Insane or Ingenious

There is a big debate on whether Edgar Allan Poe was insane or whether his works were pieces of art. In my opinion, Poe was an amazing author and the reason people don't understand his literature is because they don't make an effort to read it. Yes, his stories have a more advanced vocabulary. Yes, some of his stories are sadistic, gruesome tales. However, I find that this does not make him insane per say, but an even better author.


Because of his terrible experiences as a child, Poe was filled with a lot of sorrow and depression at a young age. He had to suffer the difficulties of having a single mother raise him. Then his mother died and that loss hit him really hard because he was young and didn't have many other people he could really depend on. Next he was separated from his siblings and taken in by people he didn't even know. His adoptive father went on to abusing him and he didn't have very many friends. From his childhood, Poe was an outcast, never properly fitting in anywhere because of his state of mind. In all reality, if anyone had to go through what he went through, they couldn't possibly turn out to be completely normal.


I do not think he was insane, I just think he was able to express his depressing, melancholic feelings through his writing. When one can look beyond what is just written on the paper, when one can infer what the author is trying to really get across, one learns many things. Poe hides many morals and lessons in a lot of his stories and poems. The stories that aren't directly illustrating these things are just showing the reader a little bit more about Poe and his personality and feelings.




The works that Poe opened up in the most are probably his last stories and poems written. Here there is a lot of emotional sadness because of the loss of Poe's wife. It is easy, in these works, to get really attached to the main character and to feel what he is feeling. These works demonstrate the feelings of the narrator but also of the author. One is directly linked to Poe's thought process and his reaction to many situations.



I feel Poe is ingenious when it comes to his writing. He uses imagery, literary devices, symbolism and hidden meanings in such a way that once the readers infer and read between the lines, the story becomes so much more than just a story. It becomes an experience that we can link to our own lives. I encourage anyone who has not read any of Poe's works to start because you are honestly missing out on a lot!