What Makes Edgar Allan Poe So Great? An Animated Video Explains:
In the short TED-Ed video … scripted by Poe scholar Scott Peeples of the College of Charleston, we are introduced to many of the qualities of form and style that make Poe distinctive, and that made him stand out among a crowd of popular horror writers of the time. There are his principles, elaborated in his essay, which state that one should be able to read a story in one sitting, and that every word in the story must count.
These rules produced what Poe called the "Unity of Effect," which "goes far beyond fear. Poe's stories use violence and horror to explore the paradoxes and mysteries of love, grief, and guilt, while resisting simple interpretations or clear moral messages. And while they often hint at supernatural elements, the true darkness they explore is the human mind." …
Josh Jones is a writer and musician based in Durham, NC. Follow him at @jdmagness
(Via Open Culture)
Poe is my go to. I reread the Collected Works every so often.
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