Poe’s theory major statement pertaining his work is considered to be “The Poetic Principle.” He first delivered it in the 1848 in Rhodes Island when he was giving a lecture on it. This presentation was reported to have drawn an audience of two thousand people. It later took two years for the lecture to be printed on paper and where he never saws the prints as he had died the year before. In his theory, he read and briefly summerized or rather discussed a few poems by other writers. It also included several statements where he restated the purpose of rather important of this poetic credo. In his theory, Poe states that, a long poem doesn’t exist and in order a poems unity is to be preserved, it should be presented at a single gathering. Poe saw that human instinct also connected with those of the world as they took various forms. He mentions in his essay the cradle of supernatural beauty as seen resulting in music and poems.
Poe states that both lessons about Truth and Incitements of Passion can be found in a poem. In his own words, he describes a poem as,”The Rhythmical Creation of Beauty.” Where this creation brings upon the passion that addresses the heart and the Truth mentioned above addresses the mind. But the cradle point is that beauty, makes it possible to attain the desirable excitements of the soul which we can deduce as the Poetic Sentiments. He further states in his theory that, common sense in the near future will chose to decide on a piece of work of art on the basis of the effect it gives the audience than the time it takes to produce such an effect on the audience. The Poet, Poe says that, " ..He owns it in all noble thoughts--in all unworldly motives--in all holy impulses--in all chivalrous, generous, and self-sacrificing deeds.” He attributes all of this in the beauty of woman as he continues on saying that,”--in the grace of her step--in the lustre of her eye--in the melody of her voice--in her soft laughter--in her sigh--in the harmony of the rustling of her robes.” He is really convicted that in her winning affection, her burning devotion, in her gentle arms offering, in her humble and devotional bearing and the climax of it, Poe continues,”--he worships it in the faith, in the purity, in the strength, in the altogether divine majesty--of her love."
Short story; Rappaccini’s Daughter.
My choice of short stories is "Rappaccini's Daughter", a short story written by Nathaniel Hawthorne. In "Rappaccini's Daughter", Nathaniel Hawthorne brings out the existence of good and evil in humans in the relations main characters. The essay or rather theory majors on the manner which Hawthorne’s “Rappaccini’s Daughter” brings out the tension existing between the empirical world and the element of spirit. He poises the empirical world belonging Rappaccini as ,both excited for his test with humankind and the love he showed on his daughter. It made him raise questions which he never answered in his entire strive to preserve the uncommon beauty in such a world. This American author , has often been depicted as a "realist." This is so since it is shown that he assesses in his written works, the different American character.
This short story also follows the same style. Its scenario revolves Giovanni Guasconti who is the main character. He is an Italian young male student studying at the University of Padua. The writer depicts this situation as his occasion to live away. He then had to a dismal or rather okay kind of apartment. He finds one that overlooked a garden, well the garden was beautiful as he would disclose. It belonged to a scientist Giacomo Rappiccini who attended to it on a daily basis. We would later see that his daughter would also help him in doing that. Throughout this story time, Giovanni finds a soft spot in his heart and loved Beatrice Rappiccini’s daughter. It would result in his courting her on a daily basis as they spent time in the garden. Since beauty lies in the hands of the beholder, Giovanni saw ecstatic beauty in Beatrice.
The beautiful yet poisonous Beatrice,becomes the main figure in this short story while on the same note, Giovanni the neighbor takes the observer role. He would also be the active participant and interpreted the possible strange events that occurred in the neighboring garden. We can as well deduce that, it was his inability to comprehend the events that would later lead to Beatrice's death. Giovanni understands the things he saw as either bad or good. We can see how judgmental he is as his instantly judge Beatrice but he fails to examine himself particularly on the motives he had in store.
However, as the writer illustrates, he later finds out that Rappaccini is not an ordinary doctor. His garden he nurtured had no ordinary flowers, but rather it harbored the experiment on medical complications by using poisonous plants. He would later discover that Beatrice, being raised around such toxins, had been contaminated; both the breath that came out of her mouth and the touch she would give to anything were poisonous. He related to the poisonous flowers she was raised around with. Hawthorne’s representation of Rappaccini in the beginning of the story as a person who believed in the isolation desire to offer protection to his beloved daughter from the “miserable doom” (942). However she suffers by making her as a venomous body, just like the plants in the garden.
Giovanni soon realizes that Beatrice due to the time they had spent together, had an effect on his body. At the onset of the short story, Giovanni is depicted as a normal person. However, the beauty and sweetness of Beatrice attract her and leads to him being tempted. Soon it became the root of acquiring the poisonous effect and become also poisonous. We can see that his ill ventures are awakened by the experience and interaction with the Rappaccinis. He also learnt that interacting with them left no one unscathed. Just like everyone, he isn’t all that good or bad, but a mixture of both.
During the entire story, the writer creates an avenue for the audience to get the clues about Giovanni's selfish nature. He had a conversation in the beginning on how he praises the scientist works but at the same time hates him on the basis of his relationship with fellow beings. It can be seen as he stated, "We will thwart Rappaccini yet!" thought he, chuckling to himself, as he descended the stairs. "But, let us confess the truth of him, he is a wonderful man!--a wonderful man indeed! A vile empiric, however, in his practice, and therefore not to be tolerated by those who respect the good old rules of the medical profession!" (p.662).This is depicted as see in the end where Beatrice dies due to Giovanni nature. As he gave Giovanni antidote but it wasn’t as he claimed. He ill motives wee to inflict pain on the father the scientist. Giovanni unknowingly gives the antidote to his heart beat, Beatrice who instantly falls and dies.
Thesis
It can be noted that the two works of literature, they bring out their nature as authors of Dark Romanticism. They both bring out their work in a mystical and melancholic which many would want to relate to the America’s Puritan ideology or simply thought.
Edgar Allan Poe and Nathaneil Hawthorne are masters in their works and this can be seen by the kind of pieces they came up with . There is however a slight difference between on the basis of writing styles and tones they approach their subject matter with. Nathaniel uses the aspect of a lady as the major character. She inflicts emotional pull on Giovani even after he realizes that his interaction with Beatrice is also affecting him, he continues with the pursuit of finding love in her. It is seen as he becomes venomous( p.660). This can be related in the works of Poe stated above where he mentions the qualities of the woman such as the grace of her step, the luster of her eye, the melody of her voice and soft laughter attributing and attributing his abilities. In this way he shows her a woman is powerful, well her affection to be precise.
Both of the authors lived mysterious lives this can also be seen as their works were quite similar. Both used humanity as an apocalypse siege, but as much as they used the same element, they did it differently. In Poe’s approach humanity would play a somewhat submissive role as they deal with literature works. Such as in his theory, abide to the emotions brought out by the work of poet and that it led to the soul being exited. As much as Hawthorne uses the human element, he does it in a more active perspective. This can be seen as Rappaccini somehow develops the apocalypse through science and experimentation (p. 649-650).
Work Cited
Hawthorne, Nathaniel. Rappaccini's Daughter, included in Heath Anthology of American Literature; Houghton Mifflin Co., New York, 1998.
Matthew Kelly, The Apocalypse; A Brief Comparison between Edgar Allen Poe and Nathaniel Hawthorne,2012; Sep 04 (Online) Available at: (http://blogs.longwood.edu/ cleversitename/2012/09/04/the-apocalypse-a-brief-comparison-between-edgar-allen-poe- and-nathaniel-hawthorne/)
Edgar Allan Poe, 1901, The Poetic Principles J.D. Morris and Company, 1901,Print
Thomas Fasano (Ed) , Great Short Stories by Great American Writers, First Canyon Press , 2011, Print
