times influencing the poem the raven

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how did the times in which edger allan poe lived, and his own personal likes and dislikes influence the poem 'the raven' and what ideas and values is it exploring?

-- Anonymous, October 04, 2002

Answers

Seriously, do you think even Poe could answer that? What he does say is cotained mostly in "The Philosphy of Composition" and some other references in magazine articles under the name "Outis". These essays and more can be found at www.eapoe.org. His choice of an ideal theme is important, the bird maybe accidental since the owl was already taken and his other poems show many of the same issues and characteristics and themes.His lugubrious self-mocking, hope for the ideal, wild passion swings and capacity of working himself into a state of terror and despair is something he likes to entertain in many of his works. It is typicalof the Byronic Romantic hero, letting it all out and challenging the boundaries of perception and reality.

-- Anonymous, October 08, 2002

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