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The fascination of his verse is not due to the depth of thought, to the
spiritual penetration of his imagination, or to the poetic setting of noble
ideals, for he lacked these qualities; but he was a master in securing
emotional effects with his sad music. He wedded his songs of the death of
beautiful women to the most wonderful melodies, which at times almost
transcend the limits of language and pass into the realm of pure music. His
verses are not all-sufficient for the hunger of the soul; but they supply
an element in which Puritan literature was too often lacking, and they
justify the transcendental doctrine that beauty is its own excuse for
being.
GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS.--Poe was a great literary artist, who thought that
the creation of beauty was the object of every form of the highest art. His
aim in both prose and poetry was to produce a pronounced effect by artistic
means. His continued wide circulation shows that he was successful in his
aim. An English publisher recently said that he sold in one year 29,000 of
Poe's tales, or about three times as many of them as of any other
American's work.
The success with which Poe met in producing an effect upon the minds of his
readers makes him worthy of careful study by all writers and speakers, who
desire to make a vivid impression.
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