Harold Bloom, the famous (and controversial) literary critic, once asserted that what seems to bind together all great literary works is their strangeness. They may now be part of the western canon, but at the time of their writing, they have often been rejected, neglected, considered strange and “inappropriate” (take Dante’s Divine Comedy or even Lolita as an example).

With modern literature, strangeness is no longer just an attribute characterising the reception of these literary works, but also a main theme. With writers like Franz Kafka and Edgar Allan Poe, strangeness is at its best. We now give you one of Poe’s famous tales, the Gold Bug. Hit the button below and get yourself immersed in the dark shadows of this great master.