A Study Of The Artistic Techniques In Edgar Allan Poe's Short Stories

As an important writer in the 19th century history of American literature, Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849) exerted certain international influences. For a long time after his death, Poe didn't get the recognition he deserved. However, his talents in literature has been gradually rediscovered and appreciated. His literary fame is rising steadily. Up to now, he has been regarded as one of the classic writers in American literature. His short stories, poems and literature criticism theories have become valuable treasures of the whole world. Poe, known as "the farther of the American short story", first developed the unique form of the short story, posed its theories and expounded its criterion.The most distinct feature of Edgar Allan Poe's writing is the theme of death that appears repeatedly in his works. The main causes for Poe's theme of death are his unique artistic theories, rough and rugged paths of life and the influence of social situation of the time. This thesis intends to discuss Edgar Allan Poe's artistic techniques, of which "unity of effect" is a key point in Poe's critical theory. In his opinion, the very first sentence ought to help to bring out the "single-effect" of the story. No word should be used that doesn't contribute to the 'pre-established'design of the work. Other artistic techniques used in some of Poe's short stories such as "telling", "showing", "symbolism" will also be discussed and analyzed.The thesis is divided into six parts, covering an introduction, four chapters, and a conclusion.The introduction gives a general account of Edgar Allan Poe's life story, reviews the research situation on Poe and his works both at home and abroad, and presents the feasibility of the study of the artistic techniques in Poe's short stories.Chapter One introduces "unity of effect" represented in his four short stories and analyzes how it is embodied in The Fall of the House of Usher, The Cask of Amontillado, The Tell-Tale Heart and The Black Cat. Chapter Two discusses "telling" and "showing", and how "telling" is applied in The Fall of the House of Usher and The Cask of Amontillado; and how "showing" is skillfully used in Poe's masterpieces such as The Tell-Tale Heart and The Purloined Letter. Chapter Three treats with symbolism Poe used in his stories like The Masque of the Read Death and The Black Cat. The symbolism, which contributes to the highlight of Poe's Gothic effect, is under analysis. Chapter Four analyses the plot construction of Poe's two short stories whose titles are The Gold Bug and The Cask of Amontillado. Since plot is an important element of a story, this chapter will also present us Poe's great ability of knitting plots.Based on the above discussions, the thesis arrives at the conclusion that by using different artistic techniques, Poe achieves an astonishing and fantastic effect. Poe's short stories win him the eternal position in the literary world of all ages.