The Philosophy of Composition by Edgar Allan Poe.
Wonderful. Well, I am obliged to love everything by Edgar Allan Poe.
So, what is it? It's an essay by Poe about poetry composition and how to go about it, and how he wrote 'The Raven'. Now, I don't know about you, but I was pulled immediately. If there's anyone that can pull me back to poetry, it's got to be Poe, doesn't it? The link
Yes, it does. So, it starts off with a tale that Dickens wrote to him, that Golovin wrote Caleb Williams backwards. Caleb Williams is a novel that circles around the main character Caleb Williams who abuses the power he possesses tyrannically and, in the end, finds himself in a web of problems. So, Golovin first wrote down the part where the protagonist goes through problems, and then, made his way to the beginning, constructing the circumstances that lead up to the finale he wrote before. This, and Poe acknowledges it, is not the best way to write literature, but, an artist cannot ignore the obvious benefits that arise from writing in this manner.
Poe, following this, went on to say that there isn't enough, if at all information on how to go about the process of poem composition. He saw this as a problem, and I can confirm, I agree. I have always struggled with poems and I hoped this will help me. Let's see what he had to say about it. And of course, he is going to talk about how he wrote one of his best poems, The Raven. If you haven't read it, go to the poem, open the essay and read them together. I did it, and I was blown away.
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The first thing he addressed was the extent or the length of the poem. He thought it was very important to determine the length of the poem. A poem, according to Poe, has to be concise enough to be read in one sitting. That is very important. But, at the same time, it also has to be something that can deploy emotions. A balance is what he needed. After detailed 'calculations', he deemed 100 lines to be the whereabouts of the perfect poem. And, his poem is a little longer at 108 lines.
The next thing he ventured to decide was the effect or impression that the poem left on the readers. Now, that's a choice, but Poe makes it seem like that's the thing he chooses is the right one. So, look out for it. He chooses beauty, which, as he mentioned, many people perceive wrongly. He describes it as the pleasure that at once is the most intense and the most elevating. He acknowledges the fact that things like truth and intellect are, although attainable through poetry, much more attainable through prose.
The tone is the next most important thing according to him. He chooses sadness, melancholy as the prominent of the poem. He thinks it is inevitable that beauty, of any kind, ends with sadness, and the sensitive souls excite to tears.
After this, he decides to make sure his artistic qualities stay even during the entire poem. He acknowledges the universal adoption of a refrain and agrees that it is indeed the best figure of speech for most aims.
The next paragraph really isn't all that important, except for one thing. The shorter the refrain that can do the task for you, the better. He decided on one word, with 'R' as the most producible consonant. He chose the word as Nevermore.
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The next paragraph is intriguing. He says that the pretext of the refrain should be of the same context. He thought of the circumstances. A creature would be perfect for this. Parrot, as we all know, can speak. And it was the obvious choice until he remembered that ravens can speak too. He thought Raven was the perfect representation of everything he needed. They represent ill-omen, very much like a crow.
The next is just ingenious. Also, this is a very good moment to clarify that I do not think it's anywhere as easy as it seems. He probably took ten times the time to write the poem than this article, which could be much more. So, the ingenious thing is the way he sets it up. He makes a girl die, and his lover asks questions in hopelessness to the Raven and the Raven replies, every time, Nevermore.
I disagree with him in some ways though. According to him, the most melancholy topic is death, which is questionable. At least debatable. But, the next claim, that death is most poetical when a loved one dies, is absolutely true. No questions.
The biggest challenge yet was to make the questions unique enough to not get boring, while also being good enough that they do not get boring. Might sound easy, but it ain't. Along with this, he had to keep increasing the level of hopelessness with each passing question. He thought of the most melancholy stanza in this situation and designated it as the last one.
"Prophet!" said I, "thing of evil! prophet still if bird or devil! By that Heaven that bends above us— by that God we both adore, Tell this soul with sorrow laden, if, within the distant Aidenn, It shall clasp a sainted maiden whom the angels name Lenore— Clasp a rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore." Quoth the Raven— "Nevermore."
He goes on about originality in the next paragraph. I will have to say I only slightly agree but here's what he meant. He believes originality should be the most important factor while versifying a tale. He then goes on to say none of the poets he has read have practiced originality. And he did. Which is a bit arrogant and much more ignorant. At least he doesn't claim to be original in terms of rhythm!
This paragraph is really interesting. I do not know if I thought about it this way, but it does seem to make sense. He says that the next consideration is the setting and his first conscience pointed towards a field or a garden, but he thought better of it and realised that the more intimate the presence, the better is the effect. He selected the chamber that housed many memories of the dead woman.
He also reasons his choices of contrast in the middle of the poem, with Plumage and marble, resolution and seriousness, among others. Also, he portrays the raven as a cold, heartless being who speaks with objectivity and authority. BUT. That's not what it actually is. I won't disclose it here, but it is very trivial.
"Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form from off my door!" Quoth the Raven "Nevermore!"
And the Raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting, On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door; And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon that is dreaming, And the lamplight o'er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor; And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor Shall be lifted — nevermore.
This is very important. We all like to determine the meaning the poet was trying to convey through the words he penned. Here's what Poe meant: In the last line of last-but-one stanza, he uses the first metaphor of the poem. It prompts the reader to look for a moral in the previous stanzas. And soon, the reader reaches the last line and understands that the poet wants us to feel hopeless and mournful and sad. Yeah, I said he wasn't a very positive chap.
Anyway, Thank you.