Mesmerizing Poe: Based on The Mystery of Marie Rogêt

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Showing how Poe tasted the drug of deception and plunged into tragedy, Mesmerizing Poe, an adaptation of the Mystery of Marie Rogêt, by Edgar Allan Poe, is a version of the original tale written by the tormented amateur analyst, while he was on the trail of a real killer. Poe used the tools of his trade, his obsession with the undercurrent of intrigue in the privileged class, his devilish audacity to discover power’s inner secrets and the mooring of his own ferocious addiction to drinking. This meta-fictional neo-noir cautionary tale of mystery and suspense, transforms Poe's version, based on actual historical reporting covered by Poe while he was reading published newspaper accounts. A concise historical summary is that Poe was hired by a dark horse political candidate for mayor of New York to solve the homicide of a beautiful young girl who had once worked for the office seeker. Through the candidate’s subterfuge, the killer was revealed as a sailor, and the contender was cleared of all suspicion. Sardonically, the candidate had to withdraw from his election attempt and eventually confessed to her murder.In a surprising and unsettling way, Poe had before written in his Philosophy of Composition, “The death, then, of a beautiful woman is, unquestionably the most poetical topic in the world...” Ultimately, while arousing the fascination of the public, some say Poe’s dual persona masked the darker Gothic depths of his bipolar disorder.