Literary Interpretation and Divination: Visual Adaptation in the Edgar Allan Poe Tarot

Abstract Rose Wright and Eugene Smith’s Edgar Allan Poe Tarot follows the basic structure of the Rider-Waite-Smith (RWS) tarot system. Each of the cards features an illustration by Smith that draws inspiration from and visually adapts an element of Poe’s work, depicting imagery, characters, and narrative moments. This tarot deck synthesizes these two distinct and interconnected types of “reading,” with the accompanying guide providing both an interpretation of the card’s significance drawing on the larger RWS system and critical literary analysis that connects Poe’s work to the specific card and its interpretation. The active engagement of reader response presents a wide range of interpretive possibilities and ways of connecting with and responding to Poe’s work through visual adaptation and the self-reflection central to the tarot tradition.