Edgar Allan Poe is arguably one of the best and well-known American writers of short stories and poems. In his essay “The Philosophy of Composition” he underlines essential and crucial elements of writing good literature. Poe uses “The Raven” as an example throughout the essay in order to demonstrate how good writing is made. Creating an outstanding piece of writing is highly dependent on Poe’ three main arguments: length, methodology, and writing. These key concepts are necessary to properly form a well-adjusted and easy-to-read literature, which is also involving and interesting.
According to Poe, the length of an essay should not be long, and shorter literature works are preferred. The main reason behind this idea is that a reader needs to be able to fully consume a piece of writing in one sitting. If it is too long, the reader might lose interest. In addition, he criticizes novels due to their length and claims that short stories are superior to the novels. Poe also states that every writing process is methodological and analytical, therefore, he disproves that an idea of artistic intuition is an absurdity. All writers possess some methodological tools to proceed with the writing, however, they will avoid revealing it to the public. Moreover, Poe is convinced that a writer should begin writing literature only after he/she decides how it will end. It is important due to the fact that it allows the writer to properly adjust every detail beforehand. Therefore, the length, analytical approach, and writing after plot are the key insights, which can help in creating a good literature.
Finally, Poe uses “The Raven” in order to demonstrate an example of an excellent literary work. “The Raven” serves as a primary example of his main insights of writing an outstanding literary work. He says that the given writing appeals to both the public and the critics, because its length is short. Furthermore, Poe claims that every part of the poem serves a purpose, such as a difference between the white bust and black raven. This quality of work was possible due to methodological approach and thinking through the plot before writing it.