Edgar Allan Poe is a famous American writer, poet, and literary critic. His short stories and poetry are well-known for their macabre and mystery themes. His works are considered to be essential to American literature and Romanticism. In fact, some critics believe Poe is the central figure in American Romanticism.
Poe wrote “The Raven” when his wife Virginia suffered from tuberculosis. She was Poe’s first cousin and only thirteen years old when he married her. Poe had previously lost his brother and foster mother to tuberculosis and knew that he would lose his wife to it, too.
“The Raven” became Poe’s most famous poem and brought him national fame. After the success of “The Raven”, he moved to New York, became an editor at the Broadway Journal, and republished many of his short stories. Poe’s love interest, Frances Sargent Locke Osgood, pursued him for some time. His wife Virginia did not object to the relationship.
“The Raven” is a very melancholy poem. It revolves around dark topics, such as death, loss, and grief. Grief is the overwhelming emotion portrayed in “The Raven”. Grief consumes the narrator throughout the story, which is a story of love and loss. As the narrator’s grief intensifies, he tries to distract himself by reading. In his grief, he asks the raven about Lenore and is confused by the raven’s answer. This sadness breaks him down.
