The Life and Works of Edgar Allen Poe
...y and the short story and has had a worldwide influence on literature. George Lippard said, "Poe was born a poet, his mind is stamped with the impress of genius. He is, perhaps, the most original writer that ever existed in America. Delighting in the wild and visionary, his mind penetrates the inmost recesses of the human soul, creating vast and magnificent dreams, eloquent fancies and terrible mysteries. Again, he indulges in a felicitous vein of humor, that copies no writer in the language, and yet strikes the reader with the genuine impression of refined wit; and yet again, he constructs such works as 'Arthur Gordon Pym,' which disclose perceptive powers that rival De Foe, combined with an analytical depth of reasoning in no manner inferior to Godwin or Brockden Brown." Richard Henry Stoddard said "As a poet, Poe ranks high, although most of his poetry is unreadable. . . . The school of literature to which Poe belongs, and of which he is certainly the master, is one that we thoroughly dislike." Also, Stoddard said "The more I read and hear about Poe, the less I make him out. I haven't the key to so strange a nature” The criticism of Poe from the perspectives of these two writers is based on their personal relationship or their history with Poe. George Lippard a friend of Poe felt that Poe was a genius, and says that he was the most original writer in America. And that his style copies no other writer. Richard Henry Stoddard, who was the protégé of Rufus Wilmot Griswold, detested Poe and felt that his poetry was unreadable. Stoddard felt that Poe possessed a strange nature, meaning out of the ordinary or unusual. This is strongly in part due to retaliation of criticisms written by Poe, regarding the writings of Griswold. Some writers felt that Poe’s judgments were pretentious, spiteful, and vulgar. The comparison between these two writers is one of absolute difference. George Lippard felt that the writings of Poe were refreshing, and on the other hand Richard Henry Stoddard felt that the writings of Poe were unnatural and horrible. It is evident that Edgar Allan Poe was an indescribable genius; in fact his style copies no other writer in the language. Some critics appreciated his uncommon place, while a few did not understand his strange nature. He was hailed as the most original writer that ever existed in Amer...