Famous Works Translation (Illustrated Edition) -- The Short Story Collection of Edgar Allan Poe

Author: Edgar Allan Poe
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-04-01
Features: Among the many works he wrote in his short life, literary criticism holds significant importance. In the literary world at that time, he was almost unmatched except by James Russell Lowell. Lowell rarely praised others but hailed Poe as a "profound and philosophical fearless critic." Contemporary literary critic Edmund Wilson also remarked, "Poe's literary criticism was truly unprecedented excellence in American literary circles." He consistently advocated for "art for art's sake." His artistic principles permeate nearly all his works, including poetry, short stories, and essays. In these works, he claimed, "The purpose of all art is entertainment, not truth." He believed that "in poetry, only the creation of beauty—superb, transcendent beauty—is the proper way to evoke pleasure. Music is an indispensable component of poetry, especially important for poets striving to express superb, transcendent beauty. In storytelling, the artist might as well aim to create effects of excitement, terror, and strong emotions. Moreover, every work should achieve a certain effect." His original essays, such as The Philosophy of Composition (1846), The Principles of Poetry (1850), critiques of Hawthorne's Old Tales, and reviews of the poetry of Longfellow, Coleridge, Wordsworth, Tennyson, and critiques of Dickens' The Old Curiosity Shop, among others, all demonstrate his incisive insights and are still regarded as exemplary works in literary criticism to this day.