Edgar Allan Poe
This paper is going to look at Poe from a psychological perspective. There seems to be few attempts to look at the psychological causes of humor in Poe's work, and how his personal life may have had an impact on his writings. Many of Poe's tales are distinguished by the author's unique grotesque ideas in addition to his superb plots. In an article titled "Poe's humor: A Psychological Analysis," by Paul Lewis, he states: "Appropriately it seems to me, that to see Poe only as an elitist whose jokes could not be grasped by a general audience is to sell him short. He does not deny this elitist side of Poe; but he holds for a broader, more universal less intellectual humor that screams out from the center of Poe's work. (532) This article provides important insight to understanding the nature of the humor and its relationship to the overwhelming horror in some of Poe's work. Lewis' believes that humor and fear have a special relationship in Poe's tales. Humor, taken to its limits, leads the reader to fear. He says, "Over and over, when humor fails, we are left with images of fear: the raven's shadow, the howling cat, the putrescence corpse, or the fallen house. (535) According to Lewis, in The Black Cat and Ligeia, h
After six months Poe apparently assembled to be dismissed from West Point for disobedience of orders. In a brief obituary the Baltimore Clipper reported that Poe had died of congestion of the brain. His fellow cadets, however, contributed to the funds for the publication of Poems: by Edgar A. Both forms, he argued, should aim at a certain unique or single effect. The setting and atmosphere gave the story a gloomy morbid feeling. The combination with humor and horror occurs differently in Hop Frog where cruelty and joking co-mingle. He praised the young Dickens and a few other contemporaries but devoted most of his attention to devastating reviews of popular contemporary authors. The setting is important to the atmosphere and organization of the story. (38) Virginia's death in January 1847 was a heavy blow, but Poe continued to write and lecture. He virtually created the detective story and perfected the psychological thriller. Found in a Bottle won a $50 prize given by the Baltimore Saturday Visitor". "This volume contained the famous To Helen and Israfel, poems that show the restraint and the calculated musical effects of language that were to characterize his poetry", says Wells. I agree that fear and humor are linked together in Poe's tales. Edgar Allan Poe was a writer who is known for giving literature and eerie and bizarre twist.
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Acceptance Essays
