hi

I just wanteded to ask a few simple questions, 1: were to find the litterature written of poe about methafysics and his philosofic thougts,

2: reason of death ho killed him.

-- Anonymous, January 07, 2004

Answers

There is no proof anyone killed Poe or any certainty that he was shanghaied by a vote fraud press gang and plied with drink, as seems the favorite theory- or the case for rabies. it remains by lack of direct evidence and witnesses a mystery what happened before he was found sick in a tavern.(Not a simple question, though you might say lifelong distress and alcoholic symptoms set him up)

I am not sure about all his metaphysical theories, those he personally developed or the various philosophers which he used, usually the German metaphysicists come to mind though he lampooned many of them in his tales about the devil. Otherwise he uses illustrative theories and quotes to frame a Gothic tale, highlighting states of mind and forms of reasoning derived from the poetic inspiriation wedded to a highly intuitive and analytical mind. The obvious conflict between the two is not easy to resolve as to identify what philosophy Poe operated on, even more than other Romantics. His own "Eureka" suggests an aesthetical approach to everything, that art itself informs its own system. That is why some comparisons with Eureka and Transcendentalism are deceiving. Probably his philosophy is like his politics, literary and almost exitential or surreal.

-- Anonymous, January 12, 2004