On Feminine Ideal In Allan Poe's Works Of "Death Of Beauty"

Edgar Allan Poe is one of the greatest writers of American literature in the 19th century. Began as a poet before twenty, Poe gets quite famous by poems like"The Raven". As a story writer, the ability to depict the sensations of the mentally-ill individuals and their irrational minds gains Poe a widespread acclaim in the 20th century. As a critic, Poe declares that the death of a beautiful woman is the most poetical topic in the world.In"The Philosophy of Composition", Poe firstly prompts the idea of"Death of Beauty". In practice Poe revisits this topic much often in many of his tales and poems. By focusing on Poe's works of"Death of Beauty", the thesis intends to explore Poe's feminine ideal. First the thesis will pay attention to the important women figures who greatly influence Poe's life and works, and then the thesis will turn to the analysis of the characterization of female images in his"Death of Beauty"tales and poems respectively.Poe tends to idealize the divinity and fragility of women, especially in his poetry. The fair, affectionate, vulnerable and motherly tender women are the incarnation of Beauty, and through the lament over their death Poe expresses the central theme of the pursuit of Beauty.While in his tales, the depicting of the intellectually overpowering Ligeia,who is greatly different from the dedicate female figures in Poe's poetry and triumphs over death to get reunited with her bereaved lover with strong will, completes another aspect of Poe's feminine ideal.