Influence That Endures Ever More: Edgar Allan Poe

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Influence That Endures Ever More: Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe once said, “Words have no power to impress the mind without the exquisite horror of their reality.” Edgar Allan Poe was one of the most influential people in literary history and his words had the great power to impress the mind. More than 150 years after the death of Edgar Allan Poe, his writings are still influencing and inspiring writers today. Edgar Allan Poe was one of the a greatest literary influences of the 19th century and of today because of the way he changed the literary style of his time, he created a new genre of literature of both the horror and detective story, and he became the founder of the modern short story.
Edgar Allan Poe was able to change the way literature was read and written. He was one of the first critics to focus mainly on the effect of style and structure in a piece of literary work. To this day, it seems that nearly every important writer after Poe shows significant signs of influence, especially when works are written in a gothic style or with bizarre jest. Some writers such as Charles Baudelaire, Jules Verne and H. P. Lovecraft can be known as diverse writers who were influenced by Poe’s works.(“Edgar Allan Poe – Biography”) He introduced readers to the vagueness of both the characters and places so that they would focus more on theme and plot rather than what had been the previous focus. Poe changed the way prose was read and written and he even created a new genre of literature.
Edgar can be known today as the first mystery/suspense writer. Many famous mystery writers even credit Poe and his work. Sir Arthur Canon Doyle, a mystery writer made famous by his Sherlock Holmes series, has a character refer to Edgar’s mystery writin...

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...us prose writer have been, and still are, influencing and inspiring the writers of today. Poe was able to change the style and structure of literature in the way it was written and read. He permitted the readers to focus more on plot and theme of a story and allowed them to experience the terrors of reality. Edgar became the father of a new genre of literature of both the horror and detective story. Stories in which mystery and macabre combined together and fluttered off the pages only to rest and awaken the obscure catacombs of the mind. He became the founder of the modern short story and inspired other writers to follow in his footsteps of writing short prose that left lasting tales to be forever remembered. Edgar Allan Poe was one of the most influential people of his time and of today. The workings of Edgar Allan Poe continue to influence and endure ever more.

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