of the day, exaggerating the technique to the point of being inane. The opening epigraph to the story is from Le Cid by Pierre Corneille and translates to: "Weep, weep, my eyes and float yourself in tears! The better half of my life has laid the other to rest." The story bears a resemblance to "A Beautiful Young Nymph Going to Bed", a satiric poem by Jonathan Swift from 1731. Both works depict grotesquely artificial bodies: Swift's poem features a young woman preparing for bed by deconstructing, while Poe's story features an old man reconstructing himself to begin his day. Some consider "The Man That Was Used Up" to be one of the earliest works of science fiction about cyborgs. References External links Short stories by Edgar Allan Poe 1839 short stories Works originally published in Burton's Gentleman's Magazine