The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar by Edgar Allan Poe (Pt 1)
The Troubadour Podcast
English - January 24, 2020 20:00 - 31 minutes - 21.3 MBBooks Arts Health & Fitness poetry literature literature and life historical stories wisdom of the ages Homepage Download Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Previous Episode: The Pastoral Poems of William Blake
In this short story by Poe we hear a tale from a scientist who performs mesmerism on a man in articulo mortis. That is, "at the point of death." Mesmerism was a method of psychological and physical healing developed by Franz Anton Mesmer (1734-1815), a Viennese doctor. It was believed to be therapeutic, especially of nervous people, and many also believed it could override the will of another person, as is hypnotism.
Poe shares a story from a man who actually performed mesmerism on a man at the point of death. What happens is unbelievable. Believe it.