Relfection on "The Composition of 'The Raven'"

The document I chose to write about for this reflection was written by Edgar Allan Poe himself. It gives his thought process when he wrote one of his most famous poems "The Raven". The document is called "The Composition of 'The Raven'". I found this document very interesting to read. I had no idea that Poe ever criticized his own work or wrote other things about them. I thought it was really cool to get that peek into the mind of the poet.
In this article, Poe writes about how he wrote "The Raven". I admit that I was pretty curious as to how he got the idea. It's nice to know, but now I'm kind of wishing I didn't. It takes some of the magic away to read that one of your favorite authors wrote one of your favorite poems because he wanted a bird to repeat a word and have it create a melancholy atmosphere. That aside, I realized it was actually a pretty sensible way to go about writing anything, not just a poem.
Poe also explains that he had the climax of the poem in his mind and worked his way from there: ". . .in the progress of the construction—I first established in mind the climax, or concluding query—that to which "Nevermore" should be in the last place an answer. . ." (Poe). This method made me respect Poe's ability as a writer even more because I find it very hard to do that and am impressed that Poe manages to accomplish such a task in such an eloquent fashion.
I always find it interesting to read what authors write about themselves. A lot of times, you find that they can be boastful and their words contain a thinly disguised pride in their work, regardless of whether it deserves it. This is not the case with Poe, at least, not in this article. He sticks to the facts and goes about explaining his point in an ordered way. He sets out to explain something and then explains it. It reads pretty similarly to a Rationalism work in its structure and intent.
This composition does not give an explanation for why Poe wrote it. It made me wonder why exactly he wrote it. If I were Poe, I don't think I would want to explain my thoughts on my works. I would want to stay wrapped in that shroud of mystery that the Dark Romantic authors seemed to favor. But since I am obviously not Poe, I really have no say in the matter.
Poe also seems to be a perfectionist. Anyone who reads this article can tell that he put a lot of thought into "The Raven" and that he always tried to make things as close to perfection as he could. This also made me respect him more as writer because it truly shows his dedication to the profession of writing.
As a whole, this article was really interesting to me, and I really appreciated the insight into one of my favorite poems.


Poe, Edgar Allan. "The Philosophy of Composition" (1846) in Edgar Allan Poe: Poetry, Tales, & Selected Essays (New York: Library of America, 1996): pp. 1378–80. Quoted as "The Composition of 'The Raven'" in Harold Bloom, ed. Edgar Allan Poe, Bloom's Major Poets. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishing, 1999. (Updated 2007.) Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= BMPEAP20&SingleRecord=True (accessed November 29, 2010).