The Raven & Other Poems

by Edgar Allan Poe

Book Overview

Edgar Allan Poe's poems are some of the most fascinating in the canon of American literature. Such classics as "The Raven" and "Annabel Lee" are taught in schools all over the country and are loved by... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Unknown Binding
• ISBN: B00960VT7I
• Release Date: January 1964
• Publisher: Peter Pauper Press

Customer Reviews

Raven is on Its Way

This is one of the many poems by Edgar Allan Poe. It is a very good poem but at first I didn't really understand it. It took awhile before I fully understood it even after I had been told the main idea. In this poem raven represents death. What I believe that that the man in this poem is going to die and death is tapping at his door. This poem uses lots of figurative speech and it makes it sound very pretty. Such as "Prophet!,' said I, 'Thing of evil! Prophet still if bird or devil! Whether Tempter sent or tossed thee here ashore, Desolate ye tall undaunted, On this home by horror haunted-tell me truly, I implore- Is there balm in Gilead?- tell me- tell me I implore!' Quoth the Raven, 'Nevermore." It would be a good idea to read The Raven. From the editor of the Hoppin Readin Review on Blogspot

Romance Meets Grief

What can I say of "The Raven" that has not been said? Beauty and sadness, grief and romance. "Annabel Lee" is like it, and "Ulalume" will bend your heart to weeping. These aren't the only poems here, but they are among the reasons you will reread this small volume of poetry. Lamenting the loss of a gentle but passionate woman, the narrator drinks, yet somberly dwells on her name. A local raven, with the capacity to utter like a parrot a syllable or two, repeats the speaker's chant "Lenore," as "Nevermore." The narrator, tired and broken, believes the raven might be sent by God or even by the Devil, and tries talking with it. Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary, Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore,-- While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping, As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door. "'T is some visitor," I muttered, "tapping at my chamber door; Only this and nothing more." The poem, like a long tale, draws the listener or reader to be in that lonely room. Anyone who has ever been in love and lost that lover will known Poe's pain and supplication of God. Similar to the Raven in its message is "Annabel Lee," as the poet declares his grief over his lost lover. This love here is one he knew as a young teen, and whose love even the angels were jealous of. It was many and many a year ago, In a kingdom by the sea, That a maiden there lived whom you may know By the name of Annabel Lee; And this maiden she lived with no other thought Than to love and be loved by me. Slightly lesser known is "Ulalume." It will remind readers of "The Raven," in its storytelling structure, though the poetry behind it is somewhat different. Like many of Poe's poetry, rhythm, alliteration and near internal rhymes lift the poem up high. It is somber, driven by gray images of sadness. The Skies they were ashen and sober; The leaves they were crispèd and sere, The leaves they were withering and sere; It was night in the lonesome October Of my most immemorial year; It was hard by the dim lake of Auber, In the misty mid region of Weir: It was down by the dank tarn of Auber, In the ghoul-haunted woodland of Weir. I fully recommend "The Raven And Other Poems," by Edgar Allan Poe, and look into a fuller collection including his stories, and more poetry. Anthony Trendl editor, HungarianBookstore.com

The work of a poetic virtuoso--with a twist

The Dover Thrift Edition of "The Raven and Other Favorite Poems," by Edgar Allan Poe, is a fine collection of work from one of the most remarkable figures in American literature. The poems in this volume demonstrate Poe's total mastery of poetic effects: rhyme, meter, alliteration, etc. He is inventive and versatile in his use of different poetic structures. The many allusions mark this as the work of a truly brainy poet.But it's not just his skill and intelligence that are characteristic of Poe. He is also a poet of deeply felt passions. This collection shows his appreciation of love and beauty, as well as his concern with loss and tragedy.I'll just mention a few of the selections that struck me most. "Sonnet--To Science": brilliantly expresses the tension between scientific and mythopoetic worldviews. "The Coliseum": a thrilling exploration of the power of ancient ruins. "The Haunted Palace": the rich language contributes to its fairy-tale like flavor. "To My Mother": an achingly tender tribute to the speaker's mother-in-law. "Annabel Lee": a hauntingly beautiful, yet disturbingly creepy poem of love and loss. And of course, the unforgettable title poem.Dive into Poe's poetry and you enter a realm haunted by both angels and demons--a world of sorrow and joy, of terror and intoxicating beauty.

All my favorites!

I was first hooked on literature in high school, having before that been strictly a reader of sci-fi and horror. I was wonderfully surprised to discover Poe's tales and poems, not only because they catered to my love of the dark and disturbed, but because they were something altogether different from what I'd been reading! This book contains the poem that Poe is most favorite for and one of my long time faves, the Raven. But it also contains a wonderful assortment of other poems so that you get the full range of Poe's literary ability in one slim little book! Whoever put teen angst in such beautiful terms; "From childhood's hour I have not been/as others were..." If you're looking for a cheap version with a good cross section of his poetry, this is most definitely the book to pick up.

Poe is amazing!

In my 5th grade class, we are reading about Edgar Allan Poe. I remembered that I had this book, so I sat in front of my fire and started to read. Poe dazzels me with wonderous fears, thought, and imagery. If you like scary stories, Poe will touch your heart with his magical words.