Poe
Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849) was an American original-a luminous literary theorist, an erratic genius, and an analyst par excellence of human obsession and compulsion. The scope of his literary achievements and the dramatic character of Poe's life have drawn readers and critics to him in droves.\ And yet, upon his death, one obituary penned by a literary enemy in the New York Daily Tribune cascaded into a lasting stain on Poe's character, leaving a historic misunderstanding. Many remember Poe...
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A biography revealing as never before Poe's southern gentility and his vast influence on literature and letters Library Journal Poet William Carlos Williams once remarked that "American literature is anchored in Poe." In this splendid critical biography, critic Hutchisson (English, The Citadel) demonstrates just how deeply indebted American letters remains to Edgar Allan Poe's craft and style. He chronicles Poe's childhood difficulties in Richmond, VA; his short-lived careers at the University of Virginia and West Point and in the army; and his development as a writer. While Poe is best remembered for his Gothic, often claustrophobic, tales of physical and psychological terror-e.g., "The Fall of the House of Usher," "The Cask of Amontillado," and "The Tell-Tale Heart"-Hutchisson argues that Poe really made his mark on American literature as a literary journalist and critic and that his work as a book reviewer helped hone the aesthetic principles he developed at length in "The Philosophy of Composition" and "The Poetic Principle." Hutchisson performs brilliant close readings of Poe's work, suggesting, e.g., that William Wilson can be read as a version of early American spiritual autobiographies like those by John Winthrop, Edward Taylor, and Jonathan Edwards. Though the contours of Poe's life are familiar, Hutchisson provides a fresh reading of his literary contributions that will not soon be surpassed. Highly recommended for all libraries.-Henry L. Carrigan Jr., Lancaster, PA Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.
AcknowledgmentsxiIntroductionxiiiChapter 1Childhood: Boston, Richmond, England [1809-1825]3Chapter 2The Byronic Youth: University, the Army, and West Point [1826-1830]16Chapter 3Baltimore: Early Tales and Satires [1831-1834]31Chapter 4Return to Richmond: Marriage, the Southern Literary Messenger, and The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym [1835-1837]46Chapter 5Philadelphia: Burton's Gentleman's Magazine and the Great Tales [1838-1840]80Chapter 6Graham's Magazine, "The Penn," and the Red Death [1841-1843]108Chapter 7New York: Triumphs and Troubles-"The Raven" and the Longfellow War [1844-1845]149Chapter 8Quarrels, Loves, and Losses [1846-1848]189Chapter 9The Journey and the Lighthouse [1849]233Epilogue251Chronology258Notes261Index279
\ Library JournalPoet William Carlos Williams once remarked that "American literature is anchored in Poe." In this splendid critical biography, critic Hutchisson (English, The Citadel) demonstrates just how deeply indebted American letters remains to Edgar Allan Poe's craft and style. He chronicles Poe's childhood difficulties in Richmond, VA; his short-lived careers at the University of Virginia and West Point and in the army; and his development as a writer. While Poe is best remembered for his Gothic, often claustrophobic, tales of physical and psychological terror-e.g., "The Fall of the House of Usher," "The Cask of Amontillado," and "The Tell-Tale Heart"-Hutchisson argues that Poe really made his mark on American literature as a literary journalist and critic and that his work as a book reviewer helped hone the aesthetic principles he developed at length in "The Philosophy of Composition" and "The Poetic Principle." Hutchisson performs brilliant close readings of Poe's work, suggesting, e.g., that William Wilson can be read as a version of early American spiritual autobiographies like those by John Winthrop, Edward Taylor, and Jonathan Edwards. Though the contours of Poe's life are familiar, Hutchisson provides a fresh reading of his literary contributions that will not soon be surpassed. Highly recommended for all libraries.-Henry L. Carrigan Jr., Lancaster, PA Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.\ \
