The Poet Edgar Allan Poe: Alien Angel

by Jerome J. McGann

The poetry of Edgar Allan Poe has had a rough ride in America, as Emerson’s sneering quip about “The Jingle Man” testifies. That these poems have never lacked a popular audience has been a persistent annoyance in academic and literary circles; that they attracted the admiration of innovative poetic masters in Europe and especially France―notably Baudelaire, Mallarmé, and Valéry―has been further cause for embarrassment. Jerome McGann offers a bold reassessment of Poe’s achievement, arguing that he belongs with Whitman and Dickinson as a foundational American poet and cultural presence.

Not all American commentators have agreed with Emerson’s dim view of Poe’s verse. For McGann, a notable exception is William Carlos Williams, who said that the American poetic imagination made its first appearance in Poe’s work. The Poet Edgar Allan Poe explains what Williams and European admirers saw in Poe, how they understood his poetics, and why his poetry had such a decisive influence on Modern and Post-Modern art and writing. McGann contends that Poe was the first poet to demonstrate how the creative imagination could escape its inheritance of Romantic attitudes and conventions, and why an escape was desirable. The ethical and political significance of Poe’s work follows from what the poet takes as his great the reader.

The Poet Edgar Allan Poe takes its own readers on a spirited tour through a wide range of Poe’s verse as well as the critical and theoretical writings in which he laid out his arresting ideas about poetry and poetics.

Genres: Literary Criticism

256 pages, Hardcover

First published October 13, 2014

Reviews

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

A different take on the man himself, Edgar Allan Poe. In, 'The Poet Edgar Allan Poe: Alien Angel' Jerome J. McGann does not critique or analyze any of Poe's known tales and very few of his poems. There may be brief mentions of Ulalume and Annabel Lee but the main focus lies in Poe's own writings and words taken from his Marginalia 1844 as well as The Philosophy of Composition. These two writings are quoted, analyzed and compared to other works by 19th century greats Tennyson, Keats, Shelley, Longfellow and the like.

If you are looking for a breakdown analysis of Poe's Tales, this is not for you. They are not mentioned here. Instead, it is a talk on themes of Beauty, Romance, Muses, and the use of plot in poetry in Poe's own words. If you want to know what Edgar Allan Poe thought on these topics then it is gripping and fascinating. I enjoyed this aspect of McGann's admiration for the man himself.

I hope readers will enjoy it as much as I have. It was as if you attended a lecture during the nineteenth century by Mr. Poe himself! Now, who wouldn't go to that?

[Bobby Frontispiece · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this book up as a casual collector of Poe's works and expected a breezy appraisal of his poetry but realized quickly that I was unprepared for this level of erudite explication. Nonetheless, I plodded through and extracted some value from it.

Though admittedly unfamiliar with some of the references in the book and many excerpts from Poe's poesy that I had never read or long forgotten, the author's points were salient enough to be understood at a basic level if not substantially relatable.

I will say that the author used several dozen words that I had never heard of previously but that didn't bother me in the least, though it could trip up some readers.

The only complaint that I had of the book was that the author sometimes defended Poe to unnecessary lengths to overcome the writer's inevitable literary shortcomings. While being a pioneer in many aspects, Poe's works are drenched in stylizations of his time period and don't need to be excused for their now hackneyed renderings.

I gave the book 4 stars because I'm unqualified to add or deduct points beyond my understanding of the author's intent. It is well-written and seemingly made all the points the author intended to communicate even if I couldn't appreciate their full meaning.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great examination not of Poe's poetry, but Poe as an under appreciated poet. Through examination of Poe's ideas of "supernal beauty" and his general belief that poetry must critique itself in some way, Jerome McGann gives us a vital and important work to add to our study of Poe. Instead of just interpreting individual works, McGann places the conversation within a framework of Poe's Marginalia, the time period in which he lived, and who he read and admired. By placing the poet within the timeframe and the way Poe used and placed the concepts of beauty and the time period's view of women, social ills, and the like in which Poe lived, McGann gives us much more than an analysis of Poe's poem, instead he grants us the idea of who and what Poe was as a poet.

I effectively read this book twice - reading the analysis, then reading the referred to Poe works and then reconsidering and rereading segments. The fact that this work prompted such consideration is proof that it is a 4 star book - it provided substance, review, and thought which allowed for further consideration not of Poe the author, but solely of Poe the poet and, with so many years and so many books written about Poe. McGann's work stands out as strong, unique, relevan, and highly readable.

I recommend this book for anyone interested in the intersection of culture and literary works with the poet himself or for anyone who would like to see an examination of Poe that focuses solely on his poetry and his choice of language and form. It also provides a history lesson on how Poe's contemporaries did and did not support him, as cases varied.

Highly recommended for anyone interested in Poe or poetry. An enjoyable and, most importantly, thought provoking addition to the study of Edgar Allan Poe and proof that there is still much to say about this author! Highly recommended!

[Erik Thibaut · Rating 3 out of 5]

Verhaal met humoristische invulling. Leuke aaneenschakeling van toevalligheden.