Edgar Allan Poe was notorious for writing poems which typically involved the death of a young girl whom he loved with a melancholic undertone. Poems “The Raven” and “Annabel Lee” follow this theme. Poe was a tortured man who experienced many tragedies in his lifetime which would later inspire some of his most woeful works. For example, the calamitous death of his young wife, Virginia Clemm, inspired both “Annabel Lee” and “The Raven”, as well as other famous pieces such as “Ligeia” and “A Valentine”. As written by Professor Thomas C. Foster wrote in his book, How to Read Literature Like a Professor, “Characters are products of the writers imaginations…” (81). Through the use of rhyme patterns and convoluted metaphors, Poe brought interpretations of death and mourning to light which were considered to be some of the most inventive thoughts of his time. For example, Poe’s repetition and emphasis of the phrases “me”, “lee”, and “sea” in his poem, “Annabel Lee”, gives the poem a calming rhythm to distract from the tragedy unfolding simultaneously.
The memory of Poe’s late wife inspired many of his famous works. Their young love flourished, though it was cut short with her death at age 25. “Annabel Lee” was inspired by the love they shared in their childhoods. “Annabel Lee” is a poem that describes a simplistic childhood love, which is rapidly ended by the death of a young girl. In the poem, the narrator’s childhood love, Annabel Lee, is frozen to death by a frigid wind. Poe has frequently romanticized the beauty of young women, and through her being frozen to death, Annabel’s beauty will be encapsulated within her dead body forever. Though, there is a certain intimacy within the death of Annabel. Professor Thomas C. Foster writes, “Violence is one of the most personal and even intimate acts between human beings” (95). Through his kind and gentle words, Poe describes Annabel’s love as gentle and simple, something more pure than the love adults share. With that in mind, such love did not come without hardships. Aside from the major problem at hand (her death), the couple faced various torments, mainly coming from both Annabel and the narrator’s families. In Poe’s work, he writes, “So that her highborn kinsman came / and bore her away from me” (17-18). The narrator believe that her parents are trying to keep Annabel away from him. He even hints at the fact that his love for Annabel is stronger than that of her parents.The “sepulchre” Annabel is put in could be a symbol of her crossing over into the next world. Though, frequently throughout the poem nostalgic undertones are addressed. These tones insulate the image of the children’s everlasting love, a love that cannot be corrupted by adulthood. His love for her is much more pure and simple, not complex like love in adulthood. The narrator does not believe that the death of Annabel should get in the way of their love. This love shared between the pair is a love that can outlast spiritual resentment of angels from the physical barricade of death that Annabel reaches by the end of the poem. As in “Annabel Lee”, “The Raven” was also believed to have been inspired by the death of Virginia Clemm.
“The Raven” is considered to be Edgar Allen Poe’s most popular and most famous piece. As tragic as it was, this work uncovered some of Poe’s most personal and tortured thoughts to a new light. Though the young woman mentioned in the poem is called Lenore, this poem was believed to have been inspired by the death of his young wife, Virginia Clemm. Poe tended to romanticize the death of young women in his poems, and express his mourning through the thoughts of the narrator. In Poe’s, “The Raven”, the poem begins with the narrator drowning his troubles and worries in his work on a bleak December night. The weather on this night gives a very eerie feeling to the poem, one may feel fear setting in as the narrator becomes more agitated. In How to Read Literature Like a Professor, Foster writes, “Rain can be more mysterious, murkier, more isolating than most other weather conditions” (71). He is attempting to silence the memory of his beloved, Lenore. At this point is when one may question how reliable the narrator is. At this time, he is neck deep in mental turmoil, so the question of his sanity arises. At one point, he even wishes to forget Lenore all together, “Quaff, oh quaff this king nepenthe and forget this lost Lenore!” (83). Throughout the poem, the narrator quickly becomes more agitated and aggressive in his words as well as his actions (specifically those directed toward the raven). In some ways, throughout the poem, readers witness the narrator’s rapid descent into madness unfurl. Though on the more technical side of the poem, Poe’s use of the word “nevermore” at the end of each stanza gives a circular feel to the poem, it gives it a strong sense of artistic unity.
Poe’s painfully personal poems progressed through the tests of time. They have landed in literature classes all around the world. Poe’s works, while woeful, are very important to learn from. Through his poems, he illustrated new ideas of death, mourning, and tragedy no one had ever seen before. These thoughts became the foundation for later poets to build from. Poe gave readers a look into what he was feeling about the death of his wife through both “The Raven” and “Annabel Lee”. Through his personal hardships, contributions were made to literature which would give the word melancholy a new meaning. Poe’s poems have made a mark on the world, and they are here to stay.
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