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Edgar Allan PoeThe Philosophy of Composition
Nonfiction | Essay / Speech | Adult | Published in 1846A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Index of Terms
Deductive Reasoning
Poe tells the reader that his creative process in writing “The Raven” followed a process of analysis based on logic. Throughout the essay, Poe analyzes the options that he had when writing the poem and thinks about how to achieve the best results. He proceeds in reverse, first establishing the effect he wants to produce and methodically planning how to obtain it.
Poe tries to convince the reader that his process of analysis is mostly deductive and that the solutions he finds are necessary. For instance, he claims that from the analysis of the concept of beauty it became clear that the highest form of beauty is connected to sadness and melancholy. This analysis of the concept of beauty leads to the choice of the theme of death.
Melancholy
Poe asks which of all the tones a poet may choose is “the highest manifestation of Beauty” (547), and he concludes that it is sadness. Poe considers melancholy “the most legitimate of all the poetical tones” (547), and all elements in the poem must contribute to this effect. This includes the plot, the setting, and the characters, as well as the formal elements such as the refrain and rhythm.
Metaphor
The poem that Poe discusses narrates an encounter between a bereaved lover and a raven that monotonously repeats a single word: “nevermore.” However, the raven is also a metaphor: The bird represents the impossibility of the lover stopping mourning his dead beloved. Poe says the bird is a metaphor for “Mournful and Never-ending Remembrance” (554). The last stanza of the poem, which states that the raven is still sitting in the lover’s chamber, repeating the refrain, is consistent with a metaphorical reading of the poem.
“The Raven”
Poe’s poem narrates how, one evening during a storm, a student is trying to distract himself from the memory of Lenore, his dead beloved. He thinks he hears a knock at his door, and, as he opens it, a raven enters and perches itself on the bust of the goddess of wisdom. The student begins to ask the bird questions, at first playfully, and the bird always responds with the word “nevermore.” He asks the bird more serious questions, concerning the possibility of reuniting with Lenore in the afterlife. As expected, he receives the same response. The poem ends with the student claiming that the bird is still at his door.
Refrain
In poetry, a refrain is a verse or line that is repeated at the end of all or some stanzas. Poe explains that repetition is pleasant to a reader and helps structure a poem. Poe chose to have the same refrain at the end of every stanza, as the repeated answer to a set of questions. He decided that the refrain must be a single word with a long vowel “o” and an “r” sound and that it must be melancholy. Given these considerations, he decided that the most suitable refrain was “nevermore.”
Unity of Effect
According to Poe’s aesthetic principles, a good literary work is characterized by the unity of the effect it has on the reader. The elements of a work must contribute to a single effect. It also has implications for the length of the work. Poe argues that if the text cannot be read in one sitting, the effect is weakened. Although some prose narratives do not respect the principle of unity of effect (such as the novel Robinson Crusoe, which Poe mentions), a poem must always adhere to it, and it should be intense and brief.
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By Edgar Allan Poe
