I'm not going to post very often here (I talk too much in class already), but I'm guessing that many of you (all of you, even), think that Poe is more fun to read than Cooper. I hope that I've given you a sense that they are equally worthy of critical interest, but it's hard to deny that the experience of reading Poe is more pleasurable than the experience of reading Cooper. It's worth explaining why, and this is a good question to explore on the blog.
Here's one answer: Poe knows that short pieces are easier to read, more instantly entertaining, than long novels. Other thoughts?
I would completely agree that reading Poe is more enjoyable than reading Cooper — and in my opinion, much more enjoyable than reading Emerson as well. While Poe's writing style is by no means contemporary, it does not seem quite as antiquated as that of Cooper. I also think that Poe's false epithets and the false editor's note preceding "The Raven" make it seem as though Poe is playing with us, whether or not that was his intention.
ReplyDelete