Wowzer! I am somewhat of a Poe enthusiast with much reading in my background regarding him and his works and life, including writing a bio-pic screenplay keep close to the truth and not some of the ridiculous things written about him which almost had a chance to be made in vicious money addled Hollywood of the 90s.
And yet - this is an aspect of his life I never dreamed of! What history has been so lost? Our greatest early American writer that put US letters on the map and helped facilitate the birth of Modernism through his significant influence on Baudelaire (who translated his works into French and launched the pre-gothic anti-hero archtype upon the world)- also an intelligence agent and spy, and in France?! this is a revolutionary take on Poe's life. I am impressed and compelled. Thank you Matt. Poe was always a Francophile, but now his literary legacy will have to be re-examined in the context of the French visit's influence on his works!
Sorry to bring you a wiki bio - it gives some superficial outlines of interest. I believe he was an occultist as well...
wiki-General Gabriele D'Annunzio, Prince of Montenevoso OMS CMG MVM (UK: /dæˈnʊntsioʊ/,[1] US: /dɑːˈnuːn-/,[2] Italian: [ɡabriˈɛːle danˈnuntsjo]; 12 March 1863 – 1 March 1938), sometimes written d'Annunzio as he used to sign himself,[3] was an Italian poet, playwright, orator, journalist, aristocrat, and Royal Italian Army officer during World War I. He occupied a prominent place in Italian literature from 1889 to 1910 and in its political life from 1914 to 1924. He was often referred to by the epithets il Vate ("the Poet"; the Italian vate directly stems from Latin vates, and its meaning is a poet with special emphasis on prophetic, inspiring, or divining qualities) and il Profeta ("the Prophet").[4]
D'Annunzio was associated with the Decadent movement in his literary works, which interplayed closely with French symbolism and British aestheticism. Such works represented a turn against the naturalism of the preceding romantics and was both sensuous and mystical. He came under the influence of Friedrich Nietzsche, which would find outlets in his literary and later political contributions. His affairs with several women, including Eleonora Duse and Luisa Casati, received public attention. In his politics, which evolved many times, he associated himself with socialism and the progressivist views of the political left, responding to the illiberal and reactionary policies of Luigi Pelloux,[4] as well as with the Historical Far Left.[5]
During the Great War, D'Annunzio's image in Italy transformed from literary figure to national war hero.[6] He was associated with the elite Arditi storm troops of the Italian Army and took part in actions such as the Flight over Vienna. As part of an Italian nationalist reaction against the Paris Peace Conference of 1919, he set up the short-lived Italian Regency of Carnaro in Fiume with himself as Duce. The Charter of Carnaro made music the fundamental principle of the state, which was corporatist in nature.[7] Although D'Annunzio later preached nationalism and never called himself a fascist, he has been credited with partially inventing Italian fascism,[8] as both his ideas and his aesthetics were an influence upon Benito Mussolini. .... (more)
If I remember correctly, Rudolph Steiner's The Karma of Untruthfulness; Vol I & II quotes D'Annunzio as one of the voices inflaming the rhetoric and infecting the populace with the spirit of untruthfulness that unleashed the travesty of the great war.
"Working closely with Italian Grand Master Freemason Giuseppe Mazzini, Young Italy, Young Germany, Young Russia, Young Bosnia, Young Ireland movements were created."
The Mazzini guy looks terrifying, his eyes are so cold and hard. Also it makes me sad to think how beautifully people wrote in the past, Poe’s note to the instructor was so elegant and it was just something written for permission from his school.
I am reading Poe’s “Eureka”. Fairly early on, he seems to emphasize that “no anxioms exist” which is fun and ironic because that statement is an axiom, but there’s more deeper arguments to digest before jumping to conclusions, arguments that may resolve this inherent paradox around so-called “facts” more broadly.
His way out after banning axioms is clever, that axioms colliding with contradictions are resolved by annihilation of some kind, suggestive of a much deeper epistemology.
It’s echoing Nicolas of Cusa’s ‘Coincidence of Opposites’ theme, but with Poe’s own twist, which I didn’t read enough of yet to reach the punchline. I do feel it lighting up my brain cells, and when I mix it with my own related investigations in my head, it complements everything very nicely.
His work is so rich you need to leave time for digestion in-between bites. But so far it’s deliciously building up an argument around methods of conjecture which is sure to make his enemies shudder.
This proposal to set the stage for Poe’s argument is epic:
…”We will afford the logician every advantage. We will come at once to a proposition which he regards as the acme of the unquestionable — as the quintessence of axiomatic undeniability. Here it is: — 'Contradictions cannot both be true — that is, cannot coexist in nature.’”…
Here is a link to one of my favorites from Edgar Allan Poe: "The Conversation Of Eiros and Charmion." It's a fair description of how God might bring the fire he promised to end this Age:
Wondering how Frances Wright figured into the Cincinnati Society. She was a close friend of Lafayette, traveled with him on that tour of the US, wrote letters encouraging him to take the french presidency, and died in Cincinnati.
Wowzer! I am somewhat of a Poe enthusiast with much reading in my background regarding him and his works and life, including writing a bio-pic screenplay keep close to the truth and not some of the ridiculous things written about him which almost had a chance to be made in vicious money addled Hollywood of the 90s.
And yet - this is an aspect of his life I never dreamed of! What history has been so lost? Our greatest early American writer that put US letters on the map and helped facilitate the birth of Modernism through his significant influence on Baudelaire (who translated his works into French and launched the pre-gothic anti-hero archtype upon the world)- also an intelligence agent and spy, and in France?! this is a revolutionary take on Poe's life. I am impressed and compelled. Thank you Matt. Poe was always a Francophile, but now his literary legacy will have to be re-examined in the context of the French visit's influence on his works!
Your grasp of the many unknown elements of history is expansive and educational in the extreme! Thank you!
i have a minor secondary interest in asking you- what about Count D'Annunzio's role in any of this? He keeps popping into my mind as I read.
No idea. He hasn't crossed my eyeballs yet.
Sorry to bring you a wiki bio - it gives some superficial outlines of interest. I believe he was an occultist as well...
wiki-General Gabriele D'Annunzio, Prince of Montenevoso OMS CMG MVM (UK: /dæˈnʊntsioʊ/,[1] US: /dɑːˈnuːn-/,[2] Italian: [ɡabriˈɛːle danˈnuntsjo]; 12 March 1863 – 1 March 1938), sometimes written d'Annunzio as he used to sign himself,[3] was an Italian poet, playwright, orator, journalist, aristocrat, and Royal Italian Army officer during World War I. He occupied a prominent place in Italian literature from 1889 to 1910 and in its political life from 1914 to 1924. He was often referred to by the epithets il Vate ("the Poet"; the Italian vate directly stems from Latin vates, and its meaning is a poet with special emphasis on prophetic, inspiring, or divining qualities) and il Profeta ("the Prophet").[4]
D'Annunzio was associated with the Decadent movement in his literary works, which interplayed closely with French symbolism and British aestheticism. Such works represented a turn against the naturalism of the preceding romantics and was both sensuous and mystical. He came under the influence of Friedrich Nietzsche, which would find outlets in his literary and later political contributions. His affairs with several women, including Eleonora Duse and Luisa Casati, received public attention. In his politics, which evolved many times, he associated himself with socialism and the progressivist views of the political left, responding to the illiberal and reactionary policies of Luigi Pelloux,[4] as well as with the Historical Far Left.[5]
During the Great War, D'Annunzio's image in Italy transformed from literary figure to national war hero.[6] He was associated with the elite Arditi storm troops of the Italian Army and took part in actions such as the Flight over Vienna. As part of an Italian nationalist reaction against the Paris Peace Conference of 1919, he set up the short-lived Italian Regency of Carnaro in Fiume with himself as Duce. The Charter of Carnaro made music the fundamental principle of the state, which was corporatist in nature.[7] Although D'Annunzio later preached nationalism and never called himself a fascist, he has been credited with partially inventing Italian fascism,[8] as both his ideas and his aesthetics were an influence upon Benito Mussolini. .... (more)
If I remember correctly, Rudolph Steiner's The Karma of Untruthfulness; Vol I & II quotes D'Annunzio as one of the voices inflaming the rhetoric and infecting the populace with the spirit of untruthfulness that unleashed the travesty of the great war.
He was definitely in the mix and worthy of a good Matt E essay. : )
"Working closely with Italian Grand Master Freemason Giuseppe Mazzini, Young Italy, Young Germany, Young Russia, Young Bosnia, Young Ireland movements were created."
Sounds like the WEF's Young Global Leaders.....
The Mazzini guy looks terrifying, his eyes are so cold and hard. Also it makes me sad to think how beautifully people wrote in the past, Poe’s note to the instructor was so elegant and it was just something written for permission from his school.
I am reading Poe’s “Eureka”. Fairly early on, he seems to emphasize that “no anxioms exist” which is fun and ironic because that statement is an axiom, but there’s more deeper arguments to digest before jumping to conclusions, arguments that may resolve this inherent paradox around so-called “facts” more broadly.
His way out after banning axioms is clever, that axioms colliding with contradictions are resolved by annihilation of some kind, suggestive of a much deeper epistemology.
It’s echoing Nicolas of Cusa’s ‘Coincidence of Opposites’ theme, but with Poe’s own twist, which I didn’t read enough of yet to reach the punchline. I do feel it lighting up my brain cells, and when I mix it with my own related investigations in my head, it complements everything very nicely.
His work is so rich you need to leave time for digestion in-between bites. But so far it’s deliciously building up an argument around methods of conjecture which is sure to make his enemies shudder.
This proposal to set the stage for Poe’s argument is epic:
…”We will afford the logician every advantage. We will come at once to a proposition which he regards as the acme of the unquestionable — as the quintessence of axiomatic undeniability. Here it is: — 'Contradictions cannot both be true — that is, cannot coexist in nature.’”…
so interesting, Matt, thank you
Here is a link to one of my favorites from Edgar Allan Poe: "The Conversation Of Eiros and Charmion." It's a fair description of how God might bring the fire he promised to end this Age:
https://poemuseum.org/the-conversation-of-eiros-and-charmion/
Here's a bit I wrote this morning. I ain't no Poe, but I'm workin' on it:
https://jawbone99.substack.com/p/realworld-the-eternal-kingdom-of
Wondering how Frances Wright figured into the Cincinnati Society. She was a close friend of Lafayette, traveled with him on that tour of the US, wrote letters encouraging him to take the french presidency, and died in Cincinnati.
Great question! You should pursue that and share with me what you find