EDGAR ALLAN POE (1809-1849)

Analyze the poem(s) thoroughly, considering aspects such as theme(s), verse form(s), political, cultural, social, economic, religious, literary, and historical background, and the thematic significance of important figures of speech. Remember to choose an appropriate title and in your introduction an opening sentence and a clear thesis statement that will attract the reader. After your discussion, be sure to "tie up" your essay with an appropriate conclusion. Include direct quotes from the primary sources for analysis and support. If you wrote on one of these authors in a previous paper for this class, you cannot write on that same author again.
EDGAR ALLAN POE (1809-1849)
Reputation
• Literary Critic
• Short Story Writer
• Poet
Literary Critic
• Pioneer of American literary criticism

Influences on Poe
• GOTHICISM

1. Magic
2. Mystery
3. Chivalry
4. Horror stories
5. Medieval castles (i.e., long, underground passages; trap doors; dark stairways; mysterious doors)
6. Unknown terror
7. Medievalism
8. Sensationalism
9. Supernatural horrors

• BALLAD

1. Use of supernatural events/elements
2. Physical courage and love are frequent themes
3. Incidents usually happen to common people
4. Tragic situations are presented with utmost simplicity
5. Incremental repetition is common
6. A single episode of a highly dramatic nature is presented
7. Conclusion as some sort of summary stanza

• Poe's criteria for short story:

1. Have totality of effect
2. Aim at truth
3. Be short (able to be read in one sitting)
4. Have no loose ends

• Poe's criteria for a successful poem:

1. Be didactic
2. Be rhythmic, haunting the ear. Devices include Rhyme, alliteration, assonance, and repetition
3. Be short
4. Idealize the beautiful & elevate the soul
5. Be melancholic in its beauty
6. Have a beautiful woman as its subject

These poetic criteria are exemplified in Poe’s "Annabel Lee":
a. Rhyme: uses both end rhyme and internal rhyme. Note: "beams" in line 34 rhymes with "dreams" at the end of the line; "rise" in line 36 rhymes with "eyes" at the end of the line, and "night-tide" and "side" in line 38 rhyme with each other, and with "bride" at the end of line 39
b. Alliteration: the repetition of the initial sound of two or more closely related words or accented syllables. See "sepulcher" and "sea" in line 40, and "sounding" and "sea" in line 41
c. Assonance: the resemblance in the sound of the vowel in two or more accented syllables. The last stanza is an excellent example. See the long e sound in "beams," "dreams," and "me" (line 34), and in "Lee" (lines 35-37).
d. Repetition: the deliberate repeating of a word or phrase. Example: the phrase "kingdom by the sea" (lines 2, 8, 14, 20, and 24)

Poe as Short Story Writer
Poe’s stories may be divided into three categories:

TALES OF TERROR
• Influenced by Gothicism
• Uses psychological abnormality to heighten terror;

Examples: “The Fall of the House of Usher” and “The Tell-Tale Heart”

TALES OF BEAUTY
• These tales are grotesque prose-poems

Example: “The Masque of the Red Death”

TALES OF REASON
• Tales where Poe exercises his sharp, logical mind
• These analyze a complex problem
• Exercise the intellect more than the imagination
• Established the technique for the modern detective tale

Example: “The Purloined Letter”

Concluding Thoughts and Questions

1. What romantic elements are evident in "Annabel Lee" and “The Raven”?
2. Cite lines which suggest that "Anabel Lee" may be an idealized account of Poe's wife, Virginia Clemm.
3. How does "Anabel Lee" illustrate the timelessness of love? How would you interpret the last stanza?
4. Poe described poetry as "The Rhythmical Creation of Beauty." Show evidence of this in "Anabel Lee"
5. Compare or contrast the way in which Irving, Bryant, Emerson, and Poe use nature in their writing. Show how each treats nature, the supernatural, and the everyday world.
6. Explain why you would or would not describe a Puritan writer, such as Jonathan Edwards, as a romantic.