Preface

Summary

Modern criticism often ignores the significance of the printed page. Such neglect is partially understandable. As literary texts grow in reputation, they are perpetuated in numerous popular and scholarly editions. Texts become increasingly removed from the form of their original publication, and these removals affect interpretation. The appearance of the printed page, however, shapes the reader's understanding of the text it contains. “The Balloon Hoax” provides a useful example. In most modern editions of Edgar Allan Poe's short stories, its text is uniform with the rest of the pieces in the collection. Each story appears in the same-sized type with identically spaced margins and the same or similar headings. The uniform appearance of the work among other short stories removes any doubt about its fictional nature. So does its title. Originally, it was not called “The Balloon Hoax.” It only gained that title in the oral culture after its fictional status became known. Containing the word “hoax,” the title lets readers know the story is undoubtedly a product of Poe's imagination.

The story's first appearance in print was designed to make it closely resemble a factual account. Poe convinced Moses Y. Beach, editor of the New York Sun, to publish it as part of an Extra Sun. In terms of format, the story looked similar to any of the day's newspaper articles. It had a dateline as well as a multi-part headline characteristic of urgent news with bold-faced capitals, bold italics, and exclamation marks.