The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar

The Narrator of “The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar” is unnamed. Poe states that he is a mesmerist and that he has practiced this activity for some time. He selects M. Valdemar as an ideal subject for his experiment to determine whether a mesmeric trance can delay or prevent the onset of death in individuals with terminal illnesses. Throughout the story, he is keen to have readers believe his account of incredible events, and on several occasions, addresses the readers directly in asides that disrupt the flow of the narrative. During these moments, he repeatedly states that though what he says will sound unbelievable, his job as narrator is to tell the story the way it happened. He makes extensive use of very specific medical and anatomical terminology and describes certain aspects of Valdemar’s condition in great, clinical detail, and the way in which he discusses mesmerism and makes a point of discussing the procedure with doctors and a medical student suggests that he would like his practice to be considered a scientific one in its own right. 

The Narrator is a flat character who clearly states his