Poetry Analysis on Edgar Allan Poe's The Raven Essay

Poetry Analysis on Edgar Allan Poe's The Raven - Essay Example Before â€Å"The Raven,† none of Poe’s writings â€Å"garnered him much recognition in the literary world.† However, â€Å"The Raven† was â€Å"hailed by critics as a work of genius, earning Poe a respected reputation as a serious writer† (Iorillo). The work became one of the most recognizable poems of the twentieth century, and Iorillo attributes this to Poe’s meticulous skill, stating that he â€Å"was a deliberate, precise wordsmith.† The setting of â€Å"The Raven† is a good example of Poe’s precise execution of language, with his images combining to create an atmosphere that is quintessentially Gothic. Iorillo states, â€Å"Poe was not the first Gothic writer but he is undeniably one of the most potent.† The term â€Å"Gothic literature† is defined as â€Å"literary style popular during the end of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th. This style usually portrayed fantastic tales dealing with horror, despair, the grotesque and other ‘dark’ subjects† (Taylor). The Gothic setting of â€Å"The Raven† is evident from the very beginning of the poem. The poem begins to paint its setting by describing the night as a â€Å"midnight dreary,† creating suspense, misery and dread even before the finish of the poem’s first line. The next image Poe presents is â€Å"a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore.† Poe’s diction heightens the mysterious and eerie setting by using the words â€Å"curious† and â€Å"forgotten† to describe the book that the narrator is reading as the poem begins. As the narrator peruses the pages of his â€Å"curious† book, he hears a noise outside his door, which he dismisses as an unwelcome visitor. The next stanza further enhances the poem’s Gothic setting as the narrator clearly recalls the â€Å"bleak December† night when he first encountered the raven. He tells us how he recalls the burning wood in his fireplace as each â€Å"separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the