On The Edgar Allan Poe 路 Slope In The Poetry Of Symbolism

Edgar Allan Poe is a poet ahead of his time. His poetry exerts great influence on the modern western poetry, especially the Symbolist poetry in the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century. Poe's philosophical ideas about literary composition share similarities with those of the Symbolist poets. He indulges himself in the illusory dreamland, which he believes is the only truth; he is pessimistic about life and exalts a life beyond the death of a body; he holds that poetry should be written solely for poetry's sake. Poe and the Symbolists also have a lot in common in poetry writing. For example, Poe employs several techniques to achieve a totality of effect, making the poems symbolic as a whole; he elaborately chooses images to construct symbols and transmit the symbolic significance that he wants to convey; he pays special attention to the musical quality of a poem, maintaining that musicality is a device of vital importance in a poem; he also likes to use suggestiveness and defamiliarization to achieve effects in his poems. Following the way that Poe has outlined, the Symbolists inherit, theorize and further develop Poe's techniques. As a precursor of the Symbolist Movement, Poe's contribution should never be underestimated.