Set in 1827, The narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket is an exciting blend of romantic adventure with realistic detail. The young hero, Pym, aided and abetted by Augustus, the captain's son, becomes a stowaway on board the American brig Grampus. The friendship and friction between these two characters form a major part of the work's aesthetic design. Edgar Allan Poe controls the narrative with a system of structural contrast and symmetry, as well as through a set of intriguing textual hieroglyphics. By offsetting the stormy nature of the plot in this way, he creates an extraordinarily potent and exhilarating atmosphere. -- Provided by publisher.