Edgar Allan Poe published “Hop-Frog” in 1849 in

The Flag of Our Union

in an attempt to “get out of my pecuniary difficulties” (Ostrom II 1966: 425). While the connection between “Hop-Frog” and its author’s life has long been recognized, many of the critical articles written about “Hop-Frog” fall into one of two camps: in some reviews, the character is seen as Poe himself, ravaged by the effects of alcohol and sneering at the critics who had panned his work. Robert Shulman (1970: 252) argues that “Hop-Frog” was “one of modern literature’s most moving versions of the tortured, alienated artist”. Shulman finds the story to be Poe’s sad image of his own career, one in which he was oppressed by “powerless subservience to his public”. John Bryant (1996: 45-46)…

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Citation: McQuillan, Jennifer . "Hop-Frog". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 06 November 2013 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=35038, accessed 19 March 2024.]

35038 Hop-Frog 3 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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