The Death of Beauty in Edgar Allan Poe’s Poetry
Author: Maha Qahtan Sulaiman
Date: 2019-04-12
Keywords: death, woman, tragedy
DOI:
In “The Philosophy of Composition” Poe writes that the death of a
beautiful woman is the most poetical subject in the world. This perverse and
personal opinion is the outcome of tragedies in his life. Poe was deeply
attached to various beautiful women who died young, leaving him obsessed
with his need of woman and fear of death and annihilation. The study traces
the nature of Poe’s relation with woman and his notion of her death as
reflected in his aesthetic theory and poetry. The poems chosen in this study
are notable for their tone of sorrow after the death of a beautiful beloved
which becomes a predominant motif in Poe’s literary output.
