun it by the time of his death in 1849. ' The Light-House' is the unofficial title of the last work written by Edgar Allan Poe.

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