The Oval Portrait

Edgar Allan Poe (Jan 19, 1809 – Oct 7, 1849) was an American author, poet, editor, and literary critic, considered part of the American Romantic Movement. Best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre, and is generally considered the inventor of the detective fiction genre. Poe and his works influenced literature in the United States and around the world He was the first well-known American writer to try to earn a living through writing alone, resulting in a financially difficult life and career.

The tale begins with an injured narrator seeking refuge in an abandoned mansion in the Apennines. The narrator spends his or her time admiring the paintings that decorate the strangely shaped room and perusing a volume, found upon a pillow, that describes them. The narrator discovers a painting depicting the head and shoulders of a young girl. Who was it? Read the story to know!