remuslynch
Written on Jun 10, 2014
Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849) is the poet of the night world, of the inexplicable, the uncanny. His poems do not analyse, they do not explain: they exist with the intensity of hallucinations. In the breathtakingly seductive beauty of 'To Helen' - 'Like those Nicean barks of yore, / that gently o'er a perfumed sea...', or the claustrophobic horror of "The Raven", Poe offers haunting alternative realities, as strange - and strangely familiar - as our dreams and nightmares. Yet Poe was more than a poet of American gothic. He was translated by Baudelaire and Mallarme, becoming a key figure in French Symbolism; he was an influential critic. This edition contains all Poe's poetry and his three most important essays. With an introduction by the poet C.H. Sisson, it is an indispensable collection of the work of one of the nineteenth century's most compelling and original poets.
- ISBN10 0486290727
- ISBN13 9780486290720
- Publish Date 26 August 1996 (first published 15 October 1986)
- Publish Status Active
- Publish Country US
- Imprint Dover Publications Inc.
- Edition New edition
- Format Paperback
- Pages 64
- Language English
Reviews
clq
Written on Apr 24, 2014
I decided to finally sit down and read through it a few times slowly, and think about it properly.
And yes, it does get better with repetition, and yes, it is worth spending some time thinking about. Rather than wondering why people really like The Raven, I now really like it myself. I still don't find it exceptional, but it's definitely a thoughtful, emotional piece of writing that I think is not only worth reading, but also worth re-reading and thinking about.