Message 1718
Re: Poet of the Month
telescope07
10/05/1999 09:15 am EDT

I read Edgar Allan Poe which books was translated. [Which included:] "The black cat," "A descent into the Maelstrom," "The fall of the House of Usher," "The Gold Bug," "Murders in the Rue Morgue." These stories made me tingled with excitement. I didn't know he was also poet so far.

Message 1719
poe- america's greatest writer
romusthepoet
10/05/1999 01:24 pm EDT

edgar allan poe has to be considered as the best poet america has ever produced. when i was in the elementary school i dug poe. not only did i dig him then, i was clear and frightened. he was the very first writer who called my attention to the way he wrote, such as the alliteration in "the bells" or his usage of pace in "then tell tale heart," where he controlled times by varying the length of his sentences and his ommitance of sentences that used comma or his inculcation of them as a slowing tool. it is common for critics to say that poe was simple, elememtary, and not very sophisticated. i say that such charges speak to his genuis. he is the only american writer who spans time in the ears of children. there is no other 19th century writer who is so readily read and understood. and it is not like his language is less than others. but he speaks in rhythm, and it is that cadence that speaks to young readers. when i began to read poe i did not understand all the words, but i had an uncommon clarity about his lit. the pieces did many things beyond the story. he is truly one of the most rythmic writers ever. by the time i was 10 i knew most of his poems by heart and he continues to influence me to this day. it is good that we celebrate him and engage in critical discussion regarding his body of work. his academic value is incalculable. he is the gateway for many kids into lit. imagine, us little black kids in pomona from the "hood" coming to class in the 4th grade eager to read the tell tale heart or the raven. enuf said.

romus

Message 1733
What Poe Carried All His Life!
AngelPie_Mouse
10/07/1999 04:38 am EDT

What Poe Carried With Him All His Life

If you read the biography that Poetry_Gal and I put together, you know that Poe had a somewhat privileged life as a child despite being orphaned. A foster child in the early 19th century was very near on parr with being adopted. And John Allan, Poe's benefactor, never stinted in allowing his wife to lavish material and overly doting affection on the boy even when his own business was failing. However, it is also true that he was loudly critical of the Edgar's seeming lack of gratitude. That he several times expressed a belief that Poe's parentage predispositioned him to failure (actors were considered the dregs of society). He also openly subscribed to the notion that Edgar's younger sister, who lived with a nearby family, friends of the Allans, was illegitimate. Further, he may have attempted to foster in Edgar a belief that his father's family, who had custody of his elder brother David, Jr., did not want him or his sister in order to illicit the gratitude he felt he deserved although the court records and correspondence show that this was patently untrue. That is: the Poes several times attempted to gain custody of Edgar and his sister Rosalee.

What we see, then, in his development, may be a heaping of guilt and anxiety to perform which would have undercut and undermined any success and sense of self-worth. Such expressions constitute verbal abuse and would certainly cause the boy to feel isolated, alone, and perhaps, unworthy of love. These feelings would, in turn, certainly contribute to various forms of self-abuse such as gambling and substance abuse (alcoholism).

The poem below was written in 1830, probably during a period of reconciliation with his foster father who allowed him to return to the Richmond, Virginia mansion while awaiting entrance to West Point. After three years in the army and having attained the highest rank possible as an enlisted man, Edgar began to feel himself wasted and bitterly complained to John Allan for assistance. His foster father responded by purchasing Edgar's release and using every bit of influence he had to obtain the prestigous appointment to the military academy. Edgar Allan Poe was then twenty-one.

What is this "mystery which binds me still," this "demon in my view?" Does it "bind" him to stillness, to an inability to act or "still" meaning "even to this day?" I pose these questions to you for answer.

By the way, you can tell this poem is very much one of his earlier works from the style of the piece, the way he wraps around for rhyme. Poe greatly admired Byron and it shows.

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Websites Featuring Edgar Allan Poe

Message 1707
Read More About Edgar Allan Poe
AngelPie_Mouse (na/F/Los Angeles, CA, USA) 10/03/1999 03:41 am EDT

The following URLs come from the listing of FAMILIAR AND FAVORITE POETS on our own website (http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Bistro/2298). We invite you to check them out and read more about Edgar Allan Poe (also, please let us know if you have any difficulties with these sites).

• Brad's Edgar Allan Poe Page
  Poems and stories of Edgar Allan Poe. [http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Corridor/9603/poe.html]
• CyberTour: Edgar Allen Poe
  Maintained by the reference librarians at Dauphin County Library System. [http://dcls.org/x/archives/poe.html]
• Dream within a Dream
  Musical theater tribute to Poe. In English and Italian. [http://www.multipromo.com/poe/poe1.htm]
• Edgar Allan Poe
  [http://www.island-of-freedom.com/POE.HTM]
• Edgar Allan Poe - Selected Works
  Full on-line text. [http://www.pambytes.com/poe/poe.html]
• Edgar Allan Poe
  [http://www.cais.com/webweave/poe/poe.htm]
• Edgar Allan Poe
  Students from the University of Texas interpret various aspects of Edgar Allan Poe's 'The Fall of the House of Usher'. [http://www.cwrl.utexas.edu/~mmaynard/Poe/poe.html]
• Edgar Allan Poe's Literary Neighborhood
  A historical look at Graham's Magazine and Godey's Ladies' Book, two magazines with which Poe was associated. [http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Ithaca/5485/]
• Frazuh's Edgar Allan Poe Collection
  A growing collection of some of Edgar Allan Poe's greatest works. Choose a story and read while listening to a suitable selection of songs. [http://www.angelfire.com/ga/frazuh/poe.html]
• Greg's Edgar Allen Poe Page
  Tales and poetry from the master. [http://www.clinton.net/~ozzy]
• House of Usher
  [http://www.comnet.ca/~forrest/]
• Incubus
  Poems of Poe, and personal poems. [http://www.geocities.com/Paris/LeftBank/1554/]
• Jesse's Edgar Allan Poe Page
  Contains the text of selected poems. [http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Academy/1773/poe.html]
• Literary Works- Edgar Allan Poe
  Selected stories. [http://www.literature.org/Works/Edgar-Allan-Poe/]
• Payge's Poe Page
  Includes a selective biography and links. [http://www.geocities.com/EnchantedForest/Dell/3627]
• Poe
  A musical based on the life of E. A. Poe. [http://www.amherst.edu/~jraarons/poe/]
• Poe Decoder
  Criticism, summaries, and explanations of the work of Edgar Allan Poe. [http://www.poedecoder.com/]
• Poe-Apalooza
  Offers texts of The Raven, The Bells, and more. [http://members.aol.com/mikecohen/poe.html]
• Poems of Edgar Allan Poe
  [http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Corridor/4220/poe.html]
• Precisely Poe
  Designed to give accurate information about the life and writings of Edgar Allan Poe. [http://www.poedecoder.com/PreciselyPoe/]
• Qrisse's Edgar Allan Poe Pages
  Biography, works, links, and more. [http://www.poedecoder.com/Qrisse]
• Seth Gregory's Edgar Allan Poe Page
  [http://www.geocities.com/Athens/7884/index.html]
• Unofficial Poe Page
  [http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Pines/1167/]

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