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    “Ink and Red Dye”: How Poe ‘Fridges’ His Women

    “The death, then, of a beautiful woman is, unquestionably, the most poetical topic in the world.” — Edgar Allan Poe, The Poetic Principle  Poe’s treatment of women, throughout his stories, can be directly tied back to this claim and its implication that women’s lives are determined and valued based on their poetical use. A similar concept can be seen in a more recent pop culture understanding of how women’s lives are valued: that of “fridging.” Coined in part by a letter written to comics writer Gail Simone, the term essentially refers to “any character who is targeted by an antagonist who has killed them off, abused… incapacitated, or de-powered for the…