Edgar Allan Poe, the celebrated American writer, critic and editor, holds a prominent place among the literary circle. He is famous for his excellent short stories and poems, surrounded by an aura of anonymity and obscurity. He can rightly be termed as a Romantic who is often recognized as the forerunner of the detective fiction and science fiction. His personal life endured many ups and downs. The tremors of love and feelings find persuasive expression in most of his works. The Cask of Amontillado, The Tell- Tale Heart, The Black Cat, The Masque of the Red Death are some of his famous short stories and “Alone”, “Annabel Lee”, “The Raven” are a few of his oft- quoted poems. The poem “The Raven” is considered to be his magnum opus and he is critically acclaimed for this literary work of art. The present paper attempts to analyse the influence of his life on his works of art which means the degree to which his life gets reflected in his creativity.
Poe’s contributions as a poet, editor and critic reserve him a prominent place in the American literature. Many modern anthologies consider him to be the pioneer of modern short story. He adhered to a particular style and structure whose works supported the cry of Romanticism, “art for art sake”. When the ancient critics relied mostly on the ethical and philosophical generalizations, Poe fixated his evaluation on the particulars of style and form that contributed to a work’s success or failure. He utilized simple and brilliant language to convey his ideas.
Poe’s short story, “The Cask of Amontillado” published in the year 1846; set in an anonymous Italian city discloses the story of a man who avenges his friend who has insulted him. The secrecy and mystery of a detective fiction abounds the entire tale and it takes the readers by surprise. The writer blends in various literary devices like foreshadowing, dramatic and verbal ironies to give a spectacular effect to the entire narrative. The story reflects, at one point, Poe’s aversion for drinking alcohol. He demonstrates how the life of Fortunato gets destroyed by the use of intoxicating liquid, wine. The story takes a different view point by making the victim Fortunato whose alcoholic addiction allows the murderer to trap him. The tension is visible from the following lines: “No answer still. I thrust a torch through the remaining aperture and let it fall within. There came forth in return only a jingling of the bells. My heart grew sick; it was the dampness of the catacombs that made it so. I hastened to make an end of my labour.” (The Cask of Amontillado) The drinking and its harmful effects are indirectly portrayed through the characterization of Fortunato.
The next significant story is “The Tell- Tale Heart” published in the year 1843. The story deals with an anonymous narrator who describes the vindications behind the act of his crime. The narrator introduces his victim as having pale blue “vulture- eye”. The old man’s pale eyes urge the raconteur to kill the old man and thus get rid of his eyes for ever. The story’s darkness unveils as the murderer hides the old man’s body beneath the floorboards. The murderer gets disturbed by the heart beating sounds which he supposes to be that of the old man from under the floorboards. Here Poe mixes reality and supernatural quite convincingly. The story reveals the writer’s speculations on death and other supernatural elements associated with it. Poe deeply comprehends the mind settings of an insane man that helps him create a character with originality. The pensive mood and morbid thoughts of Poe design the entire plot.
“The Black Cat” is yet another work of Poe that is highly noted for its autobiographical elements. The death of the woman is discussed in the work which can be likened to Poe’s memories of his mother’s and young wife’s death. The narrator of the story seems to be obsessed with his wife, but turns against her when she disobeys him in the matter of the offending cat. Poe once again deals with the ill effects of alcohol addiction in the story. He makes the narrator declare alcohol as the worst enemy: “But my disease grew upon me -- for what disease is like Alcohol ! -- and at length even Pluto, who was now becoming old, and consequently somewhat peevish -- even Pluto began to experience the effects of my ill temper” (The Black Cat). Poe here refers to his own addiction to alcohol that disturbed his mental and physical equilibrium. The illogical, unreliable narrators of his short stories indicate his own pensive thinking of facts and events.
Another work that reflects his personal life elements is “The Masque of the Red Death”, the story that possesses various traits of the gothic fiction. Red Death is portrayed as a dangerous plague that can be fatal to the humanity. The protagonist Prince Prospero attempts to avoid this epidemic. The story ends with the death of the Prince after his encounter with the mysterious figure disguised as Red Death. Here also Poe uses dark humour and subtle ambience that reveals his brooding mind and personality. The plague is very similar to the fatal disease, tuberculosis. Poe has suffered very much in his life as his mother, godmother and his young wife died of consumption. The loss of these women brings irreversible mental distortions to Poe. Even though Poe suffered much during his life time, he could craft such incredible literary works before his death at his early forties. The several unlucky and gloomy events directed his attention towards alcohol and drugs.
Poe’s poem “Alone” brings out the inner conflict, loneliness and agony suffered by him. His horrid experiences of his childhood days- the abusive father and the early death of his mother- shatters him. His life under his God- Parents, John Allan and his wife, and the many unforgettable life events find expression in this beautiful poem. It can definitely be read as a reflection of his childhood days. The 22- line poem deeply describes the struggles of the little boy composed at a very young age of 20. The first four lines, “From childhood’s hour I have not been/ As others were; I have not seen/ As others saw; I could not bring/ My passions from a common spring.” (“Alone” Lines 1-4) portray the confluence of emotions in the young mind.
These works clearly depict Poe’s inseparable life from his works, both poems and short stories. He gets easily bewildered by the indispensable events of mortality. Poe uses strong psychological meditations to construct his works. His affection towards the Gothic writers such as Walpole explains his incorporation of horrific scenes in his works. His romantic trait is very much akin to the great Romantic poet, Keats, whose unseen presence can be felt in the lines of his poems. Fear always enthralled him and he failed miserably to escape from the pangs of fear. The fear and loneliness is very much associated with his loss of parents at a very young age. The addiction with alcohol happens as a result of his mental breakdown. The death of his wife even deteriorated the situations and he lost himself for the rest of his life. But Poe was very much aware of his conditions and he discussed his insanities in the most expressive way in most of his works. Though a man of nineteenth century, he seems to be relevant even today as man can still relate to his feelings. It is not wrong to include him among the modernists.
Works Cited
Poe, Edgar Allan. Edgar Allan Poe Poems. 114 Northfield Avenue, Edison, NJ 08837: Castle, 2000. Print.
Edgar Allan Poe: Short Stories. Phoenix, AZ: Engine-Uity, 1980. Print.
