Mrs. Poe (Cullen)

Mrs. Poe 
Lynn Cullen, 2013
Gallery Books
336 pp.
ISBN-13: 9781476702926


Summary
Inspired by literature’s most haunting love triangle, award-winning author Lynn Cullen delivers a pitch-perfect rendering of Edgar Allan Poe, his mistress’s tantalizing confession, and his wife’s frightening obsession in this new masterpiece of historical fiction.

1845: New York City is a sprawling warren of gaslit streets and crowded avenues, bustling with new immigrants and old money, optimism and opportunity, poverty and crime. Edgar Allan Poe’s "The Raven" is all the rage—the success of which a struggling poet like Frances Osgood can only dream.

As a mother trying to support two young children after her husband’s cruel betrayal, Frances jumps at the chance to meet the illustrious Mr. Poe at a small literary gathering, if only to help her fledgling career. Although not a great fan of Poe’s writing, she is nonetheless overwhelmed by his magnetic presence—and the surprising revelation that he admires her work.

What follows is a flirtation, then a seduction, then an illicit affair…and with each clandestine encounter, Frances finds herself falling slowly and inexorably under the spell of her mysterious, complicated lover.

But when Edgar’s frail wife, Virginia, insists on befriending Frances as well, the relationship becomes as dark and twisted as one of Poe’s tales. And like those gothic heroines whose fates are forever sealed, Frances begins to fear that deceiving Mrs. Poe may be as impossible as cheating death itself. (From the publisher.)

Author Bio
• Birth—July 11, 1955
• Where—Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA
• Education—B.A., Indiana University
• Currently—lives in Atlanta, Georgia


Lynn Cullen grew up in Fort Wayne, Indiana, the fifth girl in a family of seven children. She learned to love history combined with traveling while visiting historic sites across the U.S. on annual family camping trips.

Lynn attended Indiana University in Bloomington and Fort Wayne, and took writing classes with Tom McHaney at Georgia State. She wrote children’s books as her three daughters were growing up, while working in a pediatric office and, later, at Emory University on the editorial staff of a psychoanalytic journal.

While her camping expeditions across the States have become fact-finding missions across Europe, she still loves digging into the past. She does not miss, however, sleeping in musty sleeping bags. Or eating canned fruit cocktail. She now lives in Atlanta with her husband, their dog, and two unscrupulous cats.

Books
Lynn is the author of the 2010 novel, The Creation of Eve, which was named among the best fiction books of the year by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and was an April 2010 Indie Next selection.

Her 2011 novel, Reign of Madness, about Juana the Mad, daughter of the Spanish Monarchs Isabella and Ferdinand, was chosen as a Best of the South selection by the Atlanta Journal Constitution and was a 2012 Townsend Prize finalist.

Her 2013 novel, Mrs. Poe, examines the fall of Edgar Allan Poe through the eyes of poet Francis Osgood.

Twain's End, published in 2015, explores the tangled relationship among Mark Twain, his secretary Isabel V. Lyon, and his business manager Ralph Ashcroft.

Lynn is also the author of numerous award-winning books for children, including the 2007 young adult novel I Am Rembrandt’s Daughter, which was a Barnes & Noble "Discover Great New Writers" selection, and an ALA Best Book of 2008. (From the author's website.)

Be sure to check out Lynn Cullen's essay on how she and a group of women formed their book club some 25 years ago. She was a guest on the Booking Mama blog.

Book Reviews
A vivid portrait of New York's cultural life in the mid-1800s, when writers like Poe were practically rock stars. Don't miss it.
People


Cullen, whose previous novels have focused on obscure women from the past, such as Juana of Castile (Reign of Madness) and Sofonisba Anguissola (The Creation of Eve), now turns her attention to Frances Sargent Osgood, a mid-19th-century poet and children’s author who, some believe, was romantically involved with Edgar Allen Poe.
Publishers Weekly


(Starred review.) Cullen has crafted a beautifully heartbreaking story filled with emotional twists and turns. Yes, it's dark, but so was Poe, and readers can expect a page-turning tale exposing the transgressions, antics, and heroics behind a literary icon. —Andrea Brooks, Northern Kentucky Univ. Lib., Highland Heights
Library Journal


[I]maginative historical novelist Cullen cleverly spins a mysterious, dark tale...with just enough facts to make it believable. Celebrities...step in for a fun romp through history.... [W]e’re left to wonder if Mrs. Poe is Edgar’s Mr. Hyde, or is Poe himself the villain? It’s enough to make the teacups rattle. —Laurie Borman
Booklist


Although Cullen attempts to portray Osgood and Poe as sympathetic characters, it's difficult to identify with either as they teeter back and forth between feelings of guilt, anguish, fear and defiance. The narrative might have been more interesting had the author focused on the relationship between the title character and her husband.
Kirkus Reviews

Discussion Questions
1. Cullen begins Mrs. Poe with two epigraphs. In the first, Osgood is recounting her first meeting with Poe to Reverend Griswold. In the second, Poe describes Frances Osgood. How do these two quotes set up the novel? Were Cullen’s representations of Osgood and Poe as you expected after reading the epigraphs?

2. Although Frances narrates the story, it is named for Mrs. Poe. Why do you think that Cullen has chosen to call the novel Mrs. Poe? Did the title affect your reading of the story? How?

3. After Frances meets Virginia Poe for the first time, Eliza asks her, "What does she seem like? Sweet? Sharp?" and Frances replies "Both, oddly enough" (p. 55). What does she mean? Do you agree with Frances’s assessment of Virginia? Why or why not?

4. Miss Fuller tells Frances, "Beneath that pretty society-girl surface, you strike me as the striving sort." (p. 163). Do you agree? What reasons does Frances have to be "the striving sort"? What are your initial impressions of Frances? Did your feelings about Frances change throughout the novel? In what ways?

5. Of Poe, Reverend Griswold says, "I find that there is nothing about Edgar Poe that is remotely like the rest of us. He is a predator, plain and simply. A wolf in wolf’s clothing" (p. 123). Why do you think that Griswold feels such animosity towards Poe? What do you think of Griswold? Discuss his interactions with Frances.

6. After Frances learns that Poe has praised her poetry in a lecture, the two meet to discuss writing. She tells him, "I find that the thoughts spoken between the lines are the most important part of a poem or story." To which he replies, "as in life" (p. 36). How does this apply to their relationship? Are there other instances in the novel where this is true? Discuss them.

7. The subject of marriage comes up frequently in Mrs. Poe. Eliza tells Frances "Wedded bliss is a tale made up to keep the species going" (p. 278), and Margaret Fuller says, "for every married person [at Anne Lynch’s conversazione] there is a story of rejection and betrayal" (p. 77). Discuss the marriages in Mrs. Poe. Why do you think Eliza feels that wedded bliss is simply a story? And, why does Frances stay married to Samuel although she knows he is a philanderer? Do you think that Frances is justified in making her decision?

8. At one of the conversaziones, Poe says, "Desire inspires us to be our very best" (p. 169). Do you agree? In what ways, if any, do Poe and Frances improve because of their relationship?

9. Margaret Fuller warns Frances to steer clear of the Poes, stating that Poe is "not what he seems" but rather "a poor boy much damaged from the trauma of his childhood." (p. 193). Do you agree with her assessment of the Poes? What do you think caused her to drop the idea of running a profile of them? Do you think that Margaret is acting as Frances’s friend, as she claims? What makes you think so?

10. Were you surprised by Samuel’s return? Although he is "maddeningly agreeable" (p. 230) with regard to Frances’s relationship with Poe, he is critical of her work. After reading one of her poems, he tells her, "There was a time when you would have made fun of a poem like this" (p. 240). Why does Samuel’s statement bother Frances so much? What do you think of the poem that he critiques?

11. Frances thinks that Virginia Poe is out to do her harm. What evidence supports her suspicions? Were you surprised when you found out the truth?

12. The Poes invite Frances to attend a play called "Fashion" with them. How does the plot of the play mirror their outing? Why does Poe apologize for his wife?

13. In several of his conversations with Frances, Poe makes references to stories that he has written, including "William Wilson" and "The Oval Portrait.".How does Poe use these stories to communicate with Frances?

14. Poe reads "Al Aaraaf," the poem he wrote when he was fourteen, at the Boston Lyceum, claiming that he wanted "to see if they could tell the difference between a child’s verse and a masterpiece" (p. 260). What do you think the real motivation behind his decision is? Do you agree with Mrs. Ellet that he called "down the wrath of the Boston circle" because it terrified him to do so (p. 271)? Why?
(Questions issued by the publisher.)

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