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An Investigation of the Aesthetics of Edgar Allan Poe

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An Investigation of the Aesthetics of Edgar Allan Poe Indefinite Pleasures and Parables of Art: An Investigation of the Aesthetics of Edgar Allan Poe The Harvard community has made this article openly available. Please share how this access benefits you. Your story matters Citable link http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:37945134 Terms of Use This article was downloaded from Harvard University’s DASH repository, and is made available under the terms and conditions applicable to Other Posted Material, as set forth at http:// nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:dash.current.terms-of- use#LAA Indefinite Pleasures and Parables of Art: An Investigation of the Aesthetics of Edgar Allan Poe By Jennifer J. Thomson A Thesis in the Field of English for the Degree of Master of Liberal Arts in Extension Studies Harvard University May 2018 Copyright 2018 Jennifer J. Thomson Abstract This investigation examines the origins and development of Edgar Allan Poe’s aesthetic theory throughout his body of work. It employs a tripartite approach commencing with the consideration of relevant biographical context, then proceeds with a detailed analysis of a selection of Poe’s writing on composition and craft: “Letter to B—,” “Hawthorne’s Twice-Told Tales,” “The Philosophy of Composition,” “The Poetic Principle,” and “The Philosophy of Furniture.” Finally, it applies this information to the analysis of selected works of Poe’s short fiction: “The Assignation,” “The Fall of the House of Usher,” “The Oval Portrait,” “The Domain of Arnheim,” and “Landor’s Cottage.” The examination concludes that Poe’s philosophy of art and his metaphysics are linked; therefore, his aesthetic system bears more analytical weight in the study of his fiction than was previously allowed. By providing a holistic account of Poe’s theories of art and their metaphysical basis, new avenues of interpretation become available and a new theme emerges: the selected become parables about the nature of art. Dedication To my grandmother Norma, who believed in me; my husband Matthew, who inspired me; and to Dean Shinagel, who encouraged me. iv Table of Contents Dedication.......................................................................................................................................iv Chapter I. Introduction.....................................................................................................................1 A Tale of Three Poes...........................................................................................................3 The Formalist Poet...............................................................................................................7 The Southern Gentleman.....................................................................................................9 The Tomahawk Man..........................................................................................................12 Conclusion.........................................................................................................................16 Chapter II. The Aesthetic Theory..................................................................................................18 “Letter to B—”...................................................................................................................19 “Hawthorne’s Twice-Told Tales” .....................................................................................26 “The Philosophy of Composition” ....................................................................................31 “The Poetic Principle” ......................................................................................................36 “The Philosophy of Furniture” ..........................................................................................41 Conclusion.........................................................................................................................46 Chapter III. The Aesthetic Theory Applied to the Analysis of Poe’s Fiction...............................48 “The Assignation” .............................................................................................................49 “The Fall of the House of Usher” .....................................................................................56 “The Oval Portrait” ...........................................................................................................59 “The Domain of Arnheim” ...............................................................................................62 “Landor’s Cottage” ...........................................................................................................68 IV. Conclusion...............................................................................................................................73 v Bibliography..................................................................................................................................76 vi Chapter I. Introduction “Were I called on to define, very briefly, the term ‘Art,’” Poe muses in his published marginalia for The Southern Literary Messenger, “I should call it ‘the reproduction of what the Senses perceive in Nature through the veil of the soul.’” To this he appends, “The mere imitation, however accurate, of what is in Nature, entitles no man to the sacred name of ‘Artist’” (Marginalia 243, 164). This reflection appears in publication in 1849, a few short months before his death, and after the publication of his controversial lecture, Eureka—the culmination of a lifetime spent in pursuit of a unified aesthetic theory. By the 19th century, Beauty, Passion, and Truth had become Transcendentalist buzzwords. Where Poe’s contemporaries often conflated these terms, Poe made calculated distinctions. In the most general terms, Poe believed that Beauty belonged to the soul; Truth, to the intellect; Passion, to the heart; and that to each of these values belonged a corresponding art or literary form for which their expression was best suited. Poetry, by virtue of its rhythmic musicality, is uniquely suited to the expression of Beauty; prose, by virtue of its definitiveness, is best representative of Truth and associated Passion. Poe organizes these values along a hierarchy, placing Beauty, poetry, and the needs of the soul at its apex. A truly skilled artist, Poe insisted, would possess an intuitive awareness of how to operate within this hierarchy to elicit the fullest expression of each value by embracing its appropriate medium. Despite being so neatly methodical, a meaningful understanding of Poe’s aesthetic theory has always been elusive and it remains a challenge to scholarship, in part because it relies so heavily on abstract concepts. 1 When examining Poe’s aesthetics and how it comes to bear on his writing, scholars typically have taken it in one of two directions: they have either held it in a rigidly literal and categorical sense or have treated it as a joke had at the expense of Transcendentalists. Poe’s attempts at philosophizing often tend to be regarded as satirical. The results of applying either of these conclusions to the task of interpreting Poe’s poetry and fiction have led to equal parts contradiction and frustration, and the need either to rationalize the contradiction or simply dismiss it. Many are content to believe that the problem arising between Poe’s philosophy and what is ostensibly flawed execution throughout his work is the result of faulty reasoning. I submit that the problem has arisen due to an incomplete understanding of Poe’s fundamental aesthetic concepts. While collections have been published that focus on the composition essays, and further studies have focused on individual essays, what is conspicuously absent is a comprehensive effort to dissect the theory in its entirety, breaking down its concepts, and examining how they are developed and expanded upon across the entire body of Poe’s work. Only then can we make a determination if the theory is sustainable. Through this examination, it is my hope to inject some fresh insight into this area of criticism toward a better understanding of Poe as a writer, Poe as a thinker, and Poe as a man. My examination will be conducted in three parts. First, I will establish a biographical context to explore the origins of his aesthetics and the circumstances that led to their occupying a central place in his life. In the second part, I will commence the deconstruction of “Letter to B-,” “Hawthorne’s Twice-Told Tales,” “The Philosophy of Composition,” “The Poetic Principle,” and “The Philosophy of Furniture,” to get a more complete understanding of Poe’s aesthetic theory, how it functions, and what it hopes to achieve. In the final part, I will apply these conclusions to the analysis of Poe’s fictional works: “The Assignation,” “The Fall of the House of Usher,” “The 2 Oval Portrait,” “The Domain of Arnheim,” and “Landor’s Cottage,” following the recurrence of his aesthetic theme and the ideas they represent. By closely engaging these works, I hope to demonstrate how Poe’s aesthetic system functions in a tripartite manner: in a literal sense, by providing a groundwork of rules for the production and criticism of art; in a metaphysical sense, by exploring the purpose of art and its connection to the soul; and in a true artistic, meta sense, by becoming the subject which references itself toward the realization of the goal of conveying truth in a unique way. With these insights, the tales previously mentioned take on a new dimension of significance. They become, in essence, parables of art. A
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