| Edgar Allan Poe is an important American novelist, poet and critic in the nineteenth-century. His large number of poems and short stories has been widely read and spread, especially his Gothic short story with its mystery and horror. But these works are not mere popular readings; on the contrary, they have been aroused more and more researchers'interest. Skilled at mobilizing the various elements in the fiction, using a variety of creative device, Poe is a master hand at arranging events and creating a strong artistic effect. One of the most sophisticated ways is his employment of original symbols. Poe's symbol is everywhere and the symbol not only stimulates readers to interpret his stories creatively, but at the same time adds unlimited vitality to his writing, which also makes Allan Poe distinguished from others.From the perspective of symbolism, this paper attempts to analyze Allan Poe's short stories in three aspects: the symbolic meaning of the setting, the symbolic characters and other types of symbolic images. First, the thesis introduces Allan Poe and his literary achievements. The first chapter focuses on the critical views on Edgar Allan Poe and his writings. The second chapter aims at studying one of Poe's distinctive writing devices: symbolism and its function. Symbols as concrete things are varied and colorful. In this chapter I will analyze symbolism and symbol as literary terms, and offer a brief introduction to some basic concepts and the evolvement of symbolism. I will also attempt to approach Poe's thoughts on advocating the effect theory and the notion of"art for the sake of art". The third chapter explores the symbolic images in Edgar Allan Poe's gothic short stories and the meaningful implications they embody. By creating these unique symbols, the writer vividly conveys his moods and feelings. This chapter concentrates on studying the symbols in details. Finally, in the conclusion part of this paper, I emphasize again that as a master of symbolism, Allan Poe has given his works a lasting life and the multiple levels of meaning of his fiction has also given much room for interpretation. |
