2.1: Two Competing Poetics
2.1.1: Ralph Waldo Emerson
- Read these important critical statements on poetry by Emerson along with a sampling of his poetry and the accompanying critical overview. Emerson argues that the poet is a seer who penetrates the mysteries of the universe and articulates the universal truths that bind humanity together. Hence, the true poet, who puts into words what others feel but cannot express, speaks for all men and women. What do you notice about both content and form? Can any of these poems be read on an allegorical level?
Read this critical overview of Emerson and "The Poet".
Read this poem alongside the other works in this subunit.
2.1.2: Edgar Allen Poe
Read this important critical statement on poetry by Poe, his most famous poem, and the accompanying critical overview. Poe and Emerson are usually considered two of the most important American Romantics. They felt that poetry was humankind's greatest artistic achievement, but they had distinctly different ideas about what constituted great poetry. "The Raven" demonstrates assonance, alliteration, simile, metaphor, personification, and onomatopoeia. If you are unfamiliar with these literary terms, search the internet for definitions and review how they apply to the stanzas in this poem.
Read this critical overview alongside the other works in this subunit.