The Philosophy of Composition

Poe tells the reader that his creative process in writing “The Raven” followed a process of analysis based on logic. Throughout the essay, Poe analyzes the options that he had when writing the poem and thinks about how to achieve the best results. He proceeds in reverse, first establishing the effect he wants to produce and methodically planning how to obtain it.

Poe tries to convince the reader that his process of analysis is mostly deductive and that the solutions he finds are necessary. For instance, he claims that from the analysis of the concept of beauty it became clear that the highest form of beauty is connected to sadness and melancholy. This analysis of the concept of beauty leads to the choice of the theme of death.

Poe asks which of all the tones a poet may choose is “the highest manifestation of Beauty” (547), and he concludes that it is sadness. Poe considers melancholy “the most legitimate of all the poetical tones” (547), and all elements in the poem must contribute to this effect. This includes the plot, the setting, and the characters, as well as the formal elements such as the