Why should you read Edgar Allan Poe? - Scott Peeples

Translator: Elda Indria Sari Reviewer: Reno Kanti Riananda

A high forehead topped by disheveled black hair,

Dahi tinggi dengan rambut hitam kusut,

a sickly pallor,

muka pucat sakit-sakitan,

and a look of deep intelligence and deeper exhaustion

tatapan cerdas yang dalam dan kelelahan yang lebih dalam

in his dark, sunken eyes.

di matanya yang gelap dan cekung.

Edgar Allan Poe’s image is not just instantly recognizable –

Sosok Edgar Allan Poe tak hanya mudah dikenali –

it’s perfectly suited to his reputation.

tetapi juga sangat sesuai dengan reputasinya.

From the prisoner strapped under a descending pendulum blade,

Dari seorang tawanan yang terikat di bawah pedang pendulum yang menurun,

to a raven who refuses to leave the narrator’s chamber,

hingga seekor gagak yang tak mau meninggalkan kamar sang narator,

Poe’s macabre and innovative stories of gothic horror

Kisah horor gotik Poe yang mengerikan dan inovatif

have left a timeless mark on literature.

telah meninggalkan jejak abadi dalam kesusastraan.

But just what is it that makes Edgar Allan Poe

Namun apa yang sebenarnya membuat Edgar Allan Poe

one of the greatest American authors?

menjadi salah satu penulis terbesar Amerika?

After all, horror was a popular genre of the period,

Lagipula, horor merupakan genre populer pada masa itu,

with many practitioners.

dengan banyak penulis serupa.

Yet Poe stood out thanks to his careful attention to form and style.

Namun Poe menonjol berkat kejeliannya pada bentuk dan gaya.

As a literary critic,

Sebagai kritikus sastra,

he identified two cardinal rules for the short story form:

dia menetapkan dua aturan utama untuk cerita pendek:

it must be short enough to read in one sitting,

cerita itu harus cukup pendek untuk dibaca sekaligus

and every word must contribute to its purpose.

dan setiap kata harus sesuai dengan tujuannya.

By mastering these rules,

Dengan menguasai aturan tersebut,

Poe commands the reader’s attention

Poe menguasai perhatian pembaca

and rewards them with an intense and singular experience –

dan mengganjar mereka dengan pengalaman intens yang luar biasa –

what Poe called the unity of effect.

yang Poe sebut sebagai efek kesatuan.

Though often frightening, this effect goes far beyond fear.

Meski sering menakutkan, efek ini tak sekadar ketakutan semata.

Poe’s stories use violence and horror to explore the paradoxes and mysteries

Kisah Poe menggunakan kekerasan dan horor untuk menelusuri paradoks

of love,

dan misteri cinta,

grief,

kesedihan,

and guilt,

dan penyesalan,

while resisting simple interpretations or clear moral messages.

sembari menghindari penafsiran simpel atau pesan moral terang-terangan.

And while they often hint at supernatural elements,

Meski kerap mengiaskan elemen-elemen supernatural,

the true darkness they explore is the human mind

kegelapan sejati yang ditelusurinya adalah pikiran manusia

and its propensity for self-destruction.

serta kecenderungannya untuk menghancurkan diri sendiri.

In “The Tell-Tale Heart,” a ghastly murder

Di "The Tell-Tale Heart," seorang pembunuh menyeramkan

is juxtaposed with the killer’s tender empathy towards the victim –

disandingkan dengan empati lembut sang pembunuh terhadap korbannya -

a connection that soon returns to haunt him.

sebuah pertalian yang akan kembali untuk menghantuinya.

The title character of "Ligeia" returns from the dead

Tokoh utama dalam "Ligeia" kembali dari kematian

through the corpse of her husband’s second wife –

lewat mayat istri kedua suaminya -

or at least the opium-addicted narrator thinks she does.

atau setidaknya itu anggapan si narator yang pecandu opium.

And when the protagonist of “William Wilson”

Ketika protagonis "William Wilson"

violently confronts a man he believes has been following him,

berhadapan dengan seorang pria yang dia yakini membuntutinya,

he might just be staring at his own image in a mirror.

mungkin dia hanya tengah menatap bayangannya sendiri di cermin.

Through his pioneering use of unreliable narrators,

Melalui terobosan penggunaan para naratornya yang meragukan,

Poe turns readers into active participants

Poe menyulap pembaca menjadi partisipan aktif

who must decide when a storyteller might be misinterpreting

yang harus melihat kapan si pendongeng keliru

or even lying about the events they’re relating.

atau bahkah berbohong tentang peristiwa yang mereka kisahkan.

Although he’s best known for his short horror stories,

Walaupun dia paling dikenal karena kisah pendek horornya,

Poe was actually one of the most versatile

Poe sebenarnya salah satu penulis

and experimental writers of the nineteenth century.

yang paling serba bisa dan eksperimental di abad ke-19.

He invented the detective story as we know it,

Dia menciptakan cerita detektif,

with “The Murders in the Rue Morgue,”

"The Murders in the Rue Morgue,"

followed by “The Mystery of Marie Roget”

diikuti "The Mystery of Marie Roget"

and “The Purloined Letter.”

dan "The Purloined Letter."

All three feature the original armchair detective,

Ketiganya menampilkan karakter orisinal detektif fiksi,

C. Auguste Dupin,

C. Auguste Dupin,

who uses his genius and unusual powers of observation and deduction

yang menggunakan kejeniusannya serta kekuatan observasi dan deduksinya

to solve crimes that baffle the police.

untuk memecahkan kasus yang memusingkan polisi.

Poe also wrote satires of social and literary trends,

Poe juga menulis satire sosial dan tren sastra,

and hoaxes that in some cases anticipated science fiction.

juga berita palsu yang kadang mengantisipasi fiksi ilmiah.

Those included an account of a balloon voyage to the moon,

Termasuk kisah perjalanan dengan balon ke bulan,

and a report of a dying patient put into a hypnotic trance

dan laporan seorang pasien sekarat yang dihipnotis

so he could speak from the other side.

agar dia bisa berbicara dari alam lain.

Poe even wrote an adventure novel about a voyage to the South Pole

Poe bahkan menulis novel petualangan tentang perjalanan ke Kutub Selatan

and a treatise on astrophysics,

dan risalah tentang astrofisika,

all while he worked as an editor,

semua ditulis sembari menjadi editor,

producing hundreds of pages of book reviews and literary theory.

menghasilkan ratusan halaman ulasan buku dan teori sastra.

An appreciation of Poe’s career wouldn’t be complete without his poetry:

Penghargaan atas karier Poe tak lengkap tanpa puisinya:

haunting and hypnotic.

yang menghantui dan membius.

His best-known poems are songs of grief, or in his words,

Puisinya yang terkenal adalah lagu nestapa, atau dalam kata-katanya,

“mournful and never-ending remembrance.”

"kenangan yang pilu dan tak pernah berakhir."

“The Raven,” in which the speaker projects his grief onto a bird

Dalam "The Raven" di mana sang penutur menuangkan kesedihannya ke seekor burung

who merely repeats a single sound,

yang hanya mengulangi satu bunyi,

made Poe famous.

membuat Poe terkenal.

But despite his literary success,

Namun di luar kesuksesan sastranya,

Poe lived in poverty throughout his career,

Poe hidup dalam kemiskinan di sepanjang kariernya,

and his personal life was often as dark as his writing.

dan kehidupan pribadinya sering kali segelap tulisannya.

He was haunted by the loss of his mother and his wife,

Dia dihantui kematian ibu dan istrinya,

who both died of tuberculosis at the age of 24.

yang sama-sama meninggal karena TBC di usia 24 tahun.

Poe struggled with alcoholism

Poe kecanduan alkohol

and frequently antagonized other popular writers.

dan sering memprovokasi penulis populer lainnya.

Much of his fame came from posthumous – and very loose – adaptations of his work.

Ketenarannya banyak berasal dari karya anumerta dan adaptasi lepas bukunya.

And yet, if he could’ve known how much pleasure and inspiration

Namun, jika dia tahu seberapa besar kegembiraan dan inspirasi

his writing would bring to generations of readers and writers alike,

yang dibawa tulisannya bagi generasi pembaca dan penulis lain,

perhaps it may have brought a smile to that famously brooding visage.

mungkin senyum akan tersungging di wajah muram yang terkenal itu.