In the aftermath of his appearance before the Boston Lyceum on October 16, 1845, Poe defended himself from the charge that he had behaved poorly. In this second lengthy response, Poe insisted that he deliberately read a “bad poem” because the Frogpondians deserved no better. Looking back, he declared that the experience of “making a fuss” had been “delightful.” Note the way Poe defaults into Longfellow-bashing toward the end of this passage.

We never saw the Frog-Pondians so lively in our lives. They seem absolutely to be upon the point of waking up. In about nine days the puppies may yet open their eyes. That is to say they may yet open their eyes to certain facts which have long been obvious to all the world except themselves—the facts that there exist other cities than Boston—other men of letters than Professor Longfellow—other vehicles of literary information than the Down-East Review.

Courtesy of the American Antiquarian Society