Isolation In The Raven By Edgar Allan Poe

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Edgar Allan Poe is known as one of the most influential American writers in history. He was born on January 19, 1809 in Boston, Massachusetts. He became an orphan at a very young age and was adopted by John and Frances Allan. Poe enrolled in the University of Virginia, but he was forced to drop out after the family could not afford his education. It took him until 1845 to gain national fame for his writing. In that year he produced "The Raven," which became an American classic. Poe can be called the creator of science fiction, horror film, short story, symbolism, modern prose romance, modernism, and American literature. He created the first fictional detective story when he wrote "The Murders in the Rue Morgue." The presence of so much…show more content…
The main characters are totally and completely isolated. An example of this can be seen in the fatal quarantine in "The Masque of the Red Death." In many of his tales, his protagonists are described as being intensely alone. They reject life and love. This leads them towards a life of self-destruction and failure. The use of meaningful relationships doesn't exist in his poetry. Poe does this to show how one can receive no comfort from others when facing harshness in life. The material nature of the world becomes a dilemma. Poe's dramas focus on the limits of material and physical objects…show more content…
His stories tended to begin with a very detailed description of a world the general population can relate to. He would then transform the real world into a dream or nightmare setting. Poe believed that human consciousness is false and limited. He saw everyday living as meaningless. This was portrayed in the tales "The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket," and "The Fall of the House of Usher." The characters of Roderick Usher and Gordon Pym develop this theme. Both characters knew that desired reality is simply a dream. They desire something that is beyond the cosmos and it is unattainable during life. One can only capture such a dream through death. The constant themes of imprisonment and encirclement appear throughout Poe's writings because he was being held back from obtaining Beauty
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