Volume 5
Miscellaneous prose pieces and the comprehensive collection of Poe's poetry organized by period.
37 argumentative units
- 01Introduction to Poe's life and legacy
Poe is presented as the most interesting and original figure in American letters, born in poverty and dying under painful circumstances, yet achieving lasting recognition for his extraordinary works.
- 02Poe's economic hardship despite literary genius
Despite producing 'The Raven' and other masterpieces, Poe received meager compensation and lived in poverty, as exemplified by N. P. Willis's appeal for aid to support him and his dying wife.
- 03Enumeration of Poe's literary achievements
The writer catalogues the range and quality of Poe's works across multiple genres—tales of mystery, hoaxes, conscience, beauty, ratiocination, and poetry—demonstrating his versatile genius.
- 04Poe's early life and family background
Poe was born to an actor father and English actress mother who died in poverty when he was orphaned at age two, then adopted by John Allan, a wealthy Richmond merchant.
- 05Poe's privileged upbringing with the Allans
The Allan household provided Poe with luxury, education, and affection, with Mrs. Allan as a devoted mother figure and Mr. Allan taking pride in the precocious boy.
- 06Early education and literary promise
Poe attended excellent schools both in England and America, where he was recognized as a born poet and gifted scholar by his teachers despite his emotional sensitivity.
- 07Conflict with Allan and departure from university
At seventeen, Poe entered the University of Virginia but left after one session due to financial disputes with Allan, not expulsion, and contracted debts from card-playing.
- 08First publishing ventures
Poe made his initial literary attempt in 1827 with 'Tamerlane' and Other Poems, followed by 'Al Aaraaf' in 1829, though neither attracted much attention.
- 09West Point period and strategic dismissal
Through Allan's influence, Poe gained admission to West Point Military Academy but deliberately neglected his duties to secure dismissal, finally achieving his aim on March 7, 1831.
- 10First major literary success and recognition
In 1833, Poe won a $100 prize for 'A MSS. Found in a Bottle,' his first genuine victory that established him as a serious writer.
- 11Work as editor and critic
During his fifteen-year literary career, Poe worked for various newspapers and magazines in Richmond, Philadelphia, and New York, proving himself faithful, punctual, industrious, and thorough.
- 12Marriage to young cousin Virginia
On September 22, 1835, Poe married his thirteen-year-old cousin Virginia Clemm in Baltimore when he was twenty-six, beginning a relationship marked by devotion despite economic hardship.
- 13Persistent economic hardship despite literary reputation
Throughout his career, Poe lived in poverty with meager salaries from periodicals, even when his reputation was established, receiving only $10 weekly initially and modest payments later.
- 14Posthumous rehabilitation of Poe's reputation
After his death, Griswold's malignant misrepresentations were corrected by scholars like Ingram and Gill, allowing Poe to be seen as the finest American literary genius rather than as a disreputable figure.
- 15Lowell's observation on American literary decentralization
Lowell notes that American literature lacks a central organizing force like London or Paris, instead being fragmented into regional systems that limit mutual influence and recognition.
- 16The difficulty and danger of contemporary literary criticism
Lowell argues that judging contemporary literature fairly is difficult because friendship and generosity easily corrupt critical judgment, and praise given carelessly becomes merely flattery.
- 17Poe's romantic and unusual biographical circumstances
Lowell presents Poe's biography as remarkably eventful, marked by romantic parentage, early orphaning, adoption by a wealthy merchant, and a series of dramatic turns.
- 18Historical examples of great poets' unpromising early works
Lowell surveys Shakespeare, Milton, Pope, Chatterton, Burns, Coleridge, Byron, Wordsworth, Shelley, and Cowley to show that early poetry rarely predicts future greatness, establishing context for evaluating Poe's precocious talents.
- 19Poe's extraordinary achievement as a boy poet
Lowell argues that Poe's early poems demonstrate mature purpose, technical mastery, and innate experience surpassing those of other young poets, showing a grace and symmetry rarely attained.
- 20Analysis of Poe's 'To Helen' as exemplary early work
Lowell praises 'To Helen' as a work of limpid, serene beauty showing classical learning and melodic perfection without the dark cynicism or affected emotions common in contemporary youth poetry.
- 21Distinction between talent and genius
Lowell defines genius as possessing an indescribable magnetism and divine power that mere talent, however accomplished, cannot achieve, granting kindred with Nature itself.
- 22Qualified assessment of Poe as a genius
Lowell acknowledges Poe possesses genuine genius but not the highest order, and notes that newspapers falsely claim the greatest peaks of Parnassus are overcrowded with geniuses.
- 23Poe's two prime qualities: analysis and imagination
Lowell identifies rigorous analytical ability and fecund imagination as Poe's chief strengths, the former enabling correct conception and outline, the latter providing color and completeness.
- 24Evaluating Poe by his own artistic standard
Lowell declares that while he disagrees with Poe's belief that art's object is Beauty, he will evaluate Poe's works by Poe's own standard rather than imposing external criteria.
- 25Poe's method: combining mystery with minute detail
Poe's tales operate in the dim region between the probable and supernatural, combining the impalpable shadows of mystery with meticulous attention to detail, both resulting from his analytical mind.
- 26Analysis as balancing force to poetic fancy
Poe's analytical tendency provides patience for minute detail and lends reality to his fantastic creations, while his approach differs fundamentally from mysticism in its external, dissective perspective.
- 27Praise of Poe's style and form
Lowell commends Poe's highly finished, graceful, classical style as demonstrating varied powers, with 'The House of Usher' exemplifying a serene, somber beauty that establishes him as a master of classic style.
- 28Poe's skillful employment of mystery and terror
Lowell argues that great imaginative masters rarely resort to mere vagueness and horror, but Poe's achievement lies in skillfully combining strange fascination and terror as means of subjugating reader fancy.
- 29Lowell's critique of Poe as a critic
As a critic, Poe was aesthetically deficient despite unerring analysis of technical elements, lacking perception of art's deeper ethics, yet his criticism excels in scientific precision and logical coherence.
- 30Conclusion: Poe's established literary eminence
Lowell concludes that Poe has attained permanent individual eminence in American literature through demonstrated power and originality, having done what could only be done once successfully.
- 31Willis's characterization of Poe as possessing dual nature
Willis begins with the ancient fable of two antagonistic spirits inhabiting one body, suggesting that Poe's character embodied both angelic and demonic natures.
- 32Griswold's negative portraiture of Poe
Willis presents Griswold's unflattering portrait of Poe as known but unpopular, erratic, ambitious beyond measure, envious, cynical, and driven by selfish ambition rather than honorable motives.
- 33Willis's positive personal testimony about Poe
Willis contrasts Griswold's account with his own experience, finding Poe invariably punctual, industrious, gentle, and refined during their working relationship at the Evening Mirror.
- 34Willis's explanation of Poe's apparent contradictions
Willis notes that with a single glass of wine, Poe's entire nature seemed to reverse, becoming irrational and aggressive while appearing sober, which would account for negative reports about him.
- 35Willis vindicates Poe's true character as modest and humble
Willis argues that the reported arrogance and depravity were artifacts of Poe's intoxicated state, while his true character showed modesty, unaffected humility, and genuine gratitude.
- 36Poe's letters as evidence of his gratitude and modesty
Willis quotes letters from Poe expressing gratitude to Willis for support and genuine humility about his literary success, specifically regarding 'The Raven' and 'Ulalume.'
- 37Mrs. Clemm's extraordinary devotion to Poe
Willis testifies to the selfless, holy devotion of Poe's mother-in-law Mrs. Clemm, who tirelessly supported him through poverty and helped him even after Virginia's death, embodying pure disinterested love.