Poe's Poetic Principle - Three Poems On The Death Of A Beautiful Woman (Ep 21-34)

Redfield Arts Audio

Poe's Poetic Principle - Three Poems On The Death Of A Beautiful Woman Find more great audio at www.RedfieldArtsAudio.com ______________ In “The Philosophy of Composition" , an 1846 essay written by Edgar Allan Poe , he gives his theory about how good writers write, when they write well. He concludes that length, "unity of effect" and a logical method are important considerations for good writing. He also states that "the death... of a beautiful woman is unquestionably the most poetical topic in the world". Ulalume is a poem written by Poe in 1847. Much like Poe's poems The Raven and Annabel Lee, Ulalume focuses on the narrator's loss of his beloved due to her death. Poe originally wrote the poem as an elocution piece and, as such, the poem is known for its focus on sound. It makes many allusions, especially to mythology. The three central elements of Poe's philosophy of composition are: Length. Poe believed that all literary works should be short. They should be read in a single sitting. Method. Poe dismissed the notion of artistic intuition and argued that writing is methodical and analytical, not spontaneous. Unity of effect. The essay states Poe's conviction that a work of fiction should be written only after the author has decided how it is to end and which emotional response, or "effect", he wishes to create, commonly known as the "unity of effect". In this essay, Poe logically decides on "the death... of a beautiful woman" as it "is unquestionably the most poetical topic in the world, and equally is it beyond doubt that the lips best suited for such topic are those of a bereaved lover." Biographers and critics have suggested that Poe's obsession with this theme stems from the repeated loss of women throughout his life, including his mother Eliza Poe, Jane Stanard, his foster mother Frances Allan and, later, his wife Virginia. In the essay, Poe traces the logical progression of his creation of "The Raven" as an attempt to compose "a poem that should suit at once the popular and the critical taste." Even the term "Nevermore," he says, is based on logic following the "unity of effect." The sounds in the vowels in particular, he writes, have more meaning than the definition of the word itself. He had previously used words like "Lenore" for the same effect. The Raven itself, Poe says, is meant to symbolize Mournful and Never-ending Remembrance. This may imply an autobiographical significance to the poem, alluding to the many people in Poe's life who had died.