On The Theme And Musical Quality Of Edgar Allan Poe's Poetry

Edgar Allan Poe is one of the greatest writers in American literary history. He was a short-story writer, fathering the detective story and starting the psychoanalytical tradition. He was also a poet, advocating short poems with regular and delicate rhyming schemes. He was, at the same time, a literary theorist, writing about the principles of composition.This thesis is to analyze the theme and musical quality of Poe's poems, focusing on the techniques Poe had employed in his poems to help to enhance his major themes of death and beauty.According to Poe the most appropriate tone for all poems is melancholy. In Poe's life there was a personal connection with "the death of a beautiful woman", which is acknowledged in his thesis The Philosophy of Composition. The impetus for composing of poems undoubtedly arose from Poe's loss of his mother and of other women he had loved. The beauty of music exert great influence on Poe's aesthetic perception. He paid more than enough attention to the musical qualities of poetry. He defined poetry as "the rhythmical creation of beauty". Poe advocated the idea of the poet as craftsman, interested in polishing and refining language. He stressed the use of language as a medium of convey pure musical and rhythmical beauty. Poe's reputation for musical verses is due to his choice of sounds and treatment of rimes and meter.This thesis introduces Poe's life, the controversial criticism of his poems and his...