Edgar Allen Poe and Psychology: Term Paper

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..it is sadomasochism made acceptable to a mass readership by the elimination of any ostensible sexual element. Imbedded in the tale is the psychological journey of an egocentric who derives pleasure from cruelty."(Pritchard, 148) While this explanation stands, it must be observed that Poe's intention went beyond the psychological investigation: his description of evil doing is almost always accompanied by a certain symbolism that alludes to the intrusion of the supernatural in human life. As Madden notes, Poe's primary goal is to make the readers uneasy by facing them fully with the un-explainable, with that which surpasses human understanding: "Poe makes his readers uneasy by confronting them with the limits of rational thought.
He does not present the uncanny, but elicits it in the mind of the reader by presenting some things that are un-explainable and asking the reader to interpret them. It is not written as a psychoanalytic exercise, but to elicit uneasiness in the face of the un-explainable."(Madden, 60) Thus,

Poe always combines the psychological with the supernatural in his stories, hinting at the connection between the human psyche and some hidden forces of the universe.

The stories written by Edgar Allen Poe thus hint at the insufficiency of human reason to explain even the world on the one hand, but also the human mind itself.

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https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/edgar-allen-poe-psychology-34255