, Research Paper
Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortals ever dared to dream before.
The writer of these words was enchanted by darkness…thrilled by death.
What sort of person would spend their whole life linking hands with Death
and her counterparts? Quite possibly a literary genius by the name of Edgar
Allan Poe. Famous for romanticizing the darker, more Gothic side of life, E.
A. Poe had quite a collection of works from his lesser known stories to his
most famous poem, The Raven . This great man s life has been analyzed to
death (no pun intended) to find key s to unlock the maze of his apparent
creativity. Here, the reader will find only an in depth look at The Raven ,
information on the author s life and lifestyle, a brief look at other Poe
works, criticism on his writings, and some unusual ways his fame has been
honored . To begin with, The Raven holds a dark sense of elegance which
has been appealing to many since it was written in 1845.
The theme of The Raven is simple: a man suffering the loss of his
love is visited by a speaking raven, whose repetitious, meaningless answers
torture him to the point of insanity (see Appendix R) (Decoder, Internet).
The feeling of lost love portrayed in the poem might have reflected the
death of Poe s wife, Virginia, in 1847 (Qrisse, Internet). As it is read, a
definite rhyme scheme is present: internal rhyme in the first and third line,
and end rhymes in lines two, four, and five. All eighteen stanzas of the poem
are arranged like this, but Poe never makes it seems unexciting or
repetitious. Probably the most noticeable and most brilliant aspect of The
Raven is it s saturation of symbolism. The raven (see Appendix R) itself is
the main symbol, representing the man s self-torture uncovered in the work.
Because the raven does not comprehend or reason it s answers, it allows the
man to interpret them however his mind allows, which gives the reader a look
at the mind s unstable mind state. The bust of Pallas that the raven perches
upon to preach its wisdom is another strong symbol. Pallas is the goddess
of wisdom, and an eerie feeling is felt as the raven sits upon it and appears
to speak nonsense. When questioned about his reasoning for using the bust
of Pallas in his poem, Poe replied because of the sonorous of the word,
Pallas, itself. Two other symbols that are not so apparent are the use of
midnight and December . Both signify darkness, an end, or a change to
something new. The chamber the narrator speaks from could be interpreted
as a symbol, as it represents loneliness. The expensive furnishings of the
chamber appear to say that the beauty and riches the man surrounds
himself in will not replace his love (Qrisse, Internet). Edgar Allan Poe
entwined all these symbols in The Raven , a deliciously twisted poem about
the death of beauty and the heartache it causes.
Poe lived a solitary, reckless life, which included the use of alcohol and drugs. Born in 1809 to parents, Eliza Poe and David Poe Jr., he was orphaned before the age of three. His father died at the age of 36 and his mother died at 24 from tuberculosis (Payge s, Internet). Poe was sent live with
foster parents, John and Fanny Allan (see Appendix J). In 1826, he entered
the University of Virginia. He was a good student, but eventually turned to
gambling to pay debts. It was during this time that Poe had his first
romantic interest which ended on a harsh note (see Appendix E) Despite
grades and ambition, Poe had to leave college because of lack of money. A
year later he enlisted in the army for two years, after which he entered
Westpoint. Then, halting his solitary life, Edgar married his 13 year old
cousin, Virginia, in 1836. On October 5, 1849, he was found unconscious and
on drugs; three days later he died, possibly of rabies (Qrisse, Internet).
(see Appendix R) Edgar Allan Poe s appearance is a suprisingly interesting
topic, one that may be addressed with some importance. Poe was apparently
an attractive, fit man (perhaps due to his earlier, short-lived military
career). He also appeared dark, drawn in, and, towards the end of his life,
sickly. Poe was a small man; records showing approximately 5 feet 8 inches
in height and 140 pounds in weight. Documentation reveals that Poe s eyes
were odd, and even a bit disturbing. Information varies whether the color
was gray hazel, blue, or violet. Whatever the color, his eyes commanded the
attention of his face. According to Mary Star in 1888, His eyes were large
and full, gray and piercing.” Maybe because of his regular drinking and his
indulgence in the nighttime hours, Poe s complexion was always pale, almost
to the point of translucence (Society, Internet). Poe s characteristic looks
are a few of the things that made him a memorable person for anyone
meeting him to remember.
Poe s lifestyle was a bit of an enigma, and it was always questioned how
he manifested such dark and morbid tales. Throughout his life he had few
friends; those he had, he didn t rely on them. Poe was an obvious alcoholic
and a rumored heavy drug user. Suprisingly, he had a well established
college career, the short time that he attended. His activities included
athletic and artistic abilities, and he was also a member of the debate club.
In his later life, he used fake identities for reasons unknown. (ex. Henri Le
Rennet). Answers to the mystery of Poe s life remain untold, only his works
survived to speak their story (Qrisse, Internet).
The Raven is by far the work for which Edgar Allan Poe is most well
known. However, by the time of his death, he had compiled a variety of
poems, short stories, and other works. Poe s first book was titled Tamerlane
and other Poems, and it was not published under his true name. In 1832, he
won $50 for Manuscript Found in a Bottle , but it was hardly enough to
support him as he waited for his other works to catch on to the public. The
short story The Murders in the Rue Morgue is considered to the first real
detective story (Qrisse, Internet). Poe had the theory that all poems should
be written short enough to be read in one sitting, so the reader will find no
poems that are long enough to fill a small book among Poe s
Internet). (Appendix P) Other famous works by Poe are included in the
following list:
The Fall of the House of Usher
The Pit and The Pendulum
The Tell-Tale Heart
To Helen
The Bells
The Black Cat
Eureka
The Masque of the Red Death (Gothic, Internet) (see Appendix T for
dates)
It is a common misconception that Poe was entirely dark and all of
his works mirrored that. Poe had a humorous side which shined in some of
his writings. He liked to use plays on words and other small, seemingly
childish things to amuse himself, if not the audience. For example, in the
short story The Devil in the Belfry , there is a small town which has an
obsession of the clock in its center. The town is named Vondervotteimittis
(spoken aloud and the reader realizes it is heard wonder what time it is ).
Not just one or two works had a lighter side to them either. The following is
a list of some of Poe s less grave works:
“Oh Tempora, Oh Mores”
“Lines on Joe Locke”
“Epigram for Wall Street”
“Why the Little Frenchman Wears His Hand in a Sling”
“Peter Pendulum: The Business Man”
“The Man that was Used Up”
“The Devil in the Belfry”
“The Spectacles”
“Some Words with a Mummy
“The Angle of the Odd”
For someone with so many famous works, it is understandable that he
should receive criticism, both good and bad, on his efforts, which were
known to be inspired by Lord Byron (Qrisse, Internet). As a general
comment, it was once said that [Poe s obsession] was the grave…
(Blackness, 101), and this surfaces throughout his writing. Not necessarily a
criticism to his works, but rather his train of thought, it was said, Poe s
fantasies are strangely materialistic. (Blackness, 104). The darkness of his
works was described by having Night, who reigns supreme over his poetry.
(Blackness, 120). In an effort to analyze The Raven , and Poe s choice for
the bird, the following was written:
Ravens, that with delight feed on carrion, seem to
be remarkable types of devils, who delight prey
upon souls of the dead…devils are spirits of the
air. The raven by its blackness represents the
prince of darkness. Sin and sorrow and death are
all in the Scripture represented by darkness or
the color black, but the Devil is the father sin, a
most foul wicked spirit, and the prince of death
and misery. (Blackness, 32)
Most of Poe’s stories have a continual motif of obsessive-compulsive
behavior (Archetypal, Internet). This may seem to be a general statement,
but upon looking at more of Poe s works, it turns out to be a dead on
observation. While Poe has been praised for his morbid thrillers, his
audience has on occasion expressed dislike for the romanticizing of the
darker side of life:
“Mr. Poe is too fond of the wild unnatural and
horrible! Why will he not permit his fine genius to
soar into purer, brighter, and happier regions?
Why will he not disenthral himself from the spells
of German enchantment and supernatural imagery?
There is room enough for exercise of the highest
powers, upon the multiform relations of human life,
without descending into the dark, mysterious and
unutterable creations of licentious fancy.
(Society, Internet)
The following was once written in a letter to Poe by Elizabeth Barrett
Browning, to whom Poe had dedicated a book: Your ‘Raven’ has produced a
sensation, a ‘fit horror,’ here in England. Some of my friends are taken by
the fear of it and some by the music. I hear of persons haunted by the
‘Nevermore,’ and one acquaintance of mine who has the misfortune of
possessing a ‘bust of Pallas’ never can bear to look at it in the twilight.” (it
must be noted that Poe borrowed the form he used for stanzas in The
Raven from her. Which brings the reader to another thought: are Poe s
works genuinely understandable enough to make them liked? R. H. Stoddard,
a journalist, commented As a poet, Poe ranks high, although most of his
poetry is unreadable. . . . The school of literature to which Poe belongs, and
of which he is certainly the master, is one that we thoroughly dislike.
(Society, Internet) Another criticism expresses the concern (neither
positive nor negative) of the apparent recurring themes in Poe s works.
Obvious repeated, sometimes overused, themes are the use of the eye, the
heart, an un-named narrator, premature burial, a vortex, and dreams
(Motifs, Internet). Probably the most accurate and non-degrading comment
on Poe that sums up his work, style, and life was made by Jules Verne when
he stated, You might call him [Poe] ‘The Leader of the Cult of the
Unusual’.” (Society Internet) Edgar Allan Poe s work receives criticisms
both good and bad for his famous works, writing style, and lifestyle, and
there are many more not mentioned here. It is his fame that draws opinions
of his creations.
Edgar Allan Poe s fame goes far beyond having a book or two
published. In South Carolina, Poe is honored by having a library named after
him, named, creatively enough, The Edgar Allan Poe Library (Qrisse,
Internet). There is a museum built in his dedication which houses a statue
built to honor Poe and his parents. The 1994 movie The Crow owes, no
doubt, tribute to The Raven s fame for the theme and also for quoting the
novel in the script. The National E. A. Poe Historic site was built in his
honor, as well as the Moses Ezekial Statue. Surfing the Internet
super-highway, one will find the Edgar Awards at Mystery Writers of
America, inspired by Poe.
The Raven is a brilliantly dark poem in which Poe discusses the
tragicness of loss and the feelings of darkness. Poe s life and lifestyle was a
series of events that inspired him to create all of his well acclaimed works
which raised both positive and negative criticisms. Poe s fame has been
honored in various ways throughout time, whether for the good or the bad.
The readers can only be certain Poe and his works will be forgotten
Nevermore .