The Raven Research Paper

Romantic and Gothic Elements in Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Raven”

In the famous poem “The Raven” written by Edgar Allen Poe, the reader can clearly notice the romantic and gothic elements in the poem. The period beginning in the early 1800s and continuing through the time of the Civil War was marked by the predominance of the literary movement known as Romanticism in American literature. American authors represented the values connected with Romanticism in a range of literary genres and styles, despite being influenced by the Romantic movement that originated in England. This new manner of writing may be seen in an array of works, including essays, poetry, and novels published by well-known authors such as Edgar Allan Poe. Gothicism is a literary

The speaker introduces the gothic atmosphere with his opening statement, which says “Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary” (Poe line 1) indicating he is distraught about something. The speaker provides further context for the setting by stating the month of December in stanza two which, in terms of the seasons, is the month that experiences the coldest average temperature. The inclusion of the time of year is significant since it contributes to the melancholy mood that pervades throughout the poem. The reader soon learns that the speaker is mourning the loss of his wife Lenore, which directly connects to Poe’s personal life for he too lost his wife Virginia. Poe’s “adult life was one of extreme poverty and frequent indigence, mental illness, alcoholism, and opium addiction” (Tonkin 3) which was something all his loved ones and family struggled with. As the poem progresses, the speaker continues to express his sorrow over the death of his wife and adds that he keeps himself busy to prevent his thoughts from being preoccupied with feelings of despair and sorrow. The speaker starts to become more detached from the world around him and his feelings of sadness grow to the point that he starts having conversations with the raven. Due to the tone in which the poem is written, the reader might deduce that "The

When the Raven flies into the room and settles on the bust as it does so, it symbolizes a risk to the narrator's reason and the capacity of rationality to examine and comprehend the events that led to the raven's presence. The speaker is clouded by his emotions and cannot see that “The sagacious trait of the raven is reinforced by giving it as a pedestal the sculptured bust of Pallas, the goddess of wisdom, above the poet’s chamber door” (Gharib 44). Proving that it is in our human nature to loathe or despise what we don't understand, and when the Raven comes into the room and lands on the bust as it does so, it represents a danger to the narrator's rationale. The speaker is overcome by the insanity and agony that had built up over the course of time, which causes him to sit in defeat and sorrow. Unfortunately, the reader can conclude at the end of the poem when the speaker states “And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor Shall be lifted—nevermore!” (Poe lines 107-108) that he will never be able to overcome his grief and move