Edgar Allan Poe's Impact Of Romanticism

Romanticism is an intellectual, spiritual, and literary movement that begins at the start of the nineteenth century and concludes at the beginning of the twentieth century. Of the many characteristics that are associated with Romanticism, the characteristics that are most evident in literature from this period are the characteristics of individuality and imagination. The author Edgar Allen Poe exhibits these characteristics in his works “The Black Cat”, and the “The Raven”.

The Romantic Period is characterized as an artistic and intellectually stimulating literary movement. Writers of this genre and time are considered to be those who fused the elements of romance in their writings to enhance the human experience. Edgar Allan Poe, known as the father of the modern short story, epitomizes this notion in his writings. In “Annabel Lee,” and “The Oval Portrait,” Edgar Allan Poe uses romance to illustrate the essence of death and misery and to illustrate elements in which the reader can actually feel that was is happening in the story is happening to them.

Filled with a sense of dread by the sight of the house itself, the Narrator reunites with his old companion, who is suffering from a strange mental illness and whose sister, Madeline, is near to death due to a mysterious disease. The Narrator provides company to Usher while he paints and plays guitar, spending all his days inside, avoiding the sunlight and obsessing over the sentience of the non-living. When Madeline dies, Usher decides to bury her temporarily in one of his house's large vaults. A few days later, however, she emerges from her provisional tomb, killing her brother while the Narrator flees for his life. The House of Usher splits apart and collapses, wiping away the last remnants of the ancient family. Edgar’s inspiration for this story might have come from true events of the Usher House, located on Boston's Lewis Wharf. As that story goes, a sailor and the young wife of the older owner were caught and entombed in their trysting spot by her husband. When the Usher House was torn down in 1800, two bodies were found embraced in a cavity in the cellar (Neilson).

When the narrator arrives he discovers his friend has changed significantly over the years and looks sickly. He is introduced his friend’s twin who suffers from catalepsy and through a turn of events Usher convinces his friend that his sister has died and the must entomb her under the house.

Strong, emotionally evocative imagery, and the use of symbolism and setting to draw out a feeling of nostalgia in the reader. Glorification of the past. All of these are used in a similar way that they might have been used by other authors during the period and reflect the state of literature at the time.

The occurrences that happen every day affect us. The way one feels about a situation, respond to traumatic events, and personal circumstances have a profound effect on one’s life. Poe had a short yet intense life and his emotions emerged in his writing for everyone to experience. Background events, emotions and things he may not even have understood began to bleed through into his writing. His personal thoughts, feelings and past experiences flowed out onto the paper. Whether he wanted it or not, Edgar Allan Poe's background influenced his writing of stories and poems.

Romanticism Era literature significantly differs from colonial period. Being two centuries apart, these time periods differ in ideas and beliefs, which affect the poets and authors of that time, as well as their writing style. Edgar Allen Poe, a well-known poet and author of the19th century, is a great example of romanticism. His works are unique in every way, but at the same time they fit the "standard" writing of Romantic period. His stories and poems are full of fantasy, creativity, mystery and unreal events. Edgar Allen Poe is a complete opposite of Colonial author Anne Bradstreet, whose works are also recognized exemplary. Yet, Anne Bradstreet has absolutely different perspective on writing and life. Her poems are more sentimental, touching and realistic than that of Poe's.

Poets and writers who lived in America during the 1800’s lived in a time of new beginnings and a time in which they could create their own version of literature. Edgar Allen Poe did that and even more during his lifetime. He put a lot of effort into making his poems memorable to his audience and give them something to think about. During his lifetime not many people took notice of Poe’s genius, but Charles Baudelaire definitely did. Poe had a way with word that was both terrifying and exciting. There is hardly a single one of his poems or his short stories that do not keep the reader on the edge of their seat until the end. Many other writers have attempted to reach these heights and Charles was one of these to do so. He spent a great deal of his writing career mimicking Poe’s style and themes allowing his work to be forever associated with Poe’s. Inspiration is a tricky thing and can have a profound effect on someone who is trying to continue on a legacy by forming it into their own version of what the original writer was trying to achieve. Poe died very young and this effected Baudelaire along with his writings. This is not at all uncommon within the world of literature there have been so many different writers and poets who have changed the course of literary history through the brilliance of their own writings and the people they surrounded themselves with. The effect Poe had on Charles is visible throughout

“The Cat, I remember, had been hung in a garden adjacent to the house. “ Is a quote from Edgar Allen Poe’s story, The Black Cat. All of the stories/ poems he has written relate to his life in a lot of ways. Examples of such could be love, alcohol, and madness.

“I have made no money. I am as poor now as ever I was in my life,” was a quote from Edgar Allan Poe. This quote can be applied to his career but also to both of his father's David Poe and John Allen. Both men have left an scaring impact on Edgar’s life. Even though, the men have had a negative impact they have inspired many of his poems and have made him who he is which is unquestionable. Poe’s personality is dark and unhappy which has been blamed accordingly to the men in his life. The men David Poe and John Allan have impacted his life by abandonment, money, and not being loyal to him.

Edgar Allan Poe’s influence on American literature was nothing short of great; not only was he the creator of the detective story and the horror thriller, but he also influenced many great writers, among those William Faulkner and Fyodor Dostoevsky. While Poe is best known for his horror thrillers, being the creator of that particular genre, he has also fashioned two other literary genres, like the detective and the science fiction genre. Throughout his life, Poe read, reviewed, and critiqued many books for various magazines and papers. Poe did not hesitate to attack what he deemed inferior. “Is purely too imbecile to merit an extended critique,” he once wrote of a novel. Because of his readiness to attack what he believed to be unworthy,

What was Poe’s life like and how did it impact his writing? For instance some things happened in his life that made his poems sad or maybe insane or even depressed. He lost a lot of people in his life, people he really loved because of tuberculosis. He went crazy, it was because of tuberculosis. Tuberculosis was a traumatizing disease that made you cough up blood. It would kill you slowly. It made him depressed and crazy.

Edgar Allan Poe was an American gothic writer, literacy critic and editor whose work greatly impacted the world of literacy and history itself. Poe was introduced to the world in the early 19th century, his time on earth being 1809 to 1849. Throughout his life, Poe experienced tragedy that could be reflected by his gothic writing style. Regardless of his hardships, he did not fail to leave a positive mark on the world. Poe revolutionized the way American’s viewed literacy and re-birthed an unpopular genre of art.

Edgar Allan Poe is one of the most influential writers of the horror genre in American history. His horror stories have impacted numerous authors and their stories over the years. Various people have tried to copy his way of writing style, but they have failed to achieve the success he did. Even though Poe is no longer living, his impact on American literature can still be felt today.

Edgar Allen Poe was a legend throughout time. He impacted the world on so many levels.He brought about several changes in the literary style of his time period. He was one of the first writers to develop the genre of both detective fiction and horror. Stories like The Black Cat ,The Tell-Tale Heart, and The Fall of the House of Usher as well as poems like the Raven set him apart from other writers of his time.