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150:. In this case, Poe logically decides on "the death... of a beautiful woman" as it "is unquestionably the most poetical topic in the world, and equally is it beyond doubt that the lips best suited for such topic are those of a bereaved lover." Some commentators have taken this to imply that pure poetry can only be attained by the eradication of female beauty. Biographers and critics have often suggested that Poe's obsession with this theme stems from the repeated loss of women throughout his life, including his mother
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that elucidates a theory about how good writers write when they write well. He concludes that length, "unity of effect" and a logical method are important considerations for good writing. He also makes the assertion that "the death... of a beautiful woman" is "unquestionably the most poetical topic
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Poe dismissed the notion of artistic intuition and argued that writing is methodical and analytical, not spontaneous. He writes that no other author has yet admitted this because most writers would "positively shudder at letting the public take a peep behind the scenes at the fully matured fancies
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In the essay, Poe traces the logical progression of his creation of "The Raven" as an attempt to compose "a poem that should suit at once the popular and the critical taste." He claims that he considered every aspect of the poem. For example, he purposely set the poem on a tempestuous evening,
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wrote that "t is difficult for us to read that essay without reflecting that if Poe plotted out his poem with such calculation, he might have taken a little more pains over it: the result hardly does credit to the method." Biographer Joseph Wood Krutch described the essay as, "a rather highly
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224:, in a July 1931 interview, stated that "the finest treatise on composition, in my opinion, and the one which in any case had the greatest influence upon me was "Philosophy of Composition... I am convinced that Poe indeed wrote his poem "The Raven" in the way that he indicated."
239:, a friend and former employer of Poe, declined Poe's offer to be the first to print "The Raven". Graham said he did not like the poem but offered $ 15 as a charity. Graham made up for his poor decision by publishing "The Philosophy of Composition" in the April 1846 issue of
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The raven itself, Poe says, is meant to become symbolic by the end of the poem. As he wrote, "The reader begins now to regard the Raven as emblematical—but it is not until the very last line of the very last stanza, that the intention of making him emblematical of
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Even the term "Nevermore," he says, is based on logic following the "unity of effect." The sounds in the vowels in particular, he writes, have more meaning than the definition of the word itself. He had previously used words like "Lenore" for the same effect.
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Poe believed that all literary works should be short. He writes, " there is a distinct limit, as regards length, to all works of literary art — the limit of a single sitting " He especially emphasized this "rule" with regard to
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in order to evoke the notion of scholar, to match with the presumed student narrator poring over his "volume of forgotten lore." No aspect of the poem was an accident, he claims, but is based on total control by the author.
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response, or "effect", he wishes to create, commonly known as the "unity of effect". Once this effect has been determined, the writer should decide all other matters pertaining to the composition of the work, including
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It is apparent, however, that many French literary figures and composers believed that Poe composed "The Raven" in the manner depicted in "The
Philosophy of Composition."
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Generally, the essay introduces three of Poe's theories regarding literature. The author recounts this idealized process by which he says he wrote his most famous poem, "
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is permitted directly to be seen." This may imply an autobiographical significance to the poem, alluding to the many people in Poe's life who had died.
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believed that the "unity of impression, the totality of effect" described by Poe endowed a composition with "a very special superiority."
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The essay states Poe's conviction that a work of fiction should be written only after the author has decided how it is to end and which
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causing the raven to seek shelter. He purposefully chose a pallid bust to contrast with the dark plume of the bird. The bust was of
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Poe wrote "The
Philosophy of Composition" to explain his method in writing his poem "The Raven," seen here in an illustration by
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It is uncertain if Poe really followed the method he describes in "The
Philosophy of Composition."
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Lanford, Michael. "Ravel and 'The Raven': The
Realisation of an Inherited Aesthetic in Boléro."
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ingenious exercise in the art of rationalization than literary criticism."
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The three central elements of Poe's philosophy of composition are:
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discarded in despair at the cautious selections and rejections".
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Lucifer in
Harness: American Meter, Metaphor, and Diction
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in the world". Poe uses the composition of his own poem "
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Graham's
American Monthly Magazine of Literature and Art
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Graham's
American Monthly Magazine of Literature and Art
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Weekes, Karen. "Poe's feminine ideal," collected in
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23:"The Philosophy of Composition" first appeared in
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1361:Works originally published in Graham's Magazine
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964:The System of Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether
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747:The Unparalleled Adventure of One Hans Pfaall
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950:The Thousand-and-Second Tale of Scheherazade
341:. New York: Harper Perennial, 1991: 295–6.
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379:The Cambridge Companion to Edgar Allan Poe
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104:is superior to the novel for this reason.
281:. New York: Harper Perennial, 1991: 296.
508:– Full text of the first printing, from
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796:The Conversation of Eiros and Charmion
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202:Mournful and Never-ending Remembrance
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458:Edgar Allan Poe: A Study in Genius
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1171:Virginia Eliza Clemm Poe (wife)
506:"The Philosophy of Composition"
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16:1846 essay by Edgar Allan Poe
1291:The Loves of Edgar Allan Poe
1072:The Journal of Julius Rodman
824:A Descent into the Maelström
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1017:The Philosophy of Furniture
852:The Masque of the Red Death
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484:Poe Poe Poe Poe Poe Poe Poe
438:Poe Poe Poe Poe Poe Poe Poe
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1351:Essays in literary theory
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768:The Devil in the Belfry
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1181:David Poe Jr. (father)
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1299:The Man with a Cloak
1045:Eureka: A Prose Poem
1038:The Poetic Principle
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922:The Angel of the Odd
908:The Premature Burial
810:The Man of the Crowd
400:"From Poe to Valéry"
337:Silverman, Kenneth.
277:Silverman, Kenneth.
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873:The Tell-Tale Heart
617:The City in the Sea
232:Publication history
1234:In popular culture
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631:The Conqueror Worm
624:The Haunted Palace
357:Fussell, Edwin S.
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1326:(2022 film)
1318:(2012 film)
1310:(2004 play)
1302:(1951 film)
1294:(1942 film)
1286:(1915 film)
1278:(1909 film)
1251:Poe Toaster
1201:Poe Cottage
1083:Collections
687:Annabel Lee
253:Composition
214:T. S. Eliot
162:"The Raven"
102:short story
1340:Categories
1267:Portrayals
1217:The Stylus
1196:Poe Museum
266:References
180:Le Corbeau
140:characters
73:Kubla Khan
1315:The Raven
1283:The Raven
680:The Bells
652:The Raven
596:Al Aaraaf
589:Tamerlane
424:0018-702X
208:Reception
152:Eliza Poe
123:emotional
68:Coleridge
64:The Raven
46:The Raven
1219:magazine
1118:Politian
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527:LibriVox
247:See also
156:Virginia
144:conflict
1164:Related
740:Morella
719:Bon-Bon
659:Ulalume
645:Eulalie
257:Poe's "
182:(1875).
136:setting
1156:(1849)
1148:(1844)
1140:(1839)
1121:(1835)
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1094:(1827)
1075:(1840)
1067:(1837)
1056:Novels
1048:(1848)
1002:Essays
754:Ligeia
638:Lenore
512:, 1846
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189:Pallas
146:, and
108:Method
98:poetry
91:Length
78:satire
1244:music
1224:Death
1129:Other
697:Tales
580:Poems
132:theme
37:essay
1110:Play
488:ISBN
442:ISBN
420:ISSN
383:ISBN
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174:for
148:plot
128:tone
82:hoax
412:doi
80:or
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