The Oval Portrait by Edgar Allan Poe
A wounded narrator sheltering in a deserted château becomes fascinated by an exquisitely lifelike framed painting of a young woman and, after reading a nearby sketchbook, discovers the tragic backstory: a passionate painter so consumed with achieving perfect realism that he devoted himself to finishing his wife’s likeness that she—neglected and frail—died as he worked, leaving him with a flawless image that cost the living model her life. The story is a stark meditation on artistic obsession, the boundary between life and representation, and the destructive consequences of valuing art above human beings.
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- Published
- 1842
- Nationality
- American
- Length
- Unknown
- Pages
- 4-8 pages
- Original Language
- English
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- Alternate Titles
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