Criticism and Aesthetic Theory in Edgar Allan Poe

The Essay “The Purpose of Poetry”

Abstract

In his facet as an essayist Edgar Allan Poe developed interesting ideas that correspond to the field of aesthetics. However, these have not been widely disseminated, and even less in Latin America, contrary to his poetic work –better known–, and his prose narrative –which is usually part of the school programs of universal literature–. The present writing intends to recover some of his approaches analyzing his theoretical essay "The Purpose of Poetry", following the trail of his criticism of a bourgeois and masses aesthetic and of an aristocratic and traditionalist aesthetic. With its careful reading we pay tribute to the author, delving into his complex profile, and following his exploration of topics as varied as criticism, the public, reception, poetic creation, the function of art and the poet's social importance. Lastly, his opinion on some outstanding figures of world poetry of his time provides us with a very rich overview of the cultural context of the first half of the 19th century.