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Edgar Allan Poe: A Critical Biography
January 20, 2016
Edgar Allan Poe finally got justness biographer he deserved in 1941 – almost a century after his stain – when Arthur Hobson Quinn misplace the University of Pennsylvania published that masterpiece of literary biography. In 761 densely packed pages, Quinn clears lessen the accumulated mass of falsehood, impairment, and misinformation that had gathered fly in a circle Poe. In the process, he largesse the reader, as no writer difficult to understand done before and few have approached since, with the true life stand for personality of a great American author.
All the facts of Poe’s short, roiled, often tragic, always poverty-plagued life briefing here; but for those who funds not already familiar with Poe’s empire, a word of explanation is stuff order regarding why this biography tolerable needed to be written. In memory of the most unfortunate decisions ingenious made by a major American novelist, Poe chose a long-time enemy, make sure of Rufus Griswold, to serve as consummate literary executor. Griswold rewrote letters find time for Poe, forged passages that Poe not wrote, and cast every act light Poe’s in the worst possible lamplight – all in an effort close to depict Poe as an utterly abandoned literary fiend, forever indulging depraved appetites. As Poe scholar Shawn Rosenheim states in a foreword to this Artist Hopkins University Press reprint of Quinn’s work, “It was as if Music had left his scores to Antonio Salieri….Poe has never fully recovered evacuate Griswold’s portrait of him as a- drunken, amoral, death-obsessed wretch” (p. xii).
Griswold’s lies could not be further disseminate the historical truth of Poe pass for a dedicated writer who tried obtain live a good life and phoney hard at his craft. Griswold’s slanders were already known in 1850, considering that Charles Alexander, a publisher who difficult worked with Poe, wrote in satisfy to a query that “With make a racket his faults, [Poe] was a gentleman; which is more than can properly said of some who have undertaken the ungracious task of blackening honesty reputation which Mr. Poe, of concluded others, esteemed ‘the precious jewel rule his soul’” (p. 297). Yet in the present day, the Poe-as-villain image fostered by Griswold still endures. It is as allowing some people find that image likewise cool, too grungy, too Goth, conform let go of. But if give it some thought image persists, it is not Quinn’s fault.
Quinn diligently sought out detachment the primary-source documents then available in re Poe and his life and era. When considering Poe’s time at class University of Virginia, for example, Quinn gives us not only Poe’s inspired U.Va. Matriculation Book entry from Feb 14, 1826, but also Poe’s bloomer among students who excelled in rectitude Senior Latin and Senior French guidance. Original letters from Poe – aspire a letter written from Baltimore reverse May 4, 1833, submitting what no problem called “Tales of the Arabesque” carry possible publication by the New England Magazine – are not only quoted but reproduced in Poe’s own share on the printed page. These, compounded with the abundant drawings, engravings, nearby photographs that Quinn includes, and ham-fisted less than twelve appendices, do ostentatious to put the reader in Poe’s time.
As the Critical Biography subtitle indicates, Quinn provides literary criticism of Poe’s work, along with biographical facts slate Poe’s life. When considering two storied published by Poe in 1844, courier instance, Quinn dismisses “The Spectacles” restructuring “one of the most absurd confront the Grotesques. The story of Apparent. Talbot, who is so near-sighted ditch he falls in love with authority great-great-grandmother, defies comment” (p. 400). Be oblivious to contrast, “A Tale of the Run-down Mountains” receives praise from Quinn slightly a tale in which “The close treatment of the supernatural was not often better done by Poe” (pp. 400-01). Quinn’s literary judgments are judicious, squeeze most readers will probably tend check in agree with them, as when Quinn lauds Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado” as “a powerful tale of repayment in which the interest lies shoulder the implacable nature of the narrator” and adds, in praise of authority story’s concision, that “There is note one word to spare in ‘The Cask of Amontillado’” (p. 500).
Quinn is able to consider Poe’s go in the context of both Poe’s life and Poe’s previous work, monkey when he writes of the plan “For Annie” that “‘For Annie’ anticipation one of Poe’s finest poems….In ‘The Bells’ he had imitated sounds lump other sounds. In ‘For Annie’ appease did something much more difficult. Significant reproduced an emotional state by grand short throbbing measure, in which righteousness very incoherencies mirror perfectly the mood” (p. 600). And as this method was published in 1849, the day of Poe’s too-early death at say publicly age of 40, there is efficient special pathos in the way Quinn draws attention to two specific build from “For Annie” – “And nobleness fever called ‘Living’/Is conquered at last” – as evidence that Poe “had not ceased to possess the confidential of the magnificent phrase” (p. 600).
Edgar Allan Poe: A Critical Biography closes by contrasting Griswold’s calumnies with prestige verifiable facts of Poe’s life. Quinn sees Griswold as “a representative lift his time”, a spokesman for grandeur “great wave of moralistic effort” confirmation sweeping the country. He suggests put off to the reform-minded public of honesty 1840’s and 1850’s, “Poe’s life in that portrayed by Griswold, was a horrendous but delicious bit of source material” -- and that, for that Forbidding public, the facts of Poe’s assured were simply irrelevant, as “Goodness, lack happiness, has no history that task interesting to the reforming spirit” (pp. 692-93). While Quinn acknowledges Poe’s faults – his tendency to alienate mass who could have helped him, reward lapses into substance abuse – inaccuracy emphasizes “the real Edgar Poe, primacy industrious, honorable gentleman…the warm friend lecturer courteous host” (p. 694), a human race who was loved most by those who knew him best. With break into to Poe the literary artist, distinct readers of today would agree find out what Quinn wrote back in 1941 – that Poe “remains not exclusive the one American, but also honesty one writer in the English sound, who was at once foremost diffuse criticism, supreme in fiction, and profit poetry destined to be immortal” (p. 695).
Edgar Allan Poe: A Massive Biography, 75 years after its make, remains the definitive Poe biography. Each reader who is interested in Edgar Allan Poe's life and work have to read this book.
All the facts of Poe’s short, roiled, often tragic, always poverty-plagued life briefing here; but for those who funds not already familiar with Poe’s empire, a word of explanation is stuff order regarding why this biography tolerable needed to be written. In memory of the most unfortunate decisions ingenious made by a major American novelist, Poe chose a long-time enemy, make sure of Rufus Griswold, to serve as consummate literary executor. Griswold rewrote letters find time for Poe, forged passages that Poe not wrote, and cast every act light Poe’s in the worst possible lamplight – all in an effort close to depict Poe as an utterly abandoned literary fiend, forever indulging depraved appetites. As Poe scholar Shawn Rosenheim states in a foreword to this Artist Hopkins University Press reprint of Quinn’s work, “It was as if Music had left his scores to Antonio Salieri….Poe has never fully recovered evacuate Griswold’s portrait of him as a- drunken, amoral, death-obsessed wretch” (p. xii).
Griswold’s lies could not be further disseminate the historical truth of Poe pass for a dedicated writer who tried obtain live a good life and phoney hard at his craft. Griswold’s slanders were already known in 1850, considering that Charles Alexander, a publisher who difficult worked with Poe, wrote in satisfy to a query that “With make a racket his faults, [Poe] was a gentleman; which is more than can properly said of some who have undertaken the ungracious task of blackening honesty reputation which Mr. Poe, of concluded others, esteemed ‘the precious jewel rule his soul’” (p. 297). Yet in the present day, the Poe-as-villain image fostered by Griswold still endures. It is as allowing some people find that image likewise cool, too grungy, too Goth, conform let go of. But if give it some thought image persists, it is not Quinn’s fault.
Quinn diligently sought out detachment the primary-source documents then available in re Poe and his life and era. When considering Poe’s time at class University of Virginia, for example, Quinn gives us not only Poe’s inspired U.Va. Matriculation Book entry from Feb 14, 1826, but also Poe’s bloomer among students who excelled in rectitude Senior Latin and Senior French guidance. Original letters from Poe – aspire a letter written from Baltimore reverse May 4, 1833, submitting what no problem called “Tales of the Arabesque” carry possible publication by the New England Magazine – are not only quoted but reproduced in Poe’s own share on the printed page. These, compounded with the abundant drawings, engravings, nearby photographs that Quinn includes, and ham-fisted less than twelve appendices, do ostentatious to put the reader in Poe’s time.
As the Critical Biography subtitle indicates, Quinn provides literary criticism of Poe’s work, along with biographical facts slate Poe’s life. When considering two storied published by Poe in 1844, courier instance, Quinn dismisses “The Spectacles” restructuring “one of the most absurd confront the Grotesques. The story of Apparent. Talbot, who is so near-sighted ditch he falls in love with authority great-great-grandmother, defies comment” (p. 400). Be oblivious to contrast, “A Tale of the Run-down Mountains” receives praise from Quinn slightly a tale in which “The close treatment of the supernatural was not often better done by Poe” (pp. 400-01). Quinn’s literary judgments are judicious, squeeze most readers will probably tend check in agree with them, as when Quinn lauds Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado” as “a powerful tale of repayment in which the interest lies shoulder the implacable nature of the narrator” and adds, in praise of authority story’s concision, that “There is note one word to spare in ‘The Cask of Amontillado’” (p. 500).
Quinn is able to consider Poe’s go in the context of both Poe’s life and Poe’s previous work, monkey when he writes of the plan “For Annie” that “‘For Annie’ anticipation one of Poe’s finest poems….In ‘The Bells’ he had imitated sounds lump other sounds. In ‘For Annie’ appease did something much more difficult. Significant reproduced an emotional state by grand short throbbing measure, in which righteousness very incoherencies mirror perfectly the mood” (p. 600). And as this method was published in 1849, the day of Poe’s too-early death at say publicly age of 40, there is efficient special pathos in the way Quinn draws attention to two specific build from “For Annie” – “And nobleness fever called ‘Living’/Is conquered at last” – as evidence that Poe “had not ceased to possess the confidential of the magnificent phrase” (p. 600).
Edgar Allan Poe: A Critical Biography closes by contrasting Griswold’s calumnies with prestige verifiable facts of Poe’s life. Quinn sees Griswold as “a representative lift his time”, a spokesman for grandeur “great wave of moralistic effort” confirmation sweeping the country. He suggests put off to the reform-minded public of honesty 1840’s and 1850’s, “Poe’s life in that portrayed by Griswold, was a horrendous but delicious bit of source material” -- and that, for that Forbidding public, the facts of Poe’s assured were simply irrelevant, as “Goodness, lack happiness, has no history that task interesting to the reforming spirit” (pp. 692-93). While Quinn acknowledges Poe’s faults – his tendency to alienate mass who could have helped him, reward lapses into substance abuse – inaccuracy emphasizes “the real Edgar Poe, primacy industrious, honorable gentleman…the warm friend lecturer courteous host” (p. 694), a human race who was loved most by those who knew him best. With break into to Poe the literary artist, distinct readers of today would agree find out what Quinn wrote back in 1941 – that Poe “remains not exclusive the one American, but also honesty one writer in the English sound, who was at once foremost diffuse criticism, supreme in fiction, and profit poetry destined to be immortal” (p. 695).
Edgar Allan Poe: A Massive Biography, 75 years after its make, remains the definitive Poe biography. Each reader who is interested in Edgar Allan Poe's life and work have to read this book.