Private Perry And Mister Poe: The West Point Poems, 1831

By Edgar Allan Poe

Writing poetry and inspecting artillery bombs for the army do not seem like compatible endeavors, which is perhaps why many biographers and critics have overlooked Edgar Allan Poe's stint in the military, dismissing it as an odd aberration in his literary career. William F. Hecker, however, is in a unique position to appreciate the influence that military culture and training had on the young poet. A professional artilleryman and a Poe scholar, Hecker offers a lively, nuanced account of Poe's experience as an enlisted soldier and West Point cadet and relates it to his writing, especially his Poems (1831), presented here in facsimile for the first time since 1936. Military service appealed to Poe's romantic sense of adventure, and in 1827 he joined the army under the name Edgar A. Perry. He rose quickly through the ranks -- most notably learning cannon drill -- but suffered as a social misfit in the field and at West Point, where legends about a brilliantly defiant jester still abound. Shortly after being dismissed from the Military Academy for neglecting his duties, Poe published his third book of verse, Poems (1831), which he dedicated to his fellow West Point cadets and funded through subscriptions to them. Hecker explores these events, filling in biographical gaps and drawing connections to Poe's poetic vision. Poe's desire that his poems act as aesthetic bombs -- deranging the senses, striving for Beauty but failing explosively -- emerges as a key theme. With a foreword by poet and Poe critic Daniel Hoffman and an afterword by Gerard A. McGowan addressing the martial element in the poems "Tamerlane" and "To Helen," among others, Private Perry and Mister Poe offers the definitive statement about Poe's military experience while making the early versions of many of his most famous poems widely available.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0807130540
• ISBN13: 9780807130544
• Release Date: January 2005
• Publisher: Louisiana State Univ Pr
• Length: 165 Pages
• Weight: 0.77 lbs.
• Dimensions: 7.8" x 1.0" x 4.8"

Customer Reviews

More than a facsimile poetry collection

What Hecker has put together here is more than just a facsimile edition of Poe's early West Point poems; calling it a poetry anthology is insulting. Hecker's "introduction" to the book (which makes up about half the book's pages) is an in-depth discussion of Poe's military career attempts, from an enlisted soldier to his studies to be an officer at West Point. This "introduction" is, bar none, the single most comprehensive discussion of this widely-neglected aspect of Poe's biography. Many biographers gloss over these years as a sort of anomaly in Poe's story, an odd divergence. It's a shame, really, because Hecker enlightens us. He notes that Poe wasn't just giving the military shot, but he was diving in to his endeavors at the (relatively) new West Point Military Academy with gusto and, undeniably, was good at it. Sure, he eventually gave it up after his enthusiasm has passed, but Hecker has really shown that had Poe been interested, he would have made a fine officer (and we'd have a different story to tell about Poe).

Be Thou at Peace, MAJ Hecker

On 5 Jan 06, MAJ William F. Hecker, III, 37 years old, was killed in action with (from the Washington Post, dated 10 Jan 06) "...four other soldiers in Najaf (Iraq) when an explosive detonated near their Humvee, the Defense Department said." Also from the Post, his mother said, "He was looking forward to going. He was doing his duty, and he believed in what he was doing and hoped he could make a difference." "West Point Alma Mater" Hail Alma Mater dear, To us be ever near. Help us thy motto bear Through all the years. Let Duty be well performed. Honor be e'er untarned. Country be ever armed. West Point, by thee. Guide us, thy sons, aright, Teach us by day, by night, To keep thine honor bright, For thee to fight. When we depart from thee, Serving on land or sea, May we still loyal be, West Point, to thee. And when our work is done, Our course on earth is run, May it be said, "Well done; Be thou at peace." E'er may that line of gray Increase from day to day Live, serve, and die, we pray, West Point, for thee. P.S. Reinecke, 1911 On behalf of all of us West Pointers around the globe, "Well done; be thou at peace, MAJ Hecker." Chip Armstrong USMA '83