English Deutsch Français Italiano Español Português 繁體中文 Bahasa Indonesia Tiếng Việt ภาษาไทย
All categories

how is annabelle lee(a poem by edger allen poe) related to how is annabelle lee related to The Fall of the House(a book from eder allen poe)???

2007-10-13 07:10:53 · 2 answers · asked by Austin N 1 in Arts & Humanities Books & Authors

2 answers

Hope this helps:

"Nonetheless, it is quite clear that, at least “above the iceberg,” Poe felt a strong affection for his mother. Traditional Freudian theory can also be applied to the storyline and characters in another one of Poe’s short stories, “The Fall of the House of Usher.” Though its implication of incest (most of which is drawn from the rather suspect behavior of Usher following his sister’s death and the quote that the two shared "sympathies of a scarcely intelligible nature" (“The Fall of the House of Usher,” 270)) seems like Poe is pandering to the lowest common denominator of reader, he is actually including a topic that was common ground for writing of that time (Wagenknecht 57). Even so, Poe’s insertion of the theme brings to light interesting parallels with his own story. While it is clear that Poe’s time with his parents was not long by any means, it is understood that due to his father’s frequent inebriation and abusive behavior, Elizabeth had a much larger effect on the then-toddler Poe. It is then no surprise to see Poe acting out his Freudian Oedipus complex by having Usher (clearly analogous to Poe) romanticize a blood relative in concept (if not physically), even after her death (or at least what Usher perceives to be her death).
In addition to being concerned with subtly lusting after his mother, Poe also devoted much of his creativity towards the primary love of his life, Virginia Clemm. Within Poe’s poem “Annabel Lee,” are several references to Virginia’s youngness and their relationship:
I was a child and she was a child, in this kingdom by the sea; but we loved with a love that was more than love- I and my Annabel Lee; with a love that the winged seraphs of heaven coveted her and me. And this was the reason that, long ago, in this kingdom by the sea, a wind blew out of a cloud, chilling my beautiful Annabel Lee; so that her highborn kinsman came and bore her away from me, to shut her up in sepulcher in this kingdom by the sea… for the moon never beams without bringing me dreams of the beautiful Annabel Lee; and the stars never rise but I feel the bright eyes of my beautiful Annabel Lee; and so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side of my darling- my darling- my life and my bride, in the sepulcher there by the sea, in her tomb by the pounding sea (“Annabel Lee,” 12-13).
The poem gives the impression that Poe and Clemm’s relationship might have been looked down upon by some, yet Poe’s refutation that they had a “love that was more than love” attempts to dispel that. It is through the poem that Poe, for once, truly lays out all of his feelings about the entire relationship with Virginia. It is also unfortunately a chronicle of his heartbreaking behavior following her death. Though Pruette says that their union was only existent because of Poe’s desire for a mother figure in Maria Clemm (who he became incredibly close with) (67), “Annabel Lee” also recreates Poe’s frequent night-time visits to Virginia’s graveside, where he would often sleep (“all the night-tide, I lie down by the side of my darling”). Poe loved Clemm so much that towards the end of her life and following her death, he could not bear the strain of losing someone so close to him, and he began to drink heavily. “Each time I felt the agonies of her death- and at each accession of the disorder I loved her more dearly and clung to her life with more desperate pertinacity. But I am constitutionally sensitive- nervous in a very unusual degree. During these fits of absolute unconsciously, I drank, God only knows how often or how much” (qtd. in Buranelli 38). Here, Poe makes direct mention of his bout with depression and admits to drinking every time his depressive side reared its ugly head. Though containing remarkable beauty and examples of Poe’s sheer brilliance, “Annabel Lee” also became a regrettable testament to the disarray that consumed Poe’s life following the death of his wife.

2007-10-13 07:24:50 · answer #1 · answered by johnslat 7 · 0 0

Since this is such an emergency, I will answer with great haste. Could Edgar Allen Poe be the common denominator, nee answer? I shall ponder this weak and weary...

2007-10-13 07:27:20 · answer #2 · answered by Thomas E 7 · 0 0

fedest.com, questions and answers