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

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)…

1874 words

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 25 November 2024.]