FROM PLATO TO COLERIDGE: THE INFLUENCE OF THE PLATONIC TRADITION ON POE'S CRITICAL ESSAYS, TALES, AND POEM

Scope of Study. This study examines closely the influence of Platonism on Poe and explores the pervasiveness of Platonic conventions in the critical as well as creative writings of Poe from two perspectives: thematic and structural. Chapter II presents the major Platonist writers whom or whose works Poe mentions, cites, or alludes to. Chapter III analyzes the extent of Poe's interest in the Platonic spirit and method of inquiry through his defense of Platonism against Aristotle and thinkers whose ideas and methods Poe associates with Aristotle. Chapter IV centers on Poe's debt to the Platonic tradition for his ideas about the universe and analyzes how Poe incorporates the theories of Platonic astronomers, like Kepler, for critical and creative purposes. Chapter V deals with his borrowing of the Platonic treatment of love, and Chapter VI investigates his use of the Platonic icon of the metaphorical circle. The conclusion of the study is that Poe assimilates many of Plato's ideas and incorporates material from the writings of Plato's followers and admirers. However, Poe shows a distinct note of originality in his handling of Platonic icons and conventions by deviating at times from the main current of Platonism and mingling Platonic materials with Gothic elements.