MASTERCLASS
FALL & RISE
Flawed characters make for great fiction. This month, Helen Walters looks at how they might be redeemed, with an example story by Edgar Allan Poe
TO READ THE STORY https://poestories.com/read/williamwilson
This month’s story, ‘William Wilson’ by Edgar Allan Poe is a complex one, open to a variety of interpretations.
I’m not going to try to tell you what the correct interpretation is, but rather to look at the ways the intrigue of the story is built up and what we can learn from it. As always, you’ll benefit most from this masterclass if you read the story yourself: https://poestories.com/read/williamwilson
The premise of the story is interesting. We have two characters both called by the same name, with the same date of birth and similar appearance. And, what’s more, they both turn up at the same boarding school on the same day. What are the chances?
In the first few paragraphs we join ‘William Wilson’, our narrator, approaching his death and reflecting on his younger years. Notice how the mood of the story is hammered home in this opening section with the use of words like: horror; detestation; infamy; dismal; wickedness; misery and evil. We know right from the start that this story is going to take us to some dark places.
In the next passage our narrator, and also the reader, get a slight reprieve from the gloom as we hear about William’s early school days. Here, the language is more positive. We are asked to imagine a ‘mistylooking village’ which is ‘dream-like’ and ‘spirit-soothing’. The memory offers refreshment, and relief from our narrator’s torment.