Look what I did!

-->

One of my final grades for my American Lit course was a paper on Edgar Allan Poe, and his influence on the writers who came after him.  Since I got an amazing grade on it, I thought I would share!  

            Edgar Allan Poe is so much more than just a gothic poet, master of the macabre, or blistering critic. He is also much more than the debt-ridden alcoholic found wandering the streets of Baltimore. To many authors and artists of the 20^th and 21^st centuries, he is a literary hero, an innovator, a father of new genres, and inventor of literary guidelines.  His impact across art forms is limitless.  For an author who claimed to look up to no one, the number of people who look up to him is countless.

            Poe’s guidelines listed in “The Poetic Principle” have been applied over and over in literature classes worldwide. The scientific breakdown of the poetic styles of Tennyson, Lord Byron, and Longfellow has assisted future writers, or even simply readers, to understand the method behind certain patterns.  He explained how meter and tone applied to certain poems. His explanation process has been used by teachers to educate about various types of poetry in English classes.

            Many authors looked toward Poe as an inspiration for their own works, or follow a similar blueprint as his stories. For example, Stephen King has a tale called “The Old Dude’s Ticker,” which is equal parts homage to Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart” and a modern-day retelling of the tale. Philip Roth mimicked Poe’s style with, “the narrator who is frantic, frenetic, a little deranged, who nevertheless somehow grows on us.” (Pearl)  Welsh author Arthur Machen had often been compared to Poe due to his mastery of the horror genre, even though he claimed that his overall style differed from Poe’s greatly. 

            Poe’s attention to detail, no matter how grotesque, pushed the envelope in the thriller and mystery genres, before they truly existed. The situations Stephen King continues to toe the line between scary and too horrible to be true, much like Poe did.  Comparing King’s “Carrie” to Poe’s “The Fall of the House of Usher,” both tales feel true-to-life yet include imaginary aspects—Carrie’s telekinesis and the destruction of the Usher House.  They both immerse readers into a storyline that feels natural, but with added paranormal or grotesque details that are unfathomable. 

            The inspiration gained from Poe’s literary style, extends outside the literary world as well.  Musicians around the world have put the words and styling of Poe to music as well.  Some musicians have put Poe’s words to music, such as Stevie Nicks’s song “Annabel Lee.”  Others, such as The White Stripes and Lou Reed wrote songs about “Masque of the Red Death,” and “The Raven,” respectively. Actor John Cusack stated that he used Lou Reed’s album, “The Raven,” to get him into the mindset to play the role of Edgar Allan Poe for the movie, “The Raven.”  Even modern artists like Nine Inch Nails and The Cure can attribute their dark, gothic sound to Poe.  Ironically, even the Beatles may have been influenced to an extent; Poe makes a cameo appearance on the album cover art for “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.” 

            Several Classical composers of the modern era took on the challenge of setting Poe to music, as well.  Sergei Rachmaninoff set Poe’s poem “The Bells” to music in 1913 in a choral composition, after being requested in an anonymous letter.  Claude Debussy used “The Fall of the House of Usher” as a libretto for an unfinished opera, “La chute de la maison Usher.” Even more recently, Philip Glass composed an opera based on “Usher” in 1989.  English composer Joseph Holbrooke set several poems to music, as well as composing “The Masque of the Red Death” as a ballet.

            Art has been inspired by Poe’s unique style of writing, as well.  The Baltimore Museum of Art held an exhibit for Fall 2009.  Artwork by Paul Gauguin, Edouard Manet, Odilon Redon, René Magritte, and Robert Motherwell were all highlighted.  The exhibit connected several themes between his literature and the art world. Love and loss is a theme he expressed in “Annabel Lee,” fear and terror can be found in “Cask of Amontillado” and “Pit and the Pendulum,” and the themes madness and obsession can be found in “The Tell-Tale Heart.” 

            The creation of the murder-mystery genre, which can be attributed to Poe, has led to the creation of several outstanding characters by other authors.  Arthur Conan Doyle admitted that his Sherlock Holmes character as well as certain cases, were inspired by Poe’s character C. Auguste Dupin, in “The Murders in the Rue Morgue:  The Dupin Tales.” Because of this, C. Auguste Dupin can be described as the forefather of Sherlock Holmes, or even Hercule Poirot.  Without Poe’s initial work, the world may have never met Arthur Conan Doyle, Agatha Christie, or Mary Higgins Clark.

            Poe can also be attributed to the sci-fi genre, as well.  Jules Verne and Thomas Pynchon found Poe influential.  “The Fall of the House of Usher” had a touch of sci-fi in the final scene, with the bright light coming from the house.   He also wrote stories that touched on familiar sci-fi scenarios like travelling through time or space, as well as reanimation of the dead.  While this concept was not taken very seriously at the time, it opened up a new avenue for authors to explore. 

            While moviemaking is a newer media form, Poe even holds great influence there as well.  One of the all-time greatest horror moviemakers, Alfred Hitchcock, felt a great connection between himself and Edgar Allan Poe. Hitchcock may have felt sympathy for Poe and all the misfortunes he suffered through his lifetime, but he admired and utilized many of Poe’s tactics in his own writing and directing.  Both Poe and Hitchcock also placed great importance on the perfection of their product.   Similarities can also be found between Poe’s story arcs, and Hitchcock’s; both men used a slow build of tension with a climactic twist at the very end.  They both also presented very uncomfortable situations realistically.   

            Another characteristic that Poe put forward for future writers was his high standard.  As a perfectionist, he was exceptionally critical of not only his own work but also the work of fellow authors.  If it doesn’t pull your reader in, engage them, leave them gasping for more, then it isn’t worth putting out for public consumption.  Write with a purpose, write to Poe’s standard, is a great motto to stand by. 

            The foundation that Edgar Allan Poe left for future writers and artists is impressive, even though his work did not leave that great of an impression during his lifetime.  His sharp criticisms did not gain him many admirers among the literary world at the time.  However, with time, his impact has become greatly appreciated.  There are at least 251 projects on television or film, with the tally going up continuously; the number of poems, short stories, or novels that have either mimicked or retold Poe’s tales are too numerous to count.  Today, artists and authors can feel free to push the envelope with their fan base, suspend reality, or drive them to test the limits of their own comfort or fear.     

Works Cited

Demarco, Laura. "Edgar Allan Poe, Stephen King are masters of macabre page turners." The Plain Dealer, 27 Oct 2012. Web. 8 Mar 2013. <http://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2012/10/edgar_allan_poe_stephen_king_a.html>.

Estrin, Elana. "Music inspired by Poe’s works." 12 Nov 2009: n. page. Web. 8 Mar. 2013. <http://www.utexas.edu/opa/blogs/culturalcompass/2009/11/12/music-inspired-by-poes-works/>.

Mannix, Anne. "Spine-Tingling Events Inspired by Poe at the BMA This Fall." . Baldimore Museum of Art, 10 August 2009. Web. 8 Mar 2013. <http://www.artbma.org/press/documents/Poe-BaltimoreIcon_programs_final_000.pdf>.

Marchese, David. "John Cusack Lists the Music That Inspired 'The Raven'." Spin Magazine. 27 Apr 2012: n. page. Web. 8 Mar. 2013. <http://www.spin.com/articles/john-cusack-lists-music-inspired-raven>.

Meslow , Scott. "Pop Culture's Undying Edgar Allan Poe Obsession." 26 Apr 2012: n. page. Web. 8 Mar. 2013. <http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2012/04/pop-cultures-undying-edgar-allan-poe-obsession/256417/>.

Pearl, Matthew. "Matthew Pearl's top 10 books inspired by Edgar Allan Poe." Guardian. 22 May 2006: n. page. Web. 8 Mar. 2013. <http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2006/may/23/top10s.poe>.

Perry, Dennis. "Imps of the perverse: Discovering the Poe/Hitchcock connection." Literature Film Quarterly. 24.4 (1996): 393. Web. 8 Mar. 2013. <http://www.cswnet.com/~erin/eap4.htm>.

Phillips , Mark. "Top Ten Artists Influenced by Edgar Allan Poe." . Artist Direct, 07 Oct 2011. Web. 8 Mar 2013. <http://music.yahoo.com/blogs/yradish/songs-inspired-by-the-writings-of-edgar-allan-poe.html>.

Quinn , Patrick, ed. "http://www.loa.org/volume.jsp?RequestID=90." Edgar Allan Poe:  Poetry and Tales. Library of America. Web. 8 Mar 2013.

Walters, Edgar. "Arthur Machen Turns 150." Harry Ransom Center, Cultural Compass. University of Texas Austin, 5 Mar 2013. Web. 8 Mar 2013. <http://www.utexas.edu/opa/blogs/culturalcompass/2013/03/05/arthur-machen-welsh-horror-fiction-author-turns-150-this-week/>.