Search For Beauty

The present dissertation interprets the nature of Beauty in Edgar Allan Poe's poems through analysis of three of his poems.The introduction part makes a survey of the American poet Allan Poe's lonely lifetime and the influence of such a life on the pursuit of his unique poetic Beauty.Chapter One is the previous research outcome of the recent years.It covers academic essays,collections and books of criticism on Poe's poems and poetics.Chapter Two traces the factors affecting the formation of Allan Poe's aesthetics from three aspects.The first section centers on the beloved ladies who have passed away in Poe's life — Eliza Arnold Poe,Jane Stanard,Frances Allan and Virginia Clemm.The second part elaborates the 19 th century mourning culture of America,which is instantiated by historical records about Camille Mount,Eliza Howell and Virginia Clemm.The third stress is laid on the exploration of the influence of the English Romantic poet,Coleridge(1772-1834)and the German philosopher,Kant(1724-1804).Coleridge mainly aids Poe in forming his opinion of poetry for Beauty,while Kant principally assists Poe in recognizing the essence of Beauty.Chapter Three elaborates the nature of Beauty in Allan Poe's poems through analysis of three of his poems,“Annabel Lee”,“The Raven” and “To Helen”.“Annabel Lee” is analyzed under the guidance of “Letter to B —” from the angle of Poe's definition for poetry.“The Raven” is examined from the aspects of the extent of poetry,the unity of effect,the poetic tone and refrain,under the guidance of “The Philosophy of Composition”.“To Helen” is discussed according to Poe's theory on the essentiality of poetry which is expressed in “The Poetic Principle”.The conclusion of the present dissertation is that Beauty in Allan Poe's aesthetic theory includes three levels: The first is poetic musicality,the second deceased females in his poems and the third happy and harmonious home which Allan Poe pursued all his life but never satisfactorily enjoyed.