Tamerlane From Edgar Allen Poe Exhibit Essay

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Gothic and Edgar Allan Poe's Tamerlane And Other Poems

The writing of Edgar Allan Poe will always be connected to the gothic style of literature because Poe used death, mourning and sadness as major themes, and his first published work actually shows some of the style that would make him famous later in life. Published in 1827 when Poe was just a young man of 18-years old, the book Tamerlane and Other Poems contained several poems written when Poe was just a teenager. Because the poetry was the work of such a young man, Poe made sure to tell readers in the Preface that "they were of course not intended for publication; why they are now published concerns no one but himself. Of the smaller pieces very little need be said: they perhaps savour too much of egotism; but they were written by one too young to have any knowledge of the world but from his own breast." This introduction to his first attempts at poetry is meaning to explain the theme of lost love, which is usually something for immature writers to focus on, but even Poe did not yet recognize the influence of gothic on his literary style. For example, the title poem "Tamerlane" tells the story of a once-great warrior making a confession on his deathbed, expressing his regret at giving up love to pursue glory and power.

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The image of a dying man mournfully talking about the loss of his youth is a basic theme of gothic writing, and Poe's first attempt at writing meaningful poetry naturally featured this idea.

By looking closely at the language that Poe uses in "Tamerlane" the reader can sense the gothic style coming through in his words. When the character in the poem confesses that "The hallow'd mem'ry of those years/Comes o'er me in those lonely hours" the mood and tone created by Poe is dark and dreary, and these are key qualities of gothic writing. Another example of this can be found when Tamerlane says "The gay wall of this gaudy tower/Grows dim around me -- death is near./I had not thought, until this hour/When passing from the earth," because the image of a room growing darker symbolizing death suggests gothic influences. Finally, the poem's ending contains many gothic symbols, when Tamerlane regretfully remembers "There rose a fountain once, and there/Full many a fair flower raised its head/But she who rear'd them was long dead/And in such follies had no part/What was there left me now? despair -- / A kingdom for a broken -- heart." The idea of a man remembering "flowers….....

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