Taphephobia in Edgar Allan Poe's collection of gothic tales: a new historicist study of 19th century america's most prevalent fear

Conclusion

In this dissertation, the study of taphephobia from a new historicist perspective discloses another deeper dimension that transcends the psychological nature of the motif. The choice of new historicism as a theory to be used in the analysis allows a close study of the American society in 19th C through its fears and phobias. It unveils how Poe's gothic tales and the society and era he lived in are intermingled and reflect each other. The first chapter attempts to contextualize the analysis through the presentation of new historicism as the adapted theory. The first chapter shows how new historicism is open to other literary theories and other fields. Theories of Foucault, Althusser and Jameson inspire new historicist theorists to build their own perception of literature as an inseparable discipline from history. The first chapter focuses on the necessity of culture and history to understand fully the literary work since it is a cultural product par excellence. In this chapter, the concepts of intertextuality, historicity of the text and textuality of the history and anecdote are defined to present the basis for the analysis in the following chapters.

The six tales under study share the same strategy used to present a full image of taphephobia. Poe starts from exposing the direct reason behind the rising phobia, which is the frequent accidents of premature burial. He uses the different components of a fiction (characters, setting, narration, lexical fields) to convey the seriousness of premature burial that causes the growing taphephobia. The second chapter study how Poe uses different literary and non literary texts to prove that premature burial is not a mere folkloric, legendary ritual and that taphephobia is not an exclusive psychological deterioration but rather a reality that should be faced and treated. The chapter unveils the fact that Poe's choice of taphephobia is not whimsical but rather out of his conscience that the motif serves his literary philosophy and his own definition of sublime. Poe was aware that he needs to record taphephobia as a remarkable historical event that overwhelmed the society during the 19th C. He presented throughout the

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tales a complete image of taphephobia and the reasons behind its occurrence in an attempt to create a documentary with literary characteristics. He used several non literary disciplines and notably the medical and religious fields to prove that the phenomenon is not quite simple but rather very complex and multilayered.

Poe attempts to mirror one aspect of the American society in his gothic tales using fictional characters and unnamed narrator who presents the American citizen. However, "The Premature Burial" in particular presents an exception since he adapts a new strategy. Poe starts by documenting a number of real life accidents that happened in 19th C in US and Europe (France and England). This strategy is used as an introduction of the fictional tale. The enumeration of these tales aims to add authenticity to the tale, emphasizing the historicity of the phenomenon. Besides, this strategy helps to intensify further the taphephobia of the American reader by putting him face to face with his worst nightmares.

With the third chapter, taphephobia has been analyzed as a reflection of a decaying society. The fall of the religious belief in the canonic concepts like death and life along with the rise of a secular society that believes in the power of science intensify further the Americans' psychological agony. Hence, taphephobia presents a reflection of a lost society that cannot find solace neither in religion nor in scientific solutions.

This dissertation treated taphephobia as a literary motif and as a historical event that is rooted in the American society. Hence, this work transcends the different critics' analysis of taphephobia from a psychoanalytic perspective. It shows how Poe reflects the seriousness of the phenomenon that developed from a personal natural fear of death to a national obsessive phobia that reshapes the American lifestyle. This dissertation shows how Poe's choice of the motif can be explained as an attempt to give an authentic image of the American society characterized by the unreliability of scientific theories and the collapse of the nation's religious dogma. Thus, Poe's gothic tales are not merely fictional stories for the sake of

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entertainment but rather serve as historical documents that record the social preoccupations of that era. Furthermore, this work shows how taphephobia refashions the American lifestyle since it controlled people's thoughts and behaviours. New traditions were adjusted to be appropriate for the growing phobia. Death bed scenes transformed from sad last words to a set of directions written in wills to prevent premature burials. Death becomes an industry and a profitable business with the rise of safety coffins as precautionary tools. Hundreds of patents were dedicated to the safety coffins' models, transforming the necessity to a luxury.

In brief, taphephobia presents an omnipresent fear in the American mind and a source of inspiration for many writers and notably Poe who is fascinated with the nature of the phobia's essence, reminding the human being with the fine line between life and death. However, as Poe shows in his tale "The Premature Burial", the phobia is not restricted to the American context but rather a universal fear that pervaded the human mind in 19thC. Taphephobia presents a source of inspiration for other artists like Antoine Wiertz who preferred to record the phenomenon through oil and brushes to create the masterpiece "L'Inhumation Precipitée"¹⁰.

¹⁰ translated as the premature burial

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