Edgar Allan Poes Writing Style - 598 Words

Master of suspense and horror, Edgar Allan Poe is known for his Gothic writing style, as demonstrated in two of his well-known short stories, â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart† and â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado† His style is created by his use of punctuation, sentence structure, word choice, imagery, and tone. First off, punctuation-wise, dashes, exclamation marks, semicolons, and commas are a favorite of Poe. All this is shown in the first sentence of â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart†, â€Å"True!—nervous—very, very dreadfully nervous I had been and am; but why will you say that I am mad?† The dashes take the place of a comma, semicolon, or parentheses—and add side comments or show a change in the train of thought. On the other hand, he uses semicolons and commas to lengthen a sentence, usually by joining multiple clauses, phrases, and sentences. Last of all, his use of exclamation marks shows the characters’ state of mind, thoughts, and emot ions. Poe’s use of punctuation plays a large role in his style. Like how punctuation contributes to writing technique, so does sentence structure and variety. Generally, Poe’s sentences are long and complex. His sentences include semicolons, dashes, and commas to link ideas and phrases together. They range in length depending on their function; usually, description has longer sentences than action. By comparing the narrator’s reaction to the old man’s corpse, â€Å"The old man was stone, stone dead†, and Montresor’s depiction of the catacombs, â€Å"At last we arrived at a deepShow MoreRelatedAnalysis of Edgar Allan Poes Writing Style Essay776 Words   |  4 PagesA virtuoso of suspense and horror, Edgar Allan Poe is known for his Gothic writing style. His style is created through his use of punctuation, sentence structure, word choice, tone, and figurative language. Punctuation-wise; dashes, exclamation marks, semicolons, and commas are a favorite of Poe. His sentences vary greatly; their structures are influenced by punctuation. Much of his word choice set the tone of his works. Figurative language colors his writings with description. Such is observed inRead MoreWhat Influenced Edgar Allan Poes Writing Style?771 Words   |  4 PagesWhat Influenced Edgar Allan Poe’s Writing Style? Edgar Allan Poe, born in 1809, is a critic, mystery and short story writer, but most importantly a poet. Edgar’s troubled life greatly influenced his works. As a young boy, Edgar loved to compose poems for his loved ones. But as he grew older, Edgar started to experience pains and tragedies in life, causing him to abuse on opium and alcohol. These were scenes behind the years of Edgar’s dark writings. When Edgar was born, his father abandonedRead MoreThe Unique Writing Style in Edgar Allan Poes The Masque of Red Death1828 Words   |  7 Pages Edgar Allan Poe was born in the year of 1809. 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Their descriptiveness and diction has had a huge impact on their readers for centuries. Poe’s gothic style of writing was very enthralling and suspenseful; it left you wanting to know what was going to happen next. Whereas, Mark Twain was a very humorous authorRead MoreEdgar Allan Poe Revlutionized Literature in the 19th Century665 Words   |  3 PagesEdgar Allan Poe revolutionized the literary world of the nineteenth century. Poe is a well-known author from the early 1800’s, who was part of the dark romanticism movement. While later in life he was a brilliant writer, Edgar Allan Poe faced many problems in his early life. Although Poe experienced death within his family at a young age, the hardships he encountered are thought to have inf luenced his dark writing style. These death inspired elements within Poe’s writing were ahead of their timeRead MoreEdgar Allan Poes Impact on American Literature1379 Words   |  6 PagesEdgar Allan Poe is one of the most influential writers of the horror genre in American history. His horror stories have impacted numerous authors and their stories over the years. Various people have tried to copy his way of writing style, but they have failed to achieve the success he did. Even though Poe is no longer living, his impact on American literature can still be felt today. Edgar Allan Poe was born in Boston, Massachusetts on January 19, 1809. Even though Edgar Allan Poe did not growRead MoreAn Analysis Of Edgar Allan Poe s The Black Cat 1650 Words   |  7 PagesBrittany White Mrs. Bey English 1101 1 April 2015 A Day in the Life Edgar Allan Poe is a very talked about writer. He has a dark, mysterious, gothic writing style. Poe was a troubled man that struggled in a lot of different areas in his life. It is believed that all of Edgar Allan Poe’s short stories were connected to his tragic life events. â€Å"The Black Cat† is one of Edgar’s well-known short stories. It is about a man that endured a series of tragic events. This man was very feminine and his lackRead MoreA Brief Biography of Edgar Allan Poe Essay1192 Words   |  5 PagesKnown for his disturbing and sinister work, Edgar Allan Poe’s writing has captured the attention of readers for almost two centuries. His works and reputation were largely influenced by his childhood, education, adulthood, and struggles with his career, along with his legacy before and after his death. Edgar Allan Poe was born on January 19, 1809, in Boston, Massachusetts, as being David and Elizabeth Poe’s second child of three. David and Elizabeth were professional theatrical actors in a company