Two good starting places for the discussion of "Ligeia" are the personality of the narrator and the explanation of what happened. Do readers feel that Ligeia came back to life? If so, by what agency, her own will or her husband's will? Or is the story a record of an opium dream?
Readers could fruitfully debate the evidences for both interpretations and maybe see how Poe writes the tale in a way that resists closure.
1. Is the story about a supernatural event or a psychological disturbance?
(This is another phrasing of the issue above.)
2. How would you describe the narrator? What are his specific traits? Too often readers may be satisfied at stamping the narrator as "crazy" and delve no further. What are the sources and manifestations of his mental.....
This is a free excerpt of 135 words. This section contains 406 words. This
study guide contains 6,777 words (approx. 23 pages at 300
words per page).
Read the rest of this Literature Guide with our Ligeia Access Pass.
