The Beauty of Love & Death: Annabel Lee by Edgar Allan Poe

Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing,
Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before;”

– The Raven, Edgar Allan Poe (1845)

To formally start my first post in this blog, I would like to present my favourite author in the English Literary history, Edgar Allan Poe. I consider Poe as one of the most interesting author in the classic literary history, mainly because of his theme and style in writing his works.

Edgar Allan Poe is an american writer and literary critic. He is one of the most influencial author in 19th century and is known for his gothic theme and thrilling psychological depth in his short stories and poems. Poe transformed the genre of horror and mystery in American Literary History. Stories like, “The Black Cat”, “The Cask of Amontillado” and “The Tell-Tale Heart” are the few stories that is known all over the world.

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For me, as a long-time reader and an avid fan of his works, I can say that his story will never end without a plot twist or a death (that can make anyone’s skin crawl). I highly recommend the “The Tell-Tale Heart“ or “The Raven” for starters.

His works will be forever a mystery to me and I enjoyed reading all of it without a doubt, from his stories to poems. But, there is this one poem that will forever have a space in my heart and book shelf. It is his poem entitled, “Annabel Lee“.

Annabel Lee is a poem about the love between two people, Annabel Lee and the narrator. It explores the death of a woman and a true love, “a love where no supernatural forces or death can keep them apart .”

Annabel Lee was published in October 1849, the same year Poe died due to his illness. It is also the last completed poem Poe had published before his death. As we walk through this poem, you might start to wonder and ask yourself this questions , who is Annabel Lee to Poe and what is so special about this particular poem?

As there are no evidence or information about the famous Annabel Lee, many people believe that this is the way of Poe to preserve his ideal love and to express his emotions after the death of his wife, Virginia Eliza Clemm, who was also his younger cousin. Virginia died due to tuberculosis in 1847.

I believe that Poe wrote Annabel Lee to show that if a two person is truly meant for each other, no immortal or mortal force can stop them from loving one another eternally. It’s beautiful how the narrator will wait for the time where they will be reunited. Lastly, I believe Poe used the death of Annabel Lee to tell to us that in death, there’s a beauty and horror. Perhaps, a death where it can be a start of something new.

To close this post, I would like to say that don’t lose hope in this life. Life is full of mysteries and life is the beauty itself. It might not seem an easy task to live everyday but, don’t forget that everyday is also a new day. That’s all folks. I hope you, my dearest viewers, enjoy our first walk through the history of literature. I will see you, my dearest viewers, to the next walk.