A Study Of Drama Elements In Edgar Allan Poe’s Horror Stories

Edgar Allan Poe(1809—1849) was a perfect short story writer, poet and critic in the American romantic period in the 19 th century. He produced more than seventy short stories, and most of them were arabesque and grotesque tales. Poe was a master hand at mobilizing various elements, using variety of creative devices, arranging events and creating artistic effects. “The unity of effect” was the core of Poe’s writing principle and his horror stories were all achieved terror “of the soul”. By careful analysis of Poe’s creations, audience will find Poe’s horror tales are as vivid as plays. Readers seem to have the feeling of enjoying drama.This thesis attempts to study dramatic features of Edgar Allan Poe’s horror tales under the guidance of Aristotle’s tragedy theory. In Poetics, Aristotle divided tragedy elements into six constituents: plot, character, diction, thought,song, and spectacle. And he thought that only by means of pity and fear brought about the purgation. So do Poe’s horror tales. After reading Poe’s macabre tales, readers will achieve release and purgation from the feeling of pity and fear.This thesis covers six chapters. In the introduction part, it deals with some basic information about Poe, which gives a general account of his life experience and his horror tales, and the survey of critics’ study. In Chapter One, it presents the origin of drama, Aristotle’s tragedy theory and the relationship between tragedy elements and Poe’s horror tales.From Chapter Two to Chapter Four are the main parts of this paper. These three parts are devoted to a detailed analysis of tragedy elements in Poe’s horror tales on three aspects: plot, character and spectacle. In chapter Two, it tells the plot element in Poe’s horror stories. For Aristotle, the best plot was complex plot which the change was accompanied by discoveries, reversals, and calamities that can be found in Poe’s tales. In Chapter Three, it presents the character element. There are mainly three kinds of characters in Poe’s horror tales: abnormal complex, split personality and insanity. The protagonists’ characters and actions produce a strong sense of the readers’ identification. In Chapter Four, it concerns the spectacle element. Some representative stage props, like closed scenery, dark midnight, secretly stared eyes, symbolized death bells are all made the readers breathless when whey read the stories.The last part explains the dramatic artistic effect of Poe’s play-like-stories, including the sense of beauty, horror of the soul and Poe’s unique way to achieve purgation through horror and death.