what was the impact of edgar allen poe during the 19th century? why was he important? how did he use symbolism and identity to make his works better? was he popular in the 19th century? was was he popular or why was he not popular? how did his weirdness affect his writing and the time period (19th cntury)?

-- Anonymous, October 29, 2003

Answers

Among his contemporaries(and in like circles today) Poe was "recognized" but not quite accepted in whole. Brilliant, innovative, he mainly took the popular readship by storm with popular genres and short powerful wworks and critical articles on a variety of topics. He enlivened and changed the literary world in the common magazine readership. Neither his critics nor his fan public could appreciate his complex genius or his works in depth fro some of the above reasons.

His influence and uniqueness far surpassed his lifetime popularity. A gost of creative writers and artists own much of their artisitc heritage from Poe. This includes modern symbolists since Poe made the synthesis of metaphors into real organic signs more important than mere decription, simile or allegory. The unique power of unity in his tight works is that all things work together in harmony to convey the impression or point of the story. By identity I presume you mean first person narration or double narration to lead the reader to identify with the "observer" in the story, a subtle illusion taking place few readers fail to succumb to and few understand what is actually happening or interpreted.

He was not weird but an indiviual with a deep poetic sensitivity and sense of calling,making him a most focussed, intense and unique creator in an age too often dominated by various conventions or subordination to European cultural influence(or conversely too close minded and parochial).

-- Anonymous, October 29, 2003