Biographical Context :
- He is an American author/ poet/ editor/ literary critic.
- He is best known for his tales of mystery and the maccabre.
- Born in Boston, Massachusetts.
- He was orphaned young when his mother died shortly after the father abandoned the family.
- He was taken in by John Allan a rich Scottish merchant.
- Edgar died on 0ctober 7, 1849 when he was found on the streets of Baltimore in distress and in need of help.
- He is well known for his genre of Gothic, dark romanticism.
- He was also a cosmologist and created a cosmological theory that preaged the Big Bang theory by 80 years.
- He was married to his 13 year old cousin Virginia Clemm.
- He is an American author/ poet/ editor/ literary critic.
- He is best known for his tales of mystery and the maccabre.
- Born in Boston, Massachusetts.
- He was orphaned young when his mother died shortly after the father abandoned the family.
- He was taken in by John Allan a rich Scottish merchant.
- Edgar died on 0ctober 7, 1849 when he was found on the streets of Baltimore in distress and in need of help.
- He is well known for his genre of Gothic, dark romanticism.
- He was also a cosmologist and created a cosmological theory that preaged the Big Bang theory by 80 years.
- He was married to his 13 year old cousin Virginia Clemm.
Historical Context:
- Poe wrote at the time when the United States was experiencing great economical and geographical expansion during the 19th century.
- This is reflected greatly through his short stories such as 'The tell tale heart' which dives into the gothic fiction.
- Poe wrote at the time when the United States was experiencing great economical and geographical expansion during the 19th century.
- This is reflected greatly through his short stories such as 'The tell tale heart' which dives into the gothic fiction.
Geographical Context:
- Poe wrote most of his short stories whist in the United States such as 'The tell tale heart' and 'The fall of the house of Usher.'
- The tell tale heart written in 1843 and The fall of the house of Usher written in 1839
.
- Poe wrote most of his short stories whist in the United States such as 'The tell tale heart' and 'The fall of the house of Usher.'
- The tell tale heart written in 1843 and The fall of the house of Usher written in 1839
.
Gothic Fiction:
Gothic fiction sometimes referred to as gothic horror is a genre or mode of literature that combines elements of both horror and romance. Prominent features of Gothic fiction include:
- Terror (psychological and physical)
- Mystery - Darkness
- Supernatural - Death
- Ghosts - Decay
- Haunted houses - Doubles
- Gothic architecture - Madness
- Castles - Secrets
- Hereditary curses
American Gothic fiction features:
- Typical settings : large houses, abandoned
- Atmosphere of mystery and suspence
- Ledgends and myths
- Highly charged emotional states
- Romantic themes
- Supernatural events
Gothic literature in America:
Gothic literature, a genre that rose with Romanticismin Britain in the late 18th century explores the dark side f human experience. Death, alienation, nightmares, ghosts, haunted landscapes. Poe brought the Gothic to America. American Gothic literature dramatised a culture plagued by poverty and slavery through characers afflicted with various forms of insanity and melancholy. Poe generated a Gothic ethos from his own experiences in Virginia and other slave holding terrotories. Black white imagery reflects growing national anxiety of slavery.
Gothic fiction sometimes referred to as gothic horror is a genre or mode of literature that combines elements of both horror and romance. Prominent features of Gothic fiction include:
- Terror (psychological and physical)
- Mystery - Darkness
- Supernatural - Death
- Ghosts - Decay
- Haunted houses - Doubles
- Gothic architecture - Madness
- Castles - Secrets
- Hereditary curses
American Gothic fiction features:
- Typical settings : large houses, abandoned
- Atmosphere of mystery and suspence
- Ledgends and myths
- Highly charged emotional states
- Romantic themes
- Supernatural events
Gothic literature in America:
Gothic literature, a genre that rose with Romanticismin Britain in the late 18th century explores the dark side f human experience. Death, alienation, nightmares, ghosts, haunted landscapes. Poe brought the Gothic to America. American Gothic literature dramatised a culture plagued by poverty and slavery through characers afflicted with various forms of insanity and melancholy. Poe generated a Gothic ethos from his own experiences in Virginia and other slave holding terrotories. Black white imagery reflects growing national anxiety of slavery.
The Raven - 1845
Genre: Narrative poem
Link: http://www.heise.de/ix/raven/Literature/Lore/TheRaven.html
Synopsis:
It's late at night and a man is sitting in his room, half reading, half falling asleep, and trying to forget his lost love Lenore. Suddenly, he hears someone or something knocking at the door. He calls out apologising to this so called "visitor" who he thinks is outside. He then moves towards the door opening it to find nothing there...
This seems to alarm him a little, and so he reassures himself that it is just the wind against the window that is making these strange knocking noises. So he then goes to open the window and by surprise a raven flies into the room and perches above the door. The narrator's first instinct was to talk to the bird and so he asks it it's name and the peculiar bird replies back with a single word "Nevermore". Understandably surprised the narrator starts to ask the raven more and more questions about Lenore to which the bird carries on to reply with "Nevermore". The narrator feels the presence of angels when asking about Lenore which angers him as the bird will not speak, his anger continues to grow until he asks the raven to leave his chamber. The raven refuses to leave to which we find out that the narrator's soul is trapped within the raven's shadow.
Deconstruction - Stanza 11
Startled at the stillness broken by reply so aptly spoken,
"Doubtless," said I, "what it utters is its only stock and store,
Caught from some unhappy master whom unimeriful Disaster
Followed fast and followed faster till his songs one burden bore
Till the dirges of his Hope that melancholy burden bore
Of 'Never--nevermore.'"
Word definitons:
Aptly - appropriate/suited
Dirges - bleak
Melancholy - depressed/sad
- This time the answer is a little bit spookier, he said the bird was going to leave and the bird said "Nevermore,"
When the narrator says 'so aptly spoken' he means that the bird's response made sense as it was expected.
- The narrator is quite freaked out and tries to look for a plausible explanation, so he tells himself that the bird only knows one word 'his only stock and store' and uses it for every situation.
- He tells himself a little story about how the raven may have learnt this word. He imagines that the bird had an extremely depressed former owner, whose life was such a mess that all he could say was "Nevermore." This shows the distress the bird is bringing the speaker and that he is not very mentally stable at this point.
- This sentence is trying to set a sense of repetitiveness and fast pace of the raven's replies to all of the speaker's questions by using the expressions 'followed fast' and 'followed faster.' These expressions also reflect the quick build up of the speaker's frustration and emotional burden upon him due to the raven. The 'songs' being the continuous mention of "Nevermore" which the bird learnt from it's owner which now 'burdens' people.
- The narrator is now emphasising on the fact that the raven can only bring sadness and depression upon him by only answering with "Nevermore." This is done by repeating the expression 'burden bore' twice.
Link: http://www.heise.de/ix/raven/Literature/Lore/TheRaven.html
Synopsis:
It's late at night and a man is sitting in his room, half reading, half falling asleep, and trying to forget his lost love Lenore. Suddenly, he hears someone or something knocking at the door. He calls out apologising to this so called "visitor" who he thinks is outside. He then moves towards the door opening it to find nothing there...
This seems to alarm him a little, and so he reassures himself that it is just the wind against the window that is making these strange knocking noises. So he then goes to open the window and by surprise a raven flies into the room and perches above the door. The narrator's first instinct was to talk to the bird and so he asks it it's name and the peculiar bird replies back with a single word "Nevermore". Understandably surprised the narrator starts to ask the raven more and more questions about Lenore to which the bird carries on to reply with "Nevermore". The narrator feels the presence of angels when asking about Lenore which angers him as the bird will not speak, his anger continues to grow until he asks the raven to leave his chamber. The raven refuses to leave to which we find out that the narrator's soul is trapped within the raven's shadow.
Deconstruction - Stanza 11
Startled at the stillness broken by reply so aptly spoken,
"Doubtless," said I, "what it utters is its only stock and store,
Caught from some unhappy master whom unimeriful Disaster
Followed fast and followed faster till his songs one burden bore
Till the dirges of his Hope that melancholy burden bore
Of 'Never--nevermore.'"
Word definitons:
Aptly - appropriate/suited
Dirges - bleak
Melancholy - depressed/sad
- This time the answer is a little bit spookier, he said the bird was going to leave and the bird said "Nevermore,"
When the narrator says 'so aptly spoken' he means that the bird's response made sense as it was expected.
- The narrator is quite freaked out and tries to look for a plausible explanation, so he tells himself that the bird only knows one word 'his only stock and store' and uses it for every situation.
- He tells himself a little story about how the raven may have learnt this word. He imagines that the bird had an extremely depressed former owner, whose life was such a mess that all he could say was "Nevermore." This shows the distress the bird is bringing the speaker and that he is not very mentally stable at this point.
- This sentence is trying to set a sense of repetitiveness and fast pace of the raven's replies to all of the speaker's questions by using the expressions 'followed fast' and 'followed faster.' These expressions also reflect the quick build up of the speaker's frustration and emotional burden upon him due to the raven. The 'songs' being the continuous mention of "Nevermore" which the bird learnt from it's owner which now 'burdens' people.
- The narrator is now emphasising on the fact that the raven can only bring sadness and depression upon him by only answering with "Nevermore." This is done by repeating the expression 'burden bore' twice.