Representation Of Reality In Allan Poe's Speculative Fictions:A Narratological Perspective

Edgar Allan Poe is one of the most famous 19^th century American writers.Previous studies of Edgar Allan Poe's works mostly focus on his short stories and poems,discussing the famous“effect theory”put forward by him.But other than that,he is also the founder of speculative fiction.His speculative fictions are full of suspense and can attract readers.The reasoning process is not only logical but also clear,which can convince readers.This paper analyzes three of his speculative fictions from three aspects,namely characterization,speech presentation,and unreliable narration,discusses that Edgar Allan Poe's representation of reality in his speculative fictions is an important element in his composition.Allan Poe's speculative fictions not only have rich content at the story level,but also have a complex structure at the discourse level.They represent the reality by various narrative techniques.Reality is essential to speculative fictions,because reasoning is based on reality.This thesis holds that Edgar Allan Poe has achieved the representation of reality in his speculative fictions,which is one of the essential elements of the speculative fictions,and it is also the subject that the author values and realizes in the fiction.By representing reality,the author makes his fictions more convincing and more appealing to readers.