Edgar Allan Poe

Edgar Allan Poe （ ） an American poet, short-story writer, editor and literary critic, and is considered part of the American Romantic Movement. Best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre, Poe was one of the earliest American practitioners of the short story and is considered the inventor of the detective-fiction genre. He is further credited with contributing to the emerging genre of science fiction. He was the first well-known American writer to try to earn a living through writing alone, resulting in a financially difficult life and career.

Edgar Allan Poe （ ） LifeSignificanceWorks Evaluation and conclusion

Life He lived a short and tragic life. He lived a short and tragic life. (1) His childhood was a miserable one. He lost both of his parents when he was very young and then he was adopted by a wealthy merchant, John Allan. Poe’s relation with the Allans was unhappy. (2) He entered University of Virginia and then West Point but did not finish. (3) He worked as editor and writer most of his life and he was always poor. (4) At 27 he married his thirteen-year-old cousin, whose death in 1847 left him inconsolable.

Significance father of modern short story father of detective story father of psychoanalytic criticism

Works List of his works Achievements Poetry Poetry Short Stories Short Stories Features of his works Conclusion

List of his works Tales of the Grotesque and the Arabesque 《奇异怪诞故事集》 “MS. Found in a Bottle” 《瓶子里发现的手稿》 “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” 《毛格街杀人案》 “The Fall of the House of Usher” 《厄舍古屋的倒塌》 “The Masque of the Red Death” 《红色死亡的化妆舞会》 “The Cask of Amontillado” 《一桶酒的故事》 The Raven 《乌鸦》 Israfel 《伊斯拉菲尔》 Annabel Lee 《安娜贝尔 李》 To Helen 《致海伦》 The Poetic Principle 《诗歌原理》 The Philosophy of Composition 《创作哲学》

Achievements He wrote all kinds of literary productions. Among all his works, his poems and short stories are more famous. He wrote all kinds of literary productions. Among all his works, his poems and short stories are more famous. (1) Poems A. Theory A. Theory Poems should be short, concise and readable at one sitting; The aim of poem writing is beauty; the most beautiful thing described by a poem is the death of a beautiful woman; the desirable tone of a poem is melancholy; He opposed didactic poems; He stressed the form of poem, especially the beautiful and neat rhyme. His poetry theory is not fair at all time. For example, according to him, Paradise Lost is not a good poem. His poetry theory is not fair at all time. For example, according to him, Paradise Lost is not a good poem. B. Famous poems: “The Raven”, “Annabel Lee”, “To Helen” etc. B. Famous poems: “The Raven”, “Annabel Lee”, “To Helen” etc. C. All his poems were written according to his poetry theory and his poems have strong dreamy color. C. All his poems were written according to his poetry theory and his poems have strong dreamy color.

Achievements (2) Short Story A. Theory B. Sample: “The Fall of the House of Usher” (P143.)

Features of his works a. Gothic elements b. deep analysis of human psychology (He noticed subconscious of human mind nearly one hundred year before Freud. ) (He was also the first American author who took neurotic characters as main characters in his stories.) c. precursor of detective stories (e.g. “The Murders in the Rue Morgue”) and science stories

Evaluation Poe remained the most controversial and most misunderstood literary figure in the history of American literature. Emerson dismissed him in three words “the jingle man” ( 打油诗人 ) ， Mark Twain declared his prose to be unreadable. And Whitman was the only famous literary figure present at the Poe Memorial Ceremony in Today, Poe’s particular power has ensured his position among the greatest writers of the world.

Conclusion style: ordinary, traditional language: mannerism a controversial figure in American literary history (Poe was criticized by several famous American writers, such as Emerson, Henry James and Mark Twain. However, his works was welcomed in Europe, especially in France.) great influence on aesthetism, William Faulkner, Baudelaire （法国著名诗人波德莱尔，有著名诗 集《恶之花》）

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