It is a narrative poem
which is often noted for its musicality, stylized language, and supernatural
atmosphere. It tells of a talking raven’s visit to a distraught lover who is
mourning for the loss of his beloved, Lenore. The death, especially the death
of the lover is an important figure of Dark Romanticism which considers the
natural world as dark, decaying and mysterious. According to the followers of
this subgenre, when the natural world reveals the truth to the man, its
revelations are evil. Edgar Allan Poe frequently used the figure the death of a
beautiful woman in his works. It is suggested that he used this figure because
of his loss of women throughout his life. Firstly, his own mother died then, he
lost his foster mother did. Finally, he lost his wife at an early age.
Inevitably, all of these sorrowful events had influenced Poe’s style.
In this picture, you see
the illustration of the poem by Gustave Dore. The raven is sitting on a bust of
Athena. According to Poe’s sequential essay “The Philosophy of Composition”, it
means to imply the narrator, the protagonist, is a scholar that the raven sits
on the bust of Athena, the goddess of wisdom.
Additionally, we can say that the raven represents a connection between the conscious and the subconscious of the narrator. He thinks that the raven brings him word of Lenore, in other words word of the other world, so he asks questions to it continuously about her. However, the respond of the raven is always the same: Nevermore. This constant respond of it instigates his distress until the end of the poem.
Additionally, we can say that the raven represents a connection between the conscious and the subconscious of the narrator. He thinks that the raven brings him word of Lenore, in other words word of the other world, so he asks questions to it continuously about her. However, the respond of the raven is always the same: Nevermore. This constant respond of it instigates his distress until the end of the poem.
In Popular Culture
The Raven has been frequently referenced and parodied in contemporary culture. Immediately after its publication in 1845, it quickly became a cultural phenomenon. Moreover, some consider it the best poem ever written. Still, the modern references to the poem continue to appear in popular culture. For example, The Alan Parsons Project’s album called “Tales of Mystery and Imagination” includes a song based on “The Raven” and entitled the same.
As another example, the poem was parodied in the TV series “The Simpsons”. In its episode called “Treehouse of Horror”, it is animated in a funny way. Homer Simpson serves as the protagonist, and Bart Simpson takes the raven’s form.
Lastly, the movie “The
Raven” came out last year. It is fictionalized account of the last days of
Edgar Allan Poe’s life. In the movie, Poe and Detective Fields pursue a serial
killer whose murders mirror those in Edgar Allan Poe‘s stories. While the plot
of the movie is fictional, the writer based it on some accounts of real
situations surrounding Poe’s mysterious death.
To sum up, whenever I read “The Raven”, I realize that it deserves this appreciation. I think it is the one of the literary milestones of its time.
To sum up, whenever I read “The Raven”, I realize that it deserves this appreciation. I think it is the one of the literary milestones of its time.
