Philosophy of Composition

Introduction

Edgar Allan Poe begins "The Philosophy of Composition" with a reference to a note from British Victorian novelist Charles Dickens (1812–70). In the letter Dickens asks Poe if he is aware that British philosopher William Godwin (1756–1836) wrote his widely acclaimed novel Caleb Williams (1794) backwards. Godwin reportedly wrote the climax of the novel first and then worked backwards to figure out the obstacles that led to the events of the climax. Poe writes that he does not believe that that was Godwin's exact writing process. However, Poe agrees that nothing is more important for a writer than to figure out the denouement or final outcome of a sequence of events in a literary work before drafting any other part of the story. Poe emphasizes that it is only with the denouement "constantly in view" that a work can show that all actions in the plot lead to a reasonable climax.

Poe writes that the first concern he has when he composes a story is the effect of the work or the impression he wishes the work to make on the heart, mind, or soul of the reader. Once he has determined the "vivid effect" he desires, Poe claims that he considers which particular combination of tones or events will help to achieve that effect.

Poe says that he often thinks about how interesting it would be if a writer were to divulge the details or steps of their writing process in a magazine article. Poe claims that many writers are reluctant to share their composition process because they "prefer having it understood that they compose by a species of fine frenzy—an ecstatic intuition." Poe proposes to share the process by which he composed his most famous poem "The Raven" (1845). His stated aim is to prove that at no point during the writing of "The Raven'' did he ever compose without thinking or planning.

Composing "The Raven"

Poe proceeds into a step-by-step description of the process he used to compose "The Raven." Poe writes that the first feature he considers in his writing is the "extent" or length of the work he will write. He argues that no literary work should be "too long to be read at one sitting" because the unity of effect or impact of the work will be lost as "the affairs of the world interfere." Poe claims that when he started to work on "The Raven," he conceived that the perfect length would be about 100 lines long. The final poem ended up being 108 lines.

Poe states that after he decides on the story's length, he sets out to determine what "impression, or effect" he wants to convey as well as the tone. He suggests that "beauty is the sole legitimate province of the poem" or the function and purpose of poetry. Thus, he decided that poetry would serve his intended effect in writing "The Raven."

Poe's third consideration is the "tone" of the poem. He claims to have decided that the tone of "The Raven" should be one of sadness because beauty "invariably excites the sensitive soul to tears." Poe argues that melancholy is therefore "the most legitimate" tone in poetry.

Poe claims to have next turned toward reasoning to determine the key feature in constructing the poem. Poe settled on the refrain as this structural tool for "The Raven" because it is so widely used in poetry. A refrain is a recurring phrase or verse in a poem. Poe asserts that he wanted to write a refrain that reflected the melancholy tone of the poem and details several steps he took before landing on a refrain of a single word "Nevermore" spoken by a "bird of ill-omen" the Raven.

Poe next mused on a topic which would correspond with the poem's melancholy tone and the ominous monotony of the refrain. According to Poe "the death ... of a beautiful woman is, unquestionably, the most poetical topic in the world." Thus, "The Raven" became a poem about a grieving lover. Poe details how he determined the climax or peak of the action of the poem and claims that it was only at this point that he "first put pen to paper" to write the poem.

At this point in "The Philosophy of Composition," Poe turns to talk briefly about the versification or the meter and structure of "The Raven." Poe claims to have prioritized originality above all else. He states that there are endless possibilities in regard to meter and rhythm, yet other poets have utterly failed at taking advantage of those possibilities to create truly unique verse. Poe argues that although the meter and rhythm in each individual line in "The Raven" have been used before, no one has ever combined such a rhythmic variety in one stanza.

Conclusion

Poe briefly touches on his logical thought process for the locale or setting of the poem and the entrance of the Raven. He then proceeds to his final argument that some "under-current of meaning" is necessary in a truly rich work of art. Poe posits that a work must have a hidden meaning that gradually reveals itself to the reader because an "excess of suggested meaning" renders a work flat. Poe points out that the final two stanzas of "The Raven" allow the poem's meaning to unveil itself. It is not until the final line of the last stanza that the reader comes to understand the Raven as being "emblematical” or symbolic of “Mournful and Never-ending Remembrance”.