The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar

Summary

Prepare to be mesmerized by this tale by Edgar Allen Poe of pseudoscience gone wrong. On the brink of death, the friend of a notable mesmerist commits to an experiment of hypnosis prior to imminent death. As the tale progresses, the mesmerist describes keeping his friend in a fully mesmerized state without a pulse or breath. When Valdemar asks from his trancelike state to either be awakened or let go, the narrator tries to wake him from the grips of death – with dire consequences.