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    The Philosophy of Composition-Summary

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    The Philosophy of Composition-Summary

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    The Philosophy of Composition-Summary

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    The Philosophy of Composition

    - Edgar Allen Poe

    In "The Philosophy of Composition," American novelist and poet Edgar Allan Poe presents his
    personal philosophy of how stories should be composed or written. Poe presents his philosophy
    as definitive and believes that there is only one right way to compose great literature.

    Though Poe wrote this piece based on the practice he followed when he was writing, Poe never
    validated this. He does address how he utilized this theory during the time period in which he
    wrote 'The Raven.' According to him, there are three essential theories regarding the writing of
    literature: length, impression conveyed, and writing techniques.

    The first argument that Poe puts forth concerns length. He states that all literary works should
    be short. He claims that if a piece of writing cannot be easily read and consumed in one sitting
    as is obviously the case with most short stories and poems, it is not worth reading. This rule was
    particularly highlighted in reference to the short story being far superior to the novel. Poe delves
    into his opinion of the method behind creation. He claims the idea of artistic intuition is
    nonsense and that all writing is methodical and analytical. No author will admit this, says Poe,
    because it would mean letting the public look behind the scenes to witness everything that had
    been so cautiously chosen or discarded.

    Throughout the essay, Poe discussed how all three of these theories are evident in his poem
    'The Raven.' Regarding its length, Poe states, 'I reached at once what I conceived the proper
    length for my intended poem - a length of about one hundred lines. It is, in fact, one hundred
    and eight.' Secondly, Poe theorizes that the 'Impression, or effect, to be conveyed' is essential to
    a good piece of writing. Poe did not go into much detail explaining this theory, but rather he
    discussed how it was portrayed in his poem.

    The final conviction that Poe advocates is that a piece should only be written after the author
    decides how it will end, and how to properly infuse the story with the desired emotional
    response the author wishes to create. He calls this the unity effect. Poe states that after he
    determined “the length, the province, and the tone” of the work, he then searched for the “pivot
    upon which the whole structure might turn”. Poe decides upon using the 'refrain' that establishes
    the effect. The particular refrain with which Poe settles upon for his example is the word
    “nevermore” that could best achieve his intended effect and impression.

    In this work, Poe sets out the criteria by which he believes a literary work should be created. He
    gives us the guideline in the categories of overall effect, the required length, and general
    impression by which the reader can most satisfactorily be brought to the denouement that the
    author had first decided upon.

    *********

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