I am working on a paper about the use of dreams in Poe's poetry and was wondering what help I could find from all of you people out there. I am mainly looking for uses of dreams in his poems and how they reflect upon his life. Thanks.

-- Anonymous, April 16, 2002

Answers

I would recommend Mabbot's book, an article attributed to Poe on dreams(which does seem a bit inconsistent in certain details) at www.eapoe.org. Poe makes it easy with several poems having dream in the title. These contain the key elements. First, as a child he did have significant dreams that set off the poetic muse in him for a lifetime, both philosphically and emotionally. Second, Poe was an honest poet who found himself in a noman'sland border between this world and the next. dreams offered a journey into the veil though the vision remained dark and unclear, the hope somewhat depersonalized and uncertain. (His allegiance was not uncertain though he could be weak and the night utterly devoid of his beacon star.) Third, the dream was another way of experiencing existence beyond past memories or future hope, though bitterly so it was just as ephemeral and mortal.

-- Anonymous, April 17, 2002