Talk:The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar

Odd sentence

"In between trance and wakefulness, Valdemar tongue begs to quickly either put him back to sleep him."

I'd edit this if I knew what the last part (of the either/or) is supposed to be, but I haven't read the story. Tales 12:59, 2 December 2007 (UTC)

Thanks for catching that! It's certainly an odd plot element but I think I fixed it so it makes more sense grammatically. Plot-wise, it's odd because it's the tongue that is talking, rather than Valdemar himself. Does it look any better this way? --Midnightdreary 13:16, 2 December 2007 (UTC)

I looked over the text of the short story itself and found that your alterations are perfectly compatible. Where did the weird grammar come from in the first place? Frotz (talk) 04:49, 18 June 2012 (UTC)

Afraid all of you are misinterpreting the text entirely too literally. Poe is making a distinction between normal speech (which appears to emanate from the lips of the speaker) and the unnatural speech of Valdemar, which seems to emanate from the throat and "lolling tongue" while the lips and jaw do not move. He is not saying that the tongue itself can speak, or that it has a mouth or a separate existence or mindfulness from Valdemar himself. I am editing the article to improve accuracy. 12.233.146.130 (talk) 20:35, 21 November 2012 (UTC)

Who is M. Valdemar

The man's name in the story is Ernest Valdemar. But who is M. Valdemar in the title? Is it an archaic version of Mr.(mister)?--87.184.136.234 (talk) 09:50, 10 September 2017 (UTC)

It's a common abbreviation for "Monsieur". --Midnightdreary (talk) 14:40, 10 September 2017 (UTC)

Thank you very much. So the story takes place in France (or Canada or anyplace with Monsieurs)? I think it's not mentioned in the article. I have read the story a few decades ago, so I am not even sure. If it's France maybe it should be added.--87.184.136.234 (talk) 15:21, 10 September 2017 (UTC)

No, there is no indication of where the story takes place. --Midnightdreary (talk) 17:32, 10 September 2017 (UTC)

Any relationship to... Voldemort?

I'm just curious if anyone has rooted out any correlation of 'Valdemar' and J. K. Rowling's Lord Voldemort. There aren't any references connecting both (they may just merely sound similar to a non-native English speaker!), but Rowling's Voldemort is terribly afraid of death, and most of his motivation in the books is related to this fear of death (and, ultimately, his demise).

I read Poe's story many years before Rowling wrote her first book in the Harry Potter series, so I didn't make the connection until I came across this wiki page today (by pure coincidence)!

— Gwyneth Llewelyn (talk) 15:19, 13 September 2022 (UTC)

Without a reliable source, this is speculative and falls under original research. Therefore, it does not qualify for inclusion in this article. --Midnightdreary (talk) 15:58, 13 September 2022 (UTC)