Edgar Allan Poe Essay, Research Paper

Emily Burchett

Seventh Period

College English III

17 March 1997

Poes’ Tales Survive

Many people have adored Edgar Allan Poes’ writings and many have hated them.

Overall Poe still appeals to a large audience today who enjoy the terror, the excitement, and the

unique writing style he influenced and provided for readers all over the world.

All around the world Poe influences in all types of writing,”For a moment I can see the

importance and the influence Poe has had on three French poets, Baudelaire, Mallarme, and

especially Paul Valery”(Thomas Stearns Eliot 206). Poes’ influence upon the world was strong

and important, introducing his own style, unique structure, and appealingness.Poe had a strong

influence upon the developement of popular fiction and detective fiction.Poe and Wilkie

Collins are held greatly responsible for developing their own type of detective fiction.Collins

developed the efficent professional policeman stlye,while Poe was famous for his brilliant and

eccentric amateur style. Poe chose to make his stories as realistic as he could providing a

fascinating and exciting plot. “Poe chooses almost like a rule places his hero in a most

extraordinary situation and most extravgant realism”(Dostoevski 61). Many authors have tried

to copy the same struture and plots of Poes?,not many have been able to succeed.

Exciting and fascinating plots are hard to compose. Poe made it look easy to write such

detailed and deep stories. “The excitement of one of Poe?s best-known poems,”To

Helen,”mounts even as the poet?s thoughts rise from the Helen he adores”(Regan 4). Just a few

of Poe?s famous and exciting tales are “The Fall of the House of Usher, The Masque of the Red

Death, and The Tell-Tale-Heart”. Such fascinating stories led to many wondering how could

Poe write exciting stories and be a sane man? Still today dabates and arguemnets are made

about Poes’ sanity while composing. These twisted and exciting stories were composed by a

man that loved to describe detail after detail, drawing the audience further and further into his

plot. Which allowed his imagination to run wild and deep and his ability as a writer to transfer

onto paper. That others might get a glimpse of Poes’ imagination and his abilities. His ability to

create different types of wrintings was beyond many. Poe had an ability that allowed him to

desribe a fictional scene so detailed and real it was hard not to believe that it really happened.

His ability allowed him to introduce to the world fictional detective stories and fictional horror

tales.

The horror tales Poe wrote were gruesome, intrigging, and appealing to a large

audience. His audiences often asked themselves, “Is this real or not?” Wondering for hours if it

was fact or fiction, finally settling that indeed it was all invented by Poes’ unbelievable

imagination. Poes’ imagination allowed him to develope terrifying stories that still appeals to a

numerous amount of readers today. His terrifying tales appeal to so many that enjoy the thrill of

horror and shock.Excitment, love, and fear or terror are closey knitted emotions.The same kind

of emotion that is a result of “fun fear”. Fun fear is an emotion that developes from a love of

fear. Fear and love are emotions easily confused for one another. “There are two types of love:

the sacred and profane kind and the spiritual and sensual”(Lawrence 112). The sensual kind of

love applys to those who enjoy the terror of Poes? stories. In Spiritual love contact is purely

nervous. Fear of the lovers are set vibrating in unison, like two instruments. The excitement,

of fear, can rise higher and higher, but carry this too far and the excitement will break and

bleed. A form of death will set in (Lawrence 112). Death in Poe’s writings appeals to many who

read Poes’ tales.

Poes’ writings are still very appealing to all types of people today. His influence on the

world has been strong and important. Especially to those who enjoy feeling the thrill of terror,

excitment, that Poes’ unique writng style has provided. Still toady, all around the world many

love to read Edgar Allan Poes’ writings.

Works Cited

Elliot,Thomas S.,Fyodor M. Dostoeusk,David H. Lawrence. The Recognition of Edgar Allan

Poe. Michigan:The University of Michigan,1966.

Poe,Edgar Allan.The Fall of the House of Usher.

—.The Tell-Tale-Heart.

—.The Masque of the Red Death.

Reagan,Robert.A Collection of Critial Essays. Englewood Cliffs,New Jersey: Prentice-Hall,

1967