The Formation And Sustenance Of Canon From A Perspective Of Consumerism

The adoption of a perspective of Contemporary Cultural Studies has been a major tendency in the study of Edgar Allen Poe since 1990s. A deconstructionist exploration of the power relations behind canonization has long been a game overplayed in the Cultural Studies, which is, however, not a panacea for illuminating the issue of canonization. In this dissertation, Poe is treated as a classic writer first of all; under this precondition, I do not seek to explore the unequal power relations inherent in the process of canonization with a "de-canonizing" posture. Instead, I intend to explore a new aspect in the study of Poe from a perspective of consumerism, a branch of Cultural Studies, and intend to outline the general situation and various historical contexts of the canonicality of Poe generated and sustained.Particularly, I intend to use Poe's newspaper career (which he devoted all his life to) as a new cut-in point, and investigate the influence of his professional identity as a newspaper editor upon his literary composition and literary thoughts. At the beginning of the 19th century, the American society experienced a great transformation, which led to the initial germination of modern consumerist culture. Strictly speaking, "consumerism" is merely applied as a borrowed theoretical perspective in this paper; if it is treated as a major "methodology" instead of as a "perspective," then the analysis may become implausible and weak or even turn into over-interpretation. From such a perspective drawing on modern consumerist cultural theories, we found that the professionalization of literature in America was developed at that time, the subjects of literary production were not merely the authors anymore; the mass media, cultural market, as well as the consumers also actively participated in the production of literature. Therefore, in the field of literature, the mode of production, orientation of values, literary trends, literary stances, means of transmission, forms of expression and so on all experienced deep reforms and changes. Although not all American writers at that time were subjected to such commercial principles, in the case of Poe, who was deeply involved with newspaper all his life, he was inevitably brought into this new literary situation.Doubtlessly, in this diachronic and synchronic analytical network, we will see that the definition and sustenance of classic writers always have to withstand various tests. From a contemporary consumerist cultural perspective, when we scrutinize the unique process of self-salvation and construction in the canonization of Poe, at the same time, we also discover the persistent vigor and new forces of sustenance of Poe. Meantime, we can also clearly see that the canonization and canonical sustenance of Poe is not only a pure literary event, but also a space of praxis in a period of transformation, one that is defined by consumerist symptoms. This constitutes the representation of the "Poe phenomenon" coded with consumerist cultural terms.Thus, this dissertation is comprised of six chapters:The first chapter "the social transformation of consumerist symptoms and the transition of literary situation", this chapter first clarifies and differentiates basic concepts such as consumption, consumerist culture, and consumerism. A modern consumerist perspective is adopted in scrutinizing the period of time between early and mid 19th century when Poe lived, examining the American society that was developing into a pre-shape of a consumerist society, thus providing reasonable grounds for a consumerist reading of Poe. This type of consumerism and the market orientation in America at that time lead to the initial professionalization of literature, which is clearly shown in those aspects such as the policies of author's remuneration, lifestyle of writers and literati, and copy right laws.The second chapter "cases in the early market system in America:Poe in the modern newspaper media", this chapter examines the development and thriving of newspaper and magazine as new spaces for literary production and transmission in early 19th century in America. This paper examines the situation of Poe under the dual impacts of consumerist market and media market, and explores Poe's consciousness of identity as a modern newspaper editor. Thus, this paper highlights the important effects of the newspaper media in Poe's literary writing, bringing up the concept of "the media literary field," and explores the relationship between coded consumerist production and commodification of literature roughly from a perspective of "planning".The denotation of the consumption medium in "the media literary field" is divided into print medium and electronic medium. These categories are further developed in the part on the (newspaper dominated) print media in Chapter Three and Four and the electronic media in Chapter Five.The third chapter "the urban lifestyle and critical consciousness in the 'media literary field'", this part is based on Poe's textual production, illuminating his writing posture lingering between "high" and "popular" in a "media literary field" schemed. Then this kind of lingering between "high" and "popular" will be further analyzed in connection with Poe's extensive observation of urban life. The further implications of the "high" will also be explored in terms of the American intellectuals 'national mood and sense of responsibility, thus outlining a tint of "Americanization" in Poe's composing thoughts.The fourth chapter "the return of Poe's writing identity", this part analyzes the establishment of Poe's fame and the return of the corresponding writing identity of his works. Corresponding to the particular characteristics of the American consumerist media at that time, Poe had a writing style of anonymity or a kind of "gentleman style." In addition, there are many peculiar factors worth exploring in the establishment of Poe's fame, which features a route of "returning to America from Europe.'The fifth chapter '"Poe Field' of new mediums:Poe as a cultural 'medium'", this part explores the sustaining vitality of Poe and his texts in an electronic media. Poe's being-constructed-ness is examined in the audio-video media, and the filmic adaptation of his texts as well as their new developments and potentials in new technical platforms will also be discussed.The sixth chapter "the gains and loss of 'Poe Research' in the encountering of consumption", this chapter summarizes and introspects the research strategy adopted in this paper, and analyzes the advantages and disadvantages of the research method in this study of Poe. In addition to exploring a new field in the study of the canonization of Poe, I also extend my investigation to the interdisciplinary approach developed in recent years combining Cultural Studies with literary studies, and rethink and examine the methodologies and strategies in literary studies.