The authors featured in our exhibit American Voices represent the evolution and flourishing of American writing. Writers of the 1600s and 1700s borrowed forms and themes from Europe, applying them to New World settings and issues. Then, over the course of the 1800s, a new, democratic style emerged, rooted in the way Americans talked and thought. Previously underrepresented voices began to be heard, culminating with an explosion of perspectives in the modern era. Taken together, this rich literary heritage reflects America in all of its complexity: its energy, hope, conflict, disillusionment, and creativity.
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
Edgar Allan Poe
1809—1849
Edgar Allan Poe had enormous impact on literature—in the U.S. and around the world. Every modern writer of short stories, detective fiction, science fiction, or horror is indebted to Poe, who strongly influenced or even invented these genres.
Poe’s life was difficult, marked by personal loss and professional disappointment. He worked as an editor, since he was paid little for his writing. In fact, his work was mostly disparaged during his lifetime, in part because it was so advanced for its time. Whether poetry, fiction, or criticism, it was courageously new and amazingly modern.
Poe was a visionary literary critic, the first to advocate “art for art’s sake”—that is, rejecting the notion that writing needs to serve and educational or moral purpose.
His essay, “The Philosophy of Composition” (1846), meditates on successful writing, using as an example of his process for crafting “The Raven.” His advice is to carefully consider the overall effect of the piece as a first step, and then to write while “keeping originality always in view.” He also recommends keeping the piece short, so as not to push readers beyond “the limits of a single sitting.”
Learn even more about Poe’s life, writing, and enduring legacy on our podcast Nation of Writers. In this episode, we are joined by two Poe scholars: Enrica Jang, Director of Poe Baltimore; and Chris Semtner, Curator of The Poe Museum. Come for the scholarly analysis of Poe’s work, but stay for their theories on Poe’s mysterious death…
And then, get an even more nuanced assessment of Poe’s life and writing on this episode of AWM Author Talks with Scott Peeples. The author and historian discusses his book The Man of the Crowd: Edgar Allan Poe and the City. Learn how Poe’s urban mysteries and claustrophobic tales of troubled minds and abused bodies reflect his experiences living in American cities.
Select Works by Edgar Allan Poe
