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/lit/ - Literature

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23113300 No.23113300 [Reply] [Original]

What does /lit/ think of Edgar Allen Poe's "Philosophy of Composition"?

>Poe believed that all literary works should be short. He writes, "[...] there is a distinct limit, as regards length, to all works of literary art — the limit of a single sitting [...]" He especially emphasized this "rule" with regard to poetry, but also noted that the short story is superior to the novel for this reason.

>Poe dismissed the notion of artistic intuition and argued that writing is methodical and analytical, not spontaneous. He writes that no other author has yet admitted this because most writers would "positively shudder at letting the public take a peep behind the scenes... at the fully matured fancies discarded in despair... at the cautious selections and rejections".

>The essay states Poe's conviction that a work of fiction should be written only after the author has decided how it is to end and which emotional response, or "effect", he wishes to create, commonly known as the "unity of effect". Once this effect has been determined, the writer should decide all other matters pertaining to the composition of the work, including tone, theme, setting, characters, conflict, and plot. In this case, Poe logically decides on "the death... of a beautiful woman" as it "is unquestionably the most poetical topic in the world, and equally is it beyond doubt that the lips best suited for such topic are those of a bereaved lover."

Is this the best, most optimal way to write?

>> No.23113316

>edgar allen poe believed books should have chapters
wow

>> No.23113379

>>23113316
Awww faggot retard lacks the iq necessary to read and take in a few sentences. Kill yourself.
>>23113300
I think this is brilliant. I write my stories using this method.

>> No.23113452
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23113452

>>23113300
Its a cute idea, but iirc almost none of his stories were actually composed utilizing this philosophy lol; its similar to how "Kind Of Blue" is heralded as Miles Davis's great foray into modal jazz, but only one or two of its tracks ever experiments with musical modes

>> No.23113467

What I remember reading from Poe in my youth his stories certainly had a very dreamlike quality to them. The dream does not properly start, nor does it properly end, at least for me. You sort of just get "thrown" into situations/scenes. At least I remember enjoying Poe's stories.

>> No.23113508

>>23113467
>The dream does not properly start, nor does it properly end
Its also always strikingly vague & ambiguous; what perceived slight caused Montressor to decide to murder Fortunato? Why does the old man's blind vulture exacerbate the narrator's over-sensitivity that he plots to kill him? From where did the Red Death originate & how did it infiltrate Prospero's castle? Nothing is ever truly answered or resolved in Poe stories, information is only ever strategically presented in order to heighten the pervasive atmosphere of nightmarish disorientation

>> No.23113595

I don't think I fully agree but I do agree that a lot of modern media in general feels the need to not only overly long but to over explain things. Poe's style certainly worked for his writing and I wouldn't want to change it. And as a general fan of pulp adventure stuff I will also admit that I appreciate the general briskness of it as a good reason why. But there are books which I think also benefit from a leisurely pace. I suppose it really boils down to if the content is meaningful to story and not just being drawn out or cut out at the whims of an editor.

>>23113508
Going off this, you often seen a lot of stuff like this where the horror is unexplained because NOT KNOWING is the point. A dumber writer or perhaps one with less faith in his audience might try to over explain things but if Poe did it would be almost certain that his work wouldn't have the same punch anymore.

>> No.23113643

>>23113300
>Poe believed that all literary works should be short.
The same rule as poetry should work on prose. There still are excellent long poems.
>Poe dismissed the notion of artistic intuition and argued that writing is methodical and analytical, not spontaneous.
Why not both?
>The essay states Poe's conviction that a work of fiction should be written only after the author has decided how it is to end and which emotional response, or "effect", he wishes to create
A useful rule of thumb to avoid the Russian soap opera, but Poe himself violated it all the time.