The Literary Differences Of Edgar Allan Poe And Washington Irving

In literature, there is a cornucopia of authors whose works are arguably more different than they are similar. However, even through the seemingly stark contrast of various authors, there are similarities that are way too often overlooked or just unconsidered. Edgar Allan Poe and Washington Irving were authors most renowned for their short stories during the Romantic Era of literature, each having their own unique style. Poe was known for his use of horror and the dark characteristics of human nature, and Irving for his use of fantasy and humor of different varieties. Two seemingly different approaches to literature by two seemingly different authors . . . or so it is thought. In spite of their different literary writing styles, the authors, Edgar Allan Poe and Washington Irving, are more similar in their approaches to literature than for which they are often accredited.

The literary approach Implemented by both Poe and Irving were in their ways similar. Poe’s technique can be modelled by his essay, “The Philosophy of Composition.” Though Irving didn’t have an essay like Poe’s, he exemplified these …show more content…
This concept can be modelled by: their similar approaches to the length of their works, maintaining brevity in their compositions; the influence that the Romantic Era of literature had upon the conventions and styles of their writing; and their active manner of using effects to “reel” the reader into their stories. Though these facts are somewhat “nitpicky,” they are very critical in the analysis of similarities between the two authors. This is because there is always a conventional basis to writing, in this case their case: the English language and the era of their work. Aside from what is apparent to the eye of a viewer, the individual differences of writers, many authors are more similar than one may