Meneseteung Summary

This story is told by an unknown narrator who is piecing together information about the life of a 19th century poet called Almeda Roth. Although the story is exploring the past, it is told in present tense. Almeda lives in a small town on a respectable street. Her house backs onto a much poorer street, Pearl Street, with some very undesirable homes at the end near the swamp. The house next to hers is owned by Jarvis Poulter, who runs salt mines nearby. He is a widower, and Almeda has never been married. She thinks of him as a prospective husband, and the town has begun to wonder and gossip about them too.

One night Almeda is woken by noises outside her window, coming from Pearl Street at the back of her house. She hears people yelling and the sounds of violence, which...