1poe life and work.docx
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1poe life and work.docx
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1poelifeandwork
EdgarAllanPoe
GeneralAssessment
Poe'sstatureasamajorfigureinworldliteratureisprimarilybasedonhisingeniousandprofoundshortstories,poems,andcriticaltheories,whichestablishedahighlyinfluentialrationalefortheshortforminbothpoetryandfiction.Regardedinliteraryhistoriesandhandbooksasthearchitectofthemodernshortstory,Poewasalsotheprincipalforerunnerofthe"artforart'ssake"movementinnineteenth-centuryEuropeanliterature.Whereasearliercriticspredominantlyconcernedthemselveswithmoralorideologicalgeneralities,Poefocusedhiscriticismonthespecificsofstyleandconstructionthatcontributedtoawork'seffectivenessorfailure[thatis,fromideologicalcriticismtoformalism].Inhisownwork,hedemonstratedabrilliantcommandoflanguageandtechniqueaswellasaninspiredandoriginalimagination.Poe'spoetryandshortstoriesgreatlyinfluencedtheFrenchSymbolistsofthelatenineteenthcentury,whointurnalteredthedirectionofmodernliterature.ItisthisphilosophicalandartistictransactionthataccountsformuchofPoe'simportanceinliteraryhistory.
LifeandWork
Poe'sfatherandmotherwereprofessionalactorswhoatthetimeofhisbirthweremembersofarepertorycompanyinBoston.BeforePoewasthreeyearsoldbothofhisparentsdied,andhewasraisedinthehomeofJohnAllan,aprosperousexporterfromRichmond,Virginia,whoneverlegallyadoptedhisfosterson.Asaboy,Poeattendedthebestschoolsavailable,andwasadmittedtotheUniversityofVirginiaatCharlottesvillein1825.WhiletherehedistinguishedhimselfacademicallybutwasforcedtoleaveafterlessthanayearbecauseofbaddebtsandinadequatefinancialsupportfromAllan.Poe'srelationshipwithAllandisintegrateduponhisreturntoRichmondin1827,andsoonafterPoeleftforBoston,whereheenlistedinthearmyandalsopublishedhisfirstpoetrycollection,Tamerlane,andOtherPoems.Thevolumewentunnoticedbyreadersandreviewers,andasecondcollection,AlAaraaf,Tamerlane,andMinorPoems,receivedonlyslightlymoreattentionwhenitappearedin1829.ThatsameyearPoewashonorablydischargedfromthearmy,havingattainedtherankofregimentalsergeantmajor,andwasthenadmittedtotheUnitedStatesMilitaryAcademyatWestPoint.However,becauseAllanwouldneitherprovidehisfostersonwithsufficientfundstomaintainhimselfasacadetnorgivetheconsentnecessarytoresignfromtheAcademy,Poegainedadismissalbyignoringhisdutiesandviolatingregulations.HesubsequentlywenttoNewYorkCity,wherePoems,histhirdcollectionofverse,waspublishedin1831,andthentoBaltimore,wherehelivedatthehomeofhisaunt,Mrs.MariaClemm.
OverthenextfewyearsPoe'sfirstshortstoriesappearedinthePhiladelphiaSaturdayCourierandhis"MS.FoundinaBottle"wonacashprizeforbeststoryintheBaltimoreSaturdayVisitor.Nevertheless,Poewasstillnotearningenoughtoliveindependently,nordidAllan'sdeathin1834providehimwithalegacy.Thefollowingyear,however,hisfinancialproblemsweretemporarilyalleviatedwhenheacceptedaneditorshipatTheSouthernLiteraryMessengerinRichmond,bringingwithhimhisauntandhistwelve-year-oldcousinVirginia,whomhemarriedin1836.TheSouthernLiteraryMessengerwasthefirstofseveraljournalsPoewoulddirectoverthenexttenyearsandthroughwhichherosetoprominenceasaleadingmanoflettersinAmerica.Poemadehimselfknownnotonlyasasuperlativeauthorofpoetryandfiction,butalsoasaliterarycriticwhoselevelofimaginationandinsighthadhithertobeenunapproachedinAmericanliterature.WhilePoe'swritingsgainedattentioninthelate1830sandearly1840s,theprofitsfromhisworkremainedmeager,andhesupportedhimselfbyeditingBurton'sGentleman'sMagazineandGraham'sMagazineinPhiladelphiaandtheBroadwayJournalinNewYorkCity.Afterhiswife'sdeathfromtuberculosisin1847,Poebecameinvolvedinanumberofromanticaffairs.ItwaswhilehepreparedforhissecondmarriagethatPoe,forreasonsunknown,arrivedinBaltimoreinlateSeptemberof1849.OnOctober3,hewasdiscoveredinastateofsemi-consciousness;hediedfourdayslaterwithoutregainingthenecessaryluciditytoexplainwhathadhappenedduringthelastdaysofhislife.
ContributiontoWorldLiterature
*literarytheory--aestheticism
Poe'smostconspicuouscontributiontoworldliteraturederivesfromtheanalyticalmethodhepracticedbothasacreativeauthorandasacriticoftheworksofhiscontemporaries.Hisself-declaredintentionwastoformulatestrictlyartisticidealsinamilieuthathethoughtoverlyconcernedwiththeutilitarianvalueofliterature,atendencyhetermedthe"heresyoftheDidactic."WhilePoe'spositionincludesthechiefrequisitesofpureaestheticism,hisemphasisonliteraryformalismwasdirectlylinkedtohisphilosophicalideals:
throughthecalculateduseoflanguageonemayexpress,thoughalwaysimperfectly,avisionoftruthandtheessentialconditionofhumanexistence.Poe'stheoryofliterarycreationisnotedfortwocentralpoints:
first,aworkmustcreateaunityofeffectonthereadertobeconsideredsuccessful;second,theproductionofthissingleeffectshouldnotbelefttothehazardsofaccidentorinspiration,butshouldtotheminutestdetailofstyleandsubjectbetheresultofrationaldeliberationonthepartoftheauthor.Inpoetry,thissingleeffectmustarousethereader'ssenseofbeauty,anidealthatPoecloselyassociatedwithsadness,strangeness,andloss;inprose,theeffectshouldbeonerevelatoryofsometruth,asin"talesofratiocination"orworksevoking"terror,orpassion,orhorror."
FeaturesofhisShortStories
*psychologicalintensity
*symbolic,almostallegoricalmethod
*forerunnerofsciencefiction,gothicandthedetectivestory
Asidefromacommontheoreticalbasis,thereisapsychologicalintensitythatischaracteristicofPoe'swritings,especiallythetalesofhorrorthatcomprisehisbestandbest-knownworks.Thesestories--whichinclude"TheBlackCat,""TheCaskofAmontillado,"and"TheTell-TaleHeart"--areoftentoldbyafirst-personnarrator,andthroughthisvoicePoeprobestheworkingsofacharacter'spsyche.ThistechniqueforeshadowsthepsychologicalexplorationsofFyodorDostoyevskyandtheschoolofpsychologicalrealism.InhisGothictales,Poealsoemployedanessentiallysymbolic,almostallegoricalmethodwhichgivessuchworksas"TheFalloftheHouseofUsher,""TheMasqueoftheRedDeath,"and"Ligeia"anenigmaticqualitythataccountsfortheirenduringinterestandalsolinksthemwiththesymbolicalworksofNathanielHawthorneandHermanMelville.TheinfluenceofPoe'stalesmaybeseenintheworkoflaterwriters,includingAmbroseBierceandH.P.Lovecraft,whobelongtoadistincttraditionofhorrorliteratureinitiatedbyPoe.Inadditiontohisachievementascreatorofthemodernhorrortale,Poeisalsocreditedwithparentingtwootherpopulargenres:
sciencefictionandthedetectivestory.Insuchworksas"TheUnparalleledAdventureofHansPfaall"and"VonKempelenandHisDiscovery,"Poetookadvantageofthefascinationforscienceandtechnologythatemergedintheearlynineteenthcenturytoproducespeculativeandfantasticnarrativeswhichanticipateatypeofliteraturethatdidnotbecomewidelypracticeduntilthetwentiethcentury.Similarly,Poe'sthreetalesofratiocination--"TheMurdersintheRueMorgue,""ThePurloinedLetter,"and"TheMysteryofMarieRoget"--arerecognizedasthemodelswhichestablishedthemajorcharactersandliteraryconventionsofdetectivefiction,specificallytheamateursleuthwhosolvesacrimethathasconfoundedtheauthoritiesandwhosefeatsofdeductivereasoningaredocumentedbyanadmiringassociate.JustasPoeinfluencedmanysucceedingauthorsandisregardedasanancestorofsuchmajorliterarymovementsasSymbolismandSurrealism,hewasalsoinfluencedbyearlierliteraryfiguresandmovements.Inhisuseofthedemonicandthegrotesque,PoeevidencedtheimpactofthestoriesofE.T.A.HoffmanandtheGothicnovelsofAnnRadcliffe,whilethedespairandmelancholyinmuchofhiswritingreflectsanaffinitywiththeRomanticmovementoftheearlynineteenthcentury.ItwasPoe'sparticulargeniusthatinhisworkhegaveconsummateartisticformbothtohispersonalobsessionsandthoseofpreviousliterarygenerations,atthesametimecreatingnewformswhichprovidedameansofexpressionforfutureartists.
Poetry
WhilePoeismostoftenrememberedforhisshortfiction,hisfirstloveasawriterwaspoetry,whichhebeganwritingduringhisadolescence.HisearlyversereflectstheinfluenceofsuchEnglishromanticsasLordByron,JohnKeats,andPercyByssheShelley,yetforeshadowshislaterpoetrywhichdemonstratesasubjectiveoutlookandsurreal,mysticvision."Tamerlane"and"AlAaraaf"exemplifyPoe'sevolutionfromtheportrayalofByronicheroestothedepictionofjourneyswithinhisownimaginationandsubconscious.Theformerpiece,reminiscentofByron's"ChildeHarold'sPilgrimage,"recountsthelifeandadventuresofafourteenth-centuryMongolconqueror;thelatterpoemportraysadreamworldwhereneithergoodnorevilpermanentlyresideandwhereabsolutebeautycanbedirectlydiscerned.Inotherpoems--"ToHelen,""Lenore,"and"TheRaven"inparticular--Poeinvestigatesthelossofidealbeautyandthedifficultyinregainingit.Thesepiecesareusuallynarratedbyayoungmanwholamentstheuntimelydeathofhisbeloved."ToHelen"isathreestanzalyricthathasbeencalledoneofthemostbeautifullovepoemsinthe
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