A gloriously gothic box sits in front of me. The image of Poe, often used to encompass his demeanor, looks directly up at me from the cardboard, dominating the box. His pale and somber face and especially his eyes seem to linger on me as if I personally disappointed him, or as if he had a wicked hangover. Underneath his white face, dark hair and dark circles under his eyes, the name appears: “Edgar Allan,” dwarfed by his last name, “POE,” which appears in all capitals bold, red text. His red name contrasts nicely with the portrait’s plain black suit jacket. Inside the box, the mug mirrors the external design nearly exactly, staying true to what was advertised. It follows the same color scheme and contains a multitude of quotes and pictures from Poe’s writings. A line from “The Black Cat” reads “Tomorrow I die, and today I would unburthen my soul.” “The Black Cat” This line appears in the beginning of the short story “The Black Cat”, as the narrator is beginning his exposition of his descent into madness. In this line, and in the first paragraph, Poe contradicts himself several times. He says he intends to unburthen his soul, which implies a confession that leaves no stones unturned, but in the next line says he wants to relay “plainly, succinctly, and without comment, a series of mere household events” and that he will “not attempt to expound them” (Poe). This, of course, is followed by an in-depth breakdown of the events leading to his death. These events are, to put it lightly, horrifying. He starts to drink, which leads to a change in his temperament, which then leads to him taking out the eye of his favorite cat and later hanging it. Finally, he murders his own wife and bricks her up in a basement, and then cheerfully attempts to get away with murder. Although this isn’t the only quote on the mug, this close reading to give it context highlights the sort of writing and frame of mind the manufacturers and designers of this mug intended to capture.
In total thirteen quotes and multiple different illustrations are printed on the mug. The thirteen quotes were not selected by accident, but likely are part of a well thought out strategy by the designers for eagle-eyed customers (and for English students staring at the mug in order to write a passable midterm). Commonly known as an unlucky number in Western culture, the number thirteen is celebrated on the mug in opposition to some skyscrapers that purposefully skip the 13th floor altogether unlucky number (Maranzani).
Printed on top of the box is a line that quips “Nevermore quaff your coffee from an ordinary mug.” The words “nevermore” and “quaff” both appear in Poe’s poem “The Raven”: “Quaff, oh quaff this kind nepenthe, and forget this lost Lenore!” (Poe, 85) Nepenthe the Oxford English Dictionary explains is “a drink, potion, or drug bringing, or supposed to bring, forgetfulness of trouble or grief.” With this buried reference to forgetfulness-inducing substances, we could interpret the mug as advertised towards a more edgy crowd, people who might use the mug to drink beverages decidedly stronger than tea or coffee. Or, is the advertising marketed towards people who want to seem edgy while they drink tea with milk?
Since Poe’s writing lives in the public domain and is therefore free to use, and since the grotesque is always in demand in popular culture, his image and works are often used by companies to sell products. The Unemployed Philosophers Guild (UPG) used the public’s obsession with the macabre to do just this. The company, based in Brooklyn, sells all sorts of novelty items, literary and otherwise. $60,000 of their proceeds go to philanthropic organizations, including Amnesty International and the Brooklyn Public Library.
On the UPG website, the text alongside the mug reads “Makes any beverage mysterious! Whether you're meeting with the book club or the board of directors, UPG's Literary Mugs make a welcome addition to your café culture.” Here, we learn that UPG is targeting customers who want to at least appear as well-educated and read. The company does not take itself too seriously—on the bottom of the mug, the words “for best results, use other side” are printed.
This company sells a plethora of literary mugs. It has successfully monetized quite a few authors and their works. All the literary mugs contain quotes or images of authors widely considered influential, including Jane Austen, Roald Dahl, and Arthur Conan Doyle. In almost all cases, the authors’ work is in the public domain. This collection of literary mugs cost the same at $15.95 per item, much more expensive than buying a mug at a thrift store, but still affordable enough for people who do not belong in a higher income bracket.
By making these mugs affordable, the company invites you to build up an armory of literary mugs if you choose-- they have Shakespeare mugs, mugs with famous first lines of literature, even mugs with Alfred Hitchcock quotes if you like films. The existence of this ceramic, microwave and dishwasher safe mug tells us that Poe has had and continues to have an impact on popular culture. He remains beloved, idolized, a symbol of the macabre, and it will be a long time before popular culture forgets him.