That motley drama! -- oh be sure, It shall not be forgot! . . . And much of madness, and more of sin, And horror the soul of the plot. -- Edgar Allan Poe

As obscure and graphic as Poe could be in his fiction, one can barely imagine what his reaction might be upon experiencing the work of some of the contemporary avant-garde.

This new generation of writers may be every bit as controversial as Poe. Although their subject matter does not lie in surreal "trammels of opium," it basks in the incredible reality of today's subcultures, realities that include sadomasochism, torture as art and experimenting with violent death.

RE/Search publications is one of the biggest publishers of this literature. Most people's initial reaction to RE/Search's books -- which include such titles as The Torture Garden and Freaks; We Who Are Not as Others -- is usually one of either extreme shock, befuddled amusement or a dizzy combination of both.

"They're definitely an eye-opener," said Larry Carter, an employee at City Lights Records, 316 E. College Ave., and Modern Times Compact Discs, 318 E. College Ave. "People often walk in and grab them off the shelf because they're so different."

In its latest book, Bob Flanagan; Super Masochist, RE/Search delves into the genre of the anti-social social-lite. The book is a graphic pictorial account of the various atrocities Flanagan (a cystic fibrosis sufferer) has committed to his own body in an attempt to confound his pain into ecstasy.

From drawing pins and foot-long needles to bicycle chains and heavy weights, Flanagan has had things poked through and hanging from parts of his body that most people have trouble finding with a mirror. And it's all there, captured in 130 pages of step-by-step photography and description.

"It's just shock treatment," said Matt Johnsen (sophomore-English and computer science). "It's too reminiscent of performance art and looks like an attention-getting device of some masochistic freak."

Laura Anders, a former copy editor at RE/Search who is now a graduate student in philosophy at the University, said the purpose of the books is to make these types of issues palatable. She added that RE/Search wants to address the growing population of "TV kids" who need something sensational to draw their attention.

But however strong first impressions may be, one would be wrong in thinking these volumes were merely thicker versions of tabloid magazines, posing under the guise of the "pop art" reference book.

"(RE/Search) did start out like a tabloid in 1977," Anders said. "When they got together in 1980, Vale and Juno (the founding and ongoing chief editors) completely changed the format."

Anders said she was impressed, not only with the editors' preciseness and attention to detail, but also at the depth and extent of their resources, which contradict the tabloid form of reporting.

"They've got this amazing book and magazine collection and a huge library of film as well," Anders explained, adding that RE/Search worked out of a loft covered with massive prints from obscure photographers, including Jock Sturgefs, who was arrested for child pornography.

Anders principally worked on two pieces, The Atrocity Exhibition and a translation of The Confessions of Wanda von Sacher-Masoch, which is about the wife of Leopold von Sacher-Masoch, whose sexual practices and writings led to the spawning of the term "masochism."

Vale and Juno's work on these topics has been highly praised by such publications as The Village Voice and The Washington Post. But, the books are certainly not aimed at the mainstream market.

"They're definitely aimed at those with 'interesting' idiosyncrasies," said Calvin Reed, associate news editor at Publisher's Weekly. A few years ago, RE/Search Books and its ilk were the most commonly stolen books in student areas such as Berkeley, Calif., Reed added.

With publishers such as Loom Panics grossing more than $1 million a year and RE/Search preparing for yet another release in June, Incredibly Strange Music vol. II, it seems the "fringe" may be growing further into popular culture than one might first assume.

Perhaps people in general are simply becoming less concerned with the traditional and more concerned with the bizarre.

And there is no stereotypical person in State College who buys these books, said Travis DiNicola of Svoboda's Bookstore, 227 W Beaver Ave. In fact, the range of buyers is as varied as society itself, he said.

Jordana Robinson (junior-media studies) said she sees the literature as important, not only for its entertainment value, but also as a documentation of mediums and issues generally not handled elsewhere. She said RE/Search's Incredibly Strange Music and Incredibly Strange Films both contain articles about artists and pieces never before documented.

Whatever the origin or reasons for existence, the books are here to stay. Perhaps, like Poe, some of the publications may take their places in the hallows of American literature, to be studied in the future as an example of the intricacies and peculiarities of our society.

Or they may simply be used to wedge under the spare bed to stop it from rocking. Only time will tell.