Eagar Allan Poe: Shaping American Literature

Literature in many respects is an art form, and like art is subjective in its interpretation. What one person may see as a literary classic another may view with little to no literary significance. Perhaps what makes literature so difficult to interpret is the reader must not only be willing to connect with the writer, but also understand the context in which the writer uses to express their work. Even with this understanding of literature the individual reader remains the judge, jury, and executioner when rendering a verdict on literary pieces. For this reason, all work, whether considered good, bad, or other share in the importance of shaping American literature. Considered one of the more popular American writers, Eagar Allan Poe contributed to American literature many new forms of writing to include the formalization of the short story; expanding science fiction; and introducing psychological analysis and symbolism (Perkins 308). Poe wrote with a dark and edgy tone often overshadowed with mystery that allowed the reader to remain engaged from start to finish. In his story The …show more content…
Equiano’s autobiography The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano is written with a simple descriptive tone that translates his experiences without over saturating them with emotion. An example of this is when he speaks of the appalling conditions on his voyage through the Middle Passage, he describes the ships hold with “The closeness of the place and the heat of the climate, added to the number in the ship, which so crowded that each had scarcely room to turn himself, almost suffocated us’ (Equiano 165). Equiano uses a simple writing style such as this to engulf the reader with a perfect balance of descriptiveness that does not overwhelm the reader allowing them to remain engaged in a story that needed to be