The Romantic Touch And Modernistic Insight Of Edgar Allan Poe's Works

Edgar Allan Poe is quite a controversial writer in the world's literary history. Though he is ignored by his contemporary writers in America, French symbolists, nearly half a century later, praise him as one of the greatest writers that have ever existed. His works, which have combined romanticism and modernism together, are a perfect example of duality. Based on Poe's theory of"the unity of impression"and his aesthetic taste, this paper aims at analyzing his themes and techniques in respect of their resemblance to Romanticism and Modernism. Firstly, one part is devoted to a review of his literary theories, including three of his major literary criticism articles, which reveal his views on the function of literary works and the ways of composition. Then, the themes of Poe's tales have been analyzed in light of his aesthetic criteria. After an exploration of the historical origins of his unique taste, this paper proposes two important themes of Poe's tales so as to demonstrate his duality. The anti-rational theme is directed at neo-classic emphasis on order, logic and reason, and the anti-religious theme shows Poe's prophetic insight of modern man's dilemma. Lastly, Poe's techniques have been examined with regard to his influence on modernistic composition means such as psychological analysis, the use of symbols, and his contribution to modern detective story.