No abstract

Edgar Allan Poe is renowned for his tales of horror and the desolate environments within his works that baffle readers. Several studies in the past have demonstrated his constant attempts to criticize his contemporaries principally due to the immoral path that he believed they were following. In doing so, he envisioned morbid catastrophes that signified his belief that humanity’s absolution would only be ensured through total annihilation and absolute silence. The present study focuses on two of these instances, “Siope- A Fable” and “The Sphinx,” in an effort to demonstrate Hellenic motifs in Poe’s dreary visions that have not been sufficiently discussed by relevant literature.

Edgar Allan Poe’s poetry has repeatedly drawn the attention of many literary critics since his poems have meticulously been delved into from different perspectives. Undeniably, a multitude of references that allude to ancient Greek mythology and classical literature are present within his verses. These have been noticed and delineated by noteworthy Poe scholars such as Scott Peeples, Kenneth Silverman, Daniel Hoffman and Kevin Hayes in several of their researches in the past. However, despite the wide range of studies that have been published, one cannot encounter any mention regarding the existence of Hellenic motifs or even a reference to an apparent Hellenism in Poe’s poetry. In an effort to outline what has already been affirmed with respect to this topic and to unearth additional links between Poe’s works and Greece, the present essay aims to determine the presence of Hellenic motifs in Poe’s “To Helen” and “Lenore”.

Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Black Cat” has received a great deal of scholarly attention over the years from a variety of perspectives, not least the domestic and symbolic presence of Pluto in the story. Kent Ljungquist (1980) saw Poe’s narrative in terms of classical literary tradition, specifically the notion of the daemonic, yet confined his study to Pluto’s demonic features, arguing that the cat may be an infernal spirit sent to castigate the narrator. Other studies, such as Clark Moreland and Karime Rodriguez (2015), have reached similar conclusions. However, there is a surprising absence in the literature of any discussion of Poe’s decision to name the ‘phantasm’ of his narrative after the Hellenic god of the Underworld. The present paper seeks to address this, and proposes that Poe’s Pluto may not simply function as a demonic spirit, but rather as the Pluto of Hellenic mythology himself.

Poe's "How to Write a Blackwood Article" and "The Scythe of Time" have both drawn the attention of a number of scholars due to their undeniable connection and their satirical tone. Studies such as those of Daniel Hoffman and Kenneth Silverman have made note of Poe's satire which features allusions to foreign literatures.In fact, Poe does not hesitate to quote from several foreign authors in the text and he admits it right away. However, even though one can come across studies such as those of Gustav Gruener, Carl F. Schreiber, and Susan Levine all dealing with the German and Spanish influence in Poe, one may not encounter research that explores the Hellenic aspect of the matter systematically. This paper focuses on the importance of Hellenic language and literature for Poe's literary devices, and it also offers additional links between "A Predicament" and Hellenic mythology that have perhaps been overlooked by relevant research so far.