THE RAVEN.

Like some of his other darker works, “The Tell Tale Heart,” for example, “The Raven” is set at night, an important element to the Gothic. Even in his poems and stories that are set during the day time, it tends to be a much gloomier day than most. Poe does this to instill a sense of anxiety and suspense in his audience, keeping them on the edge of their seats (Mohammed).

Both the setting of midnight and December may symbolize the end of something- likely the narrator’s happiness (Source).

Again, this shows how Poe sets a physically dark scene, which he is well known for across many of his works. The “dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor” is allowing the reader to envision the scene as gloomy; completely candlelit, the dying candles casting shadows. Visuals are everything in aesthetics, and by setting a visually dark scene, the overall aesthetic of the poem is dark.

The above image shines a light on the figure of the raven, but overall displays the dark aesthetic of the poem.

This is the first time we get a glimpse into why the narrator is feeling weary, as mentioned in the first line. They have recently lost a loved one, and are coping with that grief. Grief is one of Poe’s most common themes, and contributes to the dark and gloomy aesthetic he is so well known for. In his short story, “Berenice,” we see grief in its full form, as the narrator, Egaeus, mourns the oncoming loss of his cousin and lover. Like “The Raven,” “Berenice” is also set in a gloomy tone- Egaeus is a very gloomy man, who lives a gloomy life in a gloomy mansion. As the short story continues, the audience is introduced to his cousin and lover, Berenice, the only bright spot in his life. As one can assume based on the tone of “The Raven,” Lenore was likely also one of the only bright spots in this narrator’s life. These are just two of many instances wherein Poe writes highly of a lover, only for the narrator to lose them and undergo the process of grief.

Perhaps Poe writing of the loss of a loved one is somewhat of a self insert for similar events in his own life. During his early years, he lost both his birth mother and his foster mother. More influential, however, was the loss of his wife, Virginia, after 14 years of marriage. Much like the title character in “Berenice,” she was his first cousin. In both the short story and his life, the wife was taken on as a student by her husband. Both wives were also ill for some amount of time before, unfortunately, passing away, leaving their husbands to be widowers. Despite many parallels in both the story and real life, however, “Berenice” was actually published in 1835, 12 years before Virginia’s death.​​​​ These themes and feelings of grief Poe felt over his life likely contributed to why he wrote so many grief-centered pieces.

Poe explicitly mentions a visual of darkness here, arguably the most important element of the Gothic. In Poe’s case, he uses it as a symbolism of vagueness, much like he does in almost all of his writing. Another example of this is seen at the beginning of his short story, “The Fall of the House of Usher:”

“… at length [I] found myself, as the shades of the evening drew on, within view of the melancholy House of Usher. I know not how it was, but, with the first glimpse of the building, a sense of insufferable gloom pervaded my spirit.”

“The Fall of the House of Usher” is written in such a way that we as the audience are inside the narrator’s mind. Due to this, we feel and sense what the narrator feels and senses. In this case, it is a sense of gloom and despair, feelings commonly associated with the Gothic. It is not until later in the story that it establishes why the narrator feels these senses, showcasing how Poe uses darkness in order to be vague and mysterious. Additionally, the first sight of the house is during a dull part of the day- while it may not be as dark as the night, the melancholy tone of it suits the “horrifying mood of Poe’s stories” (Mohammed).

Finally, we see the first glimpse of the subject of the poem, the raven itself. Poe himself intended for the raven to symbolize ‘mournful, never-ending remembrance,’ though many scholars and readers have interpreted its symbolism in many other ways over the years. Though unconfirmed, many signs point to Poe having written a poem titled “Alone” early in his career. This poem centers around a demon from the narrator’s childhood, and the raven may very well be that same demon. As the poem progresses, the raven constantly repeats the word “Nevermore,” which, understandably, drives the narrator mad and is a symbolism for his impending doom (Allen 12).

Here, this is a prime example of how the raven is the narrator’s demon: it is driving them mad, and reminding of something they so desperately long for, but will never get back. Grief is such a heavy feeling, one that can be all-consuming, and Poe leans into the darkness behind it by causing the narrator to go slightly mad.

This line is a huge hint that, if he is the writer of “Alone,” this is the same demon who that narrator also dealt with, showcasing how Poe continues themes of grief and darkness over the entirety of his career.

In the end, Poe rounds out the poem by causing the narrator to succumb fully to the craziness the raven has brought to their house, once again playing into the darkness aesthetic. Succumbing to grief is a very real thing, but a very dark subject matter of which many writers choose not to approach. It is because Poe was willing to write so vulgarly about these tough subjects, and use other dark symbolism to do so, that he gets the reputation for being a dark writer.

Once again, the repetition of the word “nevermore” specifically is the main thing that the raven did to cause the narrator to go mad. Over the course of the last 170 years, Poe has stayed well known for the madness he displays, not only in his writing, but also in himself as a person and author. Such cases of his madness are well depicted in pop culture.

In an early episode of the popular tv show “Gilmore Girls,” an entire episode is dedicated to Poe. In the town of Stars Hollow, where the show is set, Poe fans from all over the country gather for a Poe convention, including a live reading of some of his works by Poe impersonators. There is some miscommunication among two of the impersonators, and both end up performing their own rendition of “The Raven.”

While neither impersonation is shown in its entirety, what we do see is an accurate depiction of both Poe’s aesthetic and the Gothic elements of “The Raven.” First, both readings are set in a dimly lit room, with a single spotlight shining only on Poe and the bust on which the raven sits. This is a visual representation of the darkness that Poe intended by setting the poem at nighttime, and well depicts what Poe meant to convey.

Whilst the renditions are being performed, the main characters, Lorelai and Rory, are shown commenting on Poe’s works and his madness. They make multiple references to how he was a troubled man, an alcoholic, and wrote depressing works based on his depressing life.

After both renditions of “The Raven” are read, the audience gets a glimpse into the life of Poe. Lorelai and Rory are approached by the first Poe, who begins speaking of his history. Overhearing a historical inaccuracy, the second Poe quickly jumps in to correct him. Both Poes then engage in argument about multiple aspects of Poe’s life, and the argument reveals many things that may have been contributors to Poe’s madness, such as being expelled from Westpoint and the death of his older brother, who was his only remaining family member after the death of his parents.

The visual aesthetic of darkness in a modern day performance of “The Raven,” Lorelai and Rory’s commentary on Poe’s madness, and the argument between the two Poes all show that Poe was clearly mad in his lifetime, and his madness was evident in his writing. Because it is so well represented in a modern day performance, we see that his madness has carried well through the years.

A still from the Gilmore Girls episode, showing how the dark aesthetic continues to be displayed even today.