I found “The Philosophy of Composition” extremely interesting to read, particularly after rereading “The Raven”. I felt like the beginning, where Poe tries to explain his motives for writing the essay, was most interesting. I had never quite thought of the fact that many great writers of the time (and frankly even now) have not explained or analyzed their creative process in any kind of thorough or public way. Particularly when it comes to poetry, I do agree with Poe that the process of creation and conception seems to be understood by many as a sort of esoteric, or even indescribable thing. Some describe inspiration or ideas as merely “coming to them” or arriving in their minds, which seems to me to imply some kind of exclusive or divine election, which makes the minds and souls of “poets” more apt than the average person to communicate important messages or convey powerful sentiments. I thought of Emerson and his essay on poets; it seems to me like his writing is in agreement with the aforementioned phenomena. He describes great poets as those who are gifted enough to transcend their time, with a rare awareness of the eternal. For Emerson, there is a need, even a duty, for those special poets (for whom he builds an incredible pedestal) to put the “right” words to life’s phenomena and share these articulations with the “less skilled”. From my reading, Poe’s work did quite the opposite. In a way that I really appreciated, he admitted (and seemed to prove) that it is in fact possible for great writers to boil their processes down to steps. Though this may take work, he reminds us that realistically, most writers do have methods to their madness, and usually ideas don’t just “appear”. In many ways, the way he demystifies things (particularly from a position of power as a very successful and influential writer of his time), was inspiring to read. I felt like it sent a message to readers that anyone who wants to write poems or express sentiments or ideas can do so, either by following a method similar to his, or creating their own. For these reasons and more, I can assume this essay had a positive affect on young or aspiring writers at the time.
Poe vs. Emerson on Poetic Authority
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Kaitlin!
I really enjoyed reading your blog post, specifically the point you made about where writers get their inspiration. When I write, I have also never quite given the attention to acknowledge my creative process, it just sort of—happens. In that sense, it seems to be a very automatic process; the more you engage with it, the more easily the ideas flow—like a smooth running machine. I’ve never quite felt as a kind of exclusive or divine election, but it’s nice to imagine it that way! Perhaps it is the unwavering belief in oneself and their abilities (as described by Emerson in Self-Reliance) that motivates people—specifically writers—to achieve such extraordinary endeavors? Perhaps the inspiration or ideas merely “come to” great writers because they allow themselves to be their truest self, as if their mind and written hand are tethered by an invisible rope? It’s very interesting to think about. Maybe I’ll pay attention to my own creative processes to explore this idea more 🙂
The contrast you point out between Poe and Emerson’s opinions of poets is fascinating. They truly are opposites. In The Poet, Emerson refers to poets as “liberating gods”, while G—, a character crafted by Poe in The Purloined Letter considers poets to be only once removed from fools, a statement the other characters do not protest. It is also interesting how Emerson idolizes poets, though he himself is not known as a poet, while Poe, who wrote many famous poems, makes fun of poets.