Nevermore lingers forever

Edgar Alien Poe is a mystery, a madman and a genius. He has a unique and penetrating insight into worldly life while his works were criticized to be narrow and unhealthy. He was censured and sullied by his American contemporaries while he enjoyed great respect and welcome in Europe. Being a controversial figure in American literature, he deserves our further study to interpret his inner world and his literary realm.
In Poe's theory, poetry is the highest literary form and its goal is to produce a feeling of beauty in the reader. He says, beauty aims at "an elevating excitement of soul" and "beauty of whatever kind, in its supreme development, invariably excites the sensitive soul to tears." So he spares no effort in exploring and creating his ideal poetry. In his critical works "The Philosophy of Composition and -The Poetic Principle-, he defines "true poetry is the rhythmical creation of beauty", and declares, "music is the performance of the soul, or idea, of poetry." His poeti...