Quoth 1950's America, nevermore: ParoDYING Poe's "The Raven" in MAD Magazine
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Lappin, Jessica
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Abstract
Edgar Allan Poe's works have long been subjects of parody. In the visual art style of Scott McCloud's "Understanding Comics," this vertical scroll webcomic compares Poe's "The Raven" with MAD Magazine's 1954 comic adaptation. While Poe's poem uses Gothic tropes and poetic techniques to construct an effect of Romantic beauty, MAD's version subverts theses conventions through visual imagery, dismantling that effect and turning it grotesque. From 1845 to 1954 – and even now, in 2025 – the grotesque is embedded in spaces of beauty, with parody inviting us to reconsider what we "see" as beautiful.
Description
This webcomic may be viewed in its original form at: https://sites.google.com/view/poe-comic/page
Jessica Lappin is the recipient of the June McMaster-Harrison Memorial Prize which is presented to the Liberal Arts & Professional Studies student who, while enrolled in an English course, at the 3000- or 4000-level, produces the finest piece of written work in areas of studies with special interest to Professor McMaster-Harrison: literature of the Romantic period; literary theory; cross-disciplinary studies involving literature and other arts or sciences. It is awarded for courses completed in the previous fall/winter and summer session. This prize was established to honour Professor June McMaster-Harrison, former Chair of the Department of English in the former Atkinson Faculty of Liberal & Professional Studies.
Keywords
Edgar Allan Poe, MAD Magazine, Parody, The Raven, Grotesque