#The Unparalleled Adventure Of One Hans Pfall

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"I was neither astonished nor horror-stricken." 🍵

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Space Spiders, Lunatics, and Airships : Moon Voyage stories in Wilson Library

It’s a full moon tonight, so we thought that it would be a great time to feature our favorite moon voyage story in Wilson Library Special Collections--the only problem is, we couldn’t decide between these three amazing narratives!  So we need your help, Tumblr followers!  Read below, and help us decide which contender is the ultimate sci-fi adventure!

Contender 1: One of the earliest recorded moon voyage stories, Lucian’s “True History” was written in the second century AD in ancient Greece. This “true” history is filled with fantastic travel narratives, including the moon-voyage adventure in which a crew accidentally lands on the moon after their ship gets carried into the sky by an enormous gust of wind.  The men then take part in a fantastic space battle between the alien armies of the sun and moon.  (Bonus points: the space battle features giant spiders who spin web-bridges to lead their army across the sky).

Contender 2: A Trip to the Moon (1765) was written by sir Francis Gentleman under the very appropriate pseudonym, Humphrey Lunatic.  In this story, Humphrey falls asleep in a beautiful grove and (much to his surprise) wakes up in the Lunar world.  How does he get transported, you might ask? The pamphlets in Humphrey’s pockets (which were, apparently, originally conceived in the Lunar kingdom) attract a tractor-beam that pulls Humphrey up towards the moon. Full of tongue-in-cheek humor, this story is memorable both for its whimsy, and for its cutting social commentary.  (Bonus points to Francis Gentleman for both his amazing pen name, and also for including an elaborate family lineage for the “Lunatic” family that includes an ancestor named Whimsical Lunatic, Esq.).

Contender 3: Last but not least, Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Unparalleled Adventures of One Hans Pfall” (1835) features a slightly more technologically advanced means of conveyance. In this story, the protagonist takes an airship to the moon.  Not only is this story an interesting moon-voyage account in its own right, but in addition, it was in fact, originally created as a hoax. Shockingly, Poe’s tale was not the only moon hoax of 1835, but was second in renown to the “great moon hoax” of the same year.  In this moon hoax, the New York Sun (a tabloid newspaper) published a series of articles on fake “celestial discoveries”--which included the discovery of a species of intelligent lunar bipedal beavers.  (Bonus points to Poe for not only creating his moon-travel hoax, but also for dreaming up his 1844 balloon hoax--in which he convinced readers of the New York Sun that a man had crossed the Atlantic in just 3 days in a new form of airship).

Got opinions on which of these three is the best moon voyage story? Comment below to let us know your pick!

[sublimegentlemanalpaca]

Potential Messengers?

So, I’ve gone on about the Caretakers, The Mystorians, and others, but there’s two groups I haven’t mentioned much. One is that mysterious and vague Quorum thing that Coal joined (which I’m guessing includes other characters who have ascended beyond Stars and Angels...like say Galahad). More importantly, there’s the Mesengers. Basically field agents working for the Caretakers who have an intimate understanding of Time and Space, and how to Traverse it. Known Mesengers include Hank Morgan (from Twain’s Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court) Alvin Ransom (aka Elwin Ransom from C.S. Lewis’ Space Trilogy) Beatrice Rappicini (from Rappicini’s Daughter by Nathaniel Hawthorne) what adventures do you think they got up to? Arthur Gordon Pym (from Poe’s the Narative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket. No relation to Hank Pym as far as I know?). Possibly the End of Time, aka Theo? ( Is he a reference or allusion to anything in particular? I honestly don’t know). Dr. Raven ( Prince Coal, though I’m pretty Sure ‘Dr Raven’ is a reference to something I can’t put my finger on). So...who are other individuals who may be potential Mesengers? Those who are either experienced with Travel, whether Temporal, Spatial, Outer Spatial, or Inter Dimensional. I’m sure there are many possible canidates. I can think of perhaps three off the top of my Head. Hans Pfall from the unparalleled adventure of Hans Pfall by Poe. Basically any Verne protagonist ( I’m surprised there isn’t a Splinter Group made solely of Protagonists from Verne’s books), most notably Phileous Fogg. And, possibly, Ariel from the Tempest. I’m sure there’s plenty others that would be far more suitable than those three. Have at it Friends and make of it what you will. Also, feel free to point out if they’re a Fiction or not. We know Fictions are included among the Mesengers thanks to the tearful and unfortunate demise of the Late Hank Morgan.

[mockymyths]

A Generalized Timeline for Clarity

IDK about you guys, but I tend to get confused about events in history and when certain things are taking place in comparison to others. Unless I have a timeline physically showing me, it’s always hard for me to place people and stories in history. This and my lack of desire to do any REAL work currently as I happen to be very tired and lazy today is the reason why I have decided to make a relatively short collection of historical events in relation to Edgar Allan Poe’s stories and own personal life. I figured this might prove to be worth-while since it helps to physically see what is going on irl that may or may not have had some relation to his stories.

Plus I thought it would be cool to see what was happening in the world around his life and sadly it helped me realize just how old the buggar really is. MIND YOU, this isnt a wholly accurate list, nor is it exhaustive. I didn’t include poems, I didn’t include literally every story he wrote (mostly just popular or well enough known ones to have been referenced somewhere), and I didn’t include fucks as to what I did and didn’t include.

1809 - Edgar Allan Poe is born January 19

1810 - The Pacific Fur Company is formed and fund the fur-trading town of Astoria in present day Oregon

Edgar Allan Poe is taken in by the Allans as a foster child due to the death of his mother and abandonment by his father

1812 - War on the United Kingdom begin

1814 - British burn down Washington D.C.

Francis Scott Key writes Star Spangled Banner

Peace treaty is signed between the British and US

1815 - Battle of Waterloo

1818 - Stars and stripes adopted as US flag

1820 - Edgar Allan Poe turns 10

The Missouri Compromise passed

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving

1823 - The Monroe Doctrine

1827 - “Freedom’s Journal” published by John Russwurm as the First African American Newspaper

Slavery is legally abolished in New York

Poe enlisted in the US Army due to being unable to support himself

1828 - the copyright for The American Dictionary of the English Language is registered and published by Noah Webster

1829 -  Edgar Allan Poe turns 20

Poe is discharged from service

1830 - Book of Mormon published

Indian Removal Act

1831 - Underground railroad

Poe’s brother Henry dies of Alcoholism

1832 - The Duc De L’Omelette

Metzengerstein

A Tale of Jerusalem

1834 - Silence (Siope)

1835 - Morella

Unparallelled Adventure of One Han Pfall

Shadow - A Parable

1836 - The Alamo

Texas becomes independent from Mexico

Poe and Virginia Clemm have a wedding ceremony even though she was only 14

1837 - Trail of Tears takes place

Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens

1838 - The Psyche Zenobia

1839 - Edgar Allan Poe turns 30

The Devil in the Belfry

The Fall of the House of Usher

1840 - Beginning of the Opium War 1840-42

1841 - The Murders of the Rue Morgue

Never Bet the Devil Your Head

1842 - The Masque of the Red Death

The Pit and the Pendulum

The Gold Bug

The Tell-Tale Heart

The Black Cat

Virginia begins to show signs of tuberculosis

1843 - The Oregon Trail

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

A Tale of the Ragged Mountains

1844 - The Premature Burial

The Balloon Hoax

1845 - President Polk invokes Manifest Destiny

1846 - Us-Mexican War from 1846-1848

The Cask of Amontillado

1847 - Virginia dies of Tuberculosis at 24 years old

1848 - California gold rush starts

Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Cady Stanton led the the 1st Women’s Rights Convention

1849 - First Woman Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell is granted her degree

Edgar Allan Poe turns 40

Von Kempelen and His Discovery

X-ing a Paragrab

October 7th Edgar Allan Poe Dies at 40 years of age