Life Experiences on Art

劉金朋

1. Edgar Allan Poe

Born on January 19， 1809， Boston， Massachusetts， U.S， Edgar Allan Poe achieved fame as a literary critic. He also has great talent in creating short stories and poems， earning him the nickname “father of the detective story”. The most sorrow part lies in his grown-up experiences： Poe never really gained any knowledge of his parents. His father left the family early on， and his mother passed away when he was only three. Despite the painful experiences， Poe was extremely craving for maternal love.

In an 1835 letter to Beverley Tucker， who mentioned to him in a previous letter that he had known Poes actress mother and that he recalled her outstanding beauty. Poe replied： “In speaking of my mother you have touched a string to which my heart fully responds. To have known her is to be the object of great interest in my eyes. I myself never knew her — and never knew the affection of a father. Both died…within a few weeks of each other. I have many occasional dealings with Adversity — but the want of parental affection has been the heaviest of my trials” .

Poes subsequent behavior， particularly his persistent need to be closely associated with some woman who could play the role of mother to him， whether Frances Allan （the first Mrs. Allan， his “foster-mother”）； Mrs. Maria Clemm， his aunt who became his mother-in-law； and Virginia， who became his “wife-mother”.

The devoid of maternal love and death of beloved ones not only leaves an indelible trauma upon Allan Poes heart， but also infects his choosing of topic in the writing， including the values of life. His most popular poems are obvious manifestations of his mental state when the people in his life most dear to him either abandoned him or died， of which the melancholic beauty， the classic beauty， and the aesthetic beauty are revealed to a full extent.

2. Poes Poetic Achievement

The Raven written in 1845 is considered a great American literary work and one of the best of Poe's career. In the work， Poe explores some of his common themes—death and loss. It may have been at the time of writing the poem that Poe came to the realization that his mother was not coming back and he envisioned himself as the student in the poem. It was a time when his young wife， Virginia， was approaching death， so The Raven is symbolic of all the loves hed lost as well as a foreshadowing of Virginias fate. For the better understanding of the poem， Poe amplifies the paradox of love and death in “The Philosophy of Composition”： “…the death， then， of a beautiful woman is， unquestionably， the most poetical topic in the world [and] the lips best suited for such a topic are those of a bereaved lover” .

Annabel Lee was written in May 1849， a few months before his death. It is believed to be in memory of Virginia Clemn， Poes wife who married him at the age of thirteen and who died in 1847 before she turned twenty-five. "Annabel Lee" has a peaceful， musical rhythm which reflects the overall musicality of the poem and makes heavy use of the refrain phrases "in this kingdom by the sea" and "of the beautiful Annabel Lee，" as well as of the repetition of other words. In particular， although the poem's stanzas have a somewhat irregular length and structure， the rhyme scheme continually emphasizes the three words "me，" "Lee，" and "sea，" enforcing the linked nature of these concepts within the poem while giving the poem a song-like sound. This poem perfectly illustrates Poes genius in achieving aesthetic beauty. For him， poem is an overflow of inner feelings，"With me poetry has been not a purpose， but a passion； and the passions should be held in reverence： they must not–they cannot at will be excited， with an eye to the paltry compensations， or the more paltry commendations， of mankind.".His unique understanding of poem propels him to focus on the musicality and harmony of poetic structure.

The most damaging areas in his life repeatedly introduced themselves into his poems and stories. Poe's life was a one filled with tragedy and death； consequently， the story of his life seems all too eerily similar to the themes of his poems and stories. Poes personal experiences influenced his work from various ways： The loss of love， maternal love， in particular， in earlier years inspired him to seek comfort from the poems. The incomplete family urged him to pursue perfection and aesthetic beauty in the work. In brief， what he craves in real life was realized in art.

3. Conclusion

Edgar Allan Poe played a unique role in the American poetic world. He distinguishes himself by the unique literary style and bold innovation against the conventional and authoritative literary criterion. However， he experienced an extraordinary life that is instrumental to their poetic creation. This paper is a tentative study on how his particular life tragedies influence his art and justifies the common saying that “l(fā)iterature is a reflection of life”.