When did Edgar Allen Poe write the poem "The Raven?" What inspired him to write it? Is there any ohter information about the poem "The Raven" worth mentioning in a presentaion? PS: i'm really sorry about iving you the wrong email address. I kind of forgot the right one, but I use Netscape and Yahoo. I'm very sorry about the inconvieniance.

-- Anonymous, June 02, 2003

Answers

Poe wrote a very tongue in cheek demytholigizing essay called "The Philosophy of Composition"(www.eapoe.org)which nonetheless contains a lot of that information, downplaying his passion to present himself more as the consummate rationalist. This double presentation(defensiveness and ridicule of popular legends about himself) shows up often in semi-humorous pieces like "A Premature Burial" or "The Sphinx" probably lest people think Poe a crazed visionary himself rather than a practiced artist. Though he liked legends and attention he tried to rein in the foolishness, downplaying a personal pssion that WAS there.

Inadvertently he may have created a trend for the humorous horror and innocent enjoyment of gothic. Though profoudnly disturbing when studied the "scary" stuff is more beautiful and congenial than such trite unrelieved tragic fare as "The Wreck of the Hesperus" by Longfellow.

-- Anonymous, June 04, 2003