Edgar Allan Poe
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Edgar Allan Poe
1. Introduction
The selected author is Edgar Allan Poe. My decision to pick Poe was informed by several considerations. One, Poe is widely regarded as the founder of the modern short story. Two, his stories and poems have enthralled, entertained, inspired, and challenged me and I regard him as my all-time best author. For me therefore, the choice of Poe was an easy one to make. Before I picked the topic, I knew that Poe died under controversial circumstances and that he was the author of classics such as “The Tell-Tale Heart” and “The Fall of the House of Usher”. The source that I chose is the Poetry Foundation (Poetry Foundation, 2014a). I chose this particular source because it is well written with extensive information about the authors’ life and times. The source gives a biography of Poe that is detailed without becoming boring or condescending. I also chose this source because it has an extensive bibliography that lends credence to the credibility of the information in the source. The bibliography consists of books and literary criticisms published in peer reviewed journals. The bibliography also includes original letters written by Poe and editions and collections
1. Summary of the Source
The source is a webpage that is administered by The Poetry Foundation (Poetry Foundation, 2014a, 2014b).The information contained in the source is not just textual but is also graphical and multimedia as well. A picture of Poe is provided and this helps to visualize the man. There are audio clips that one can choose in order to listen to the desired poems such as those of Poe. The text used in the source is aligned to the left and the font that is used is of size 12, Times New Roman, and black against a white background. The text has links which when clicked lead to another page that contains information about a particular author whose name is mentioned. This is not only useful but is also convenient. The layout of the source is superb. The source has 2 pages. The first page is the biography of Poe and this is quite extensive, consisting of 2,391 words long divided in 8 paragraphs. The second page links to the first through a quick link and here there is a list of Poe’s articles, poems, and other works and which links back to the first page. The source also has a link that allows one to share the source or print it.
The source can be easily found using Google and other search tools. The source is easy to read and is logically comprehensible. It is written as a narrative, is engaging, and easy to follow. It is told in simple English and this makes it easily legible. Additionally, the source has verifiable information due to the extensive bibliography and the detailed information about the Poetry Foundation which administers this page. The source is a non-commercial venture as evidenced by the presence of free apps for downloading poems. The source links to social media and has RSS feeds that allow one to track conversations and updates about the source. The source also allows readers to sign up to a newsletter and receive updates on information about writers such as Poe. It is current as it was updated in 2014 and has a search tool and other quick links that make the source very user friendly.
2. Comparison
The purpose of the source is information and its target audience is the general audience. The breadth of the source can be described as shallow since it covers only the biography of Poe and lists only the poems that Poe wrote. None of the writings are analyzed and the list of Poe’s works is not comprehensive. However, its depth can be described as deep. The biography is extensively covered (an entire 2,931 words) and it carefully dissects the authors life, tracing his literary journey from its inception up to his death. This enables one to make eye-opening analysis of Poe’s style and motivations juxtaposed against the contemporary times.
The page that lists Poe’s works only includes his poems. However, its extensive listing of all his 21 poems is evidence of the depth of the second page. Overall, the source is more inclined on writing about Poe the poet rather than Poe the short story writer or Poe the literary critic. The style of the source can be described as formal. It is official in language and tone, does not use colloquial speech but only uses conventional and civilized language, is written in prose, and the grammar is up to the standard.
3. Conclusion/Evaluation
I found this source useful because it provides a detailed biography of Poe which reveals the life and times of Poe. The source is also useful because it provides very detailed information on where sizeable amounts of Poe’s papers can be found. This is a list of libraries as well as art galleries to house data. I learnt several things about Poe that I did not know of before. One, he wrote a total of 21 poems and was the brains behind a couple of poetic essays such as “The Philosophy of Composition”. Besides being branded as a forerunner of the popular literature he is a poet per excellence who has redefined the way poetry and short stories are written. He concentrated more on style and composition while other contemporary authors were fixated on the ethical and philosophical basis of their work. Thus, he helped restore art to its original pristine form by enhancing it with something more than utilitarianism. Poe is highly imaginative and is a creative genius who has an excellent grasp of language. He is an accomplished author who is well known. I knew that Poe was an orphan who attended the best schools and suffered from financial distress for most of his life and this affected his education and army career. I also knew of the high regard with which he is held as a poet and short story writer. I knew that Poe is a connoisseur in the horror genre. His works are psychologically intense and enigmatic and have the uncanny ability to evoke terror, excitement, and a feeling of shock and dreadfulness.
4. Works Consulted