What is it about?
This essay highlights the economic analysis of Poe's sea tales. Poe goes beyond the nineteenth century notion of economic men and prompts his readers to see that rational agents can often be rational fools.
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Why is it important?
Poe's heroes react to the changing sea through the prism of economic benefit. From capital maximization to optimal satisficing, regret aversion and risk tolerance, Poe's characters showcase their ambivalence toward the horrid laws of political economy.
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This page is a summary of: Poe's Sea Tales and Economic Man: Decision Making in “MS Found in a Bottle” and “A Descent into the Maelström”, Literature Compass, September 2013, Wiley,
DOI: 10.1111/lic3.12091.
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