Skip to content

Edgar Allan Poe and the Tradition of Western Mysticism: A Study of A Selection of his Short Storie.

Sławomir Studniarz

Revista de Estudios Norteamericanos 2018 DOI: 10.12795/ren.2018.i22.12 (opens in new tab)

Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed
Topics Mysticism
Key points Argues that mystical elements and allusions pervade Poe's analytical, angelic, and landscape tales: the Dupin stories evoke the mystical "night of the soul," the landscape tales portray artistic transcendence toward a supernal order, and the angelic dialogues depict revelation through crossing from the temporal into the eternal.

Abstract

The article is devoted to the mystical elements and allusions surfacing in Poe's -analytical,‖ -angelic,‖ and -landscape‖ tales: -A Descent into the Maelström,‖ -The Purloined Letter,‖ -The Murders in the Rue Morgue,‖ -The Domain of Arnheim,‖ -Landor's Cottage,‖ -Mesmeric Revelation,‖ -The Colloquy of Monos and Una,‖ -The Conversation of Eiros and Charmion,‖ and "The Power of Words.‖It is argued that the narrative circumstances in --A Descent into the Maelström,‖‖ in which the Norwegian fisherman describes to the unnamed narrator his adventure, rework the long-established spiritual imagery.The Dupin tales, in turn, are grounded in the cult of Night and in the initiatory powers of darkness, recalling the mystical -night of the soul.‖The two -landscape tales‖ depict the act of an artistic transcendence, performed by an artisan devoted to emulating the supernal order within the bounds of empirical reality.The article pays also due attention to the revelatory experience that results from crossing the boundary between the temporal and the eternal in Poe's -angelic‖ dialogues. RESUMENEste artículo se centra en los elementos y alusiones místicos que afloran en los cuestos -analíticos,‖ -angélicos‖ y -paisajistas‖ de Poe: -Un descenso al Maelström,‖ -La carta robada,‖ -Los crímenes de la

Comparable studies

Other theoretical and historical papers on mysticism, most cited first.

Explore topics