The Philosophy of Composition, Edgar Allan Poe

Sanne Bergh
Eng48A
Journal for Poe
Oct. 14, 2011

Author Quote
 "Most writers [would].. positively shudder at letting the public take a peep behind the scenes... at the fully matured fancies discarded in despair... at the cautious selections and rejections" (1618).

Internet Quote

"If a writer knows enough about what he is writing about, he may omit things that he knows. The dignity of movement of an iceberg is due to only one ninth of it being above water."  
--Ernest Hemingway

Brief Summary
A writer has his or her own way of composing their own piece of work, and to dissect the process would be similar to retracing your steps back to ten years ago. In Poe's essay he dismisses the idea that to write well, one must write intuitively. It has method and analytical technique, and that is what creates a successful piece.

 

Your Idea/Reactions/Responses to the Author's Ideas
Poe describes his ideas on ways to write well, yet he does not really explain how to write well. He states that a good piece must have an "under-current" of meaning, yet I don't believe this word aligns very well with the ideas of length, method and "unity of effect". Under-current, from what I understand, is a hidden meaning, or a way a reader can understand the story for themselves. However, Poe himself spent much of his life as a "hoax writer" making money writing magazine articles or as a critic. I believe the essay is a step-by-step process for which Poe, himself, wants to write. There are the methods in which he says he puts into his poem, The Raven. Yet, I believe that these devices do, indeed, use intuition as a supplement. How does one come up with "originality" or "suggestiveness" without using the core of one's own intuition? However, Poe's writing does seem to be influenced by his life events and what he does know. For instance, his life has been traumatic and he has have events in his life that have marred his ability to comprehend things similarly to "normal people". These issues have obviously influenced his writing in ways both good and bad, but it contradicts his essay. Poe's own writing, has indeed, been changed by his intuition and instinct.