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  The Literary Criticism of Edgar Allan Poe





This selection of Poe's literary criticisms is just in the beginning stages. Within these selections, all original punctuation, abbreviations and spellings have been retained. Where these spellings differ greatly from modern spellings, the most current form is noted in brackets immediately following the word. A number of obvious variants, such as "colour" for "color," reflect conventions to which we no longer adhere, but which were considered acceptable during Poe's lifetime and are left to stand without additional commentary. For manuscript material, including Poe's own corrections to printed sources, text contained within angle brackets "<...>" shows annotations made by Poe himself for the main text given. Reversed double-angle brackets ">>...<<" show text that Poe has canceled by striking or scratching out. Text contained within square brackets "[...]" is not part of the original. This text is intended as notes or corrections of typographical errors. In the original printings, some text occasionally appears within square brackets "[...]." In such cases, these have been changed to standard parentheses to avoid confusion. (Note: Over time, we will be changing our previously stated policy concerning square brackets to retain Poe's usage and distinguish our own editorial notes by enclosing these in double-square brackets "[[...]]".)

Since most of the literary criticism of Poe's era is unsigned, attribution is a complex and divisive issue. All items included here have been attributed to Poe at one time or another, but are subject to further analysis as our project proceeds. In general, uncertain attributions are noted by the presence of a question mark ("?"), with more question marks ("???") being used to denote less certain items. A few doubtful items are included merely because they have not been disproven. Again, these marks are not definitive at this stage.

At the end of each selection, beyond the "End of Text" tag, is a code, such as "[S:1]". This code is intended as an internal marker for keeping track of verification of the text.  In general, a value of "[S:0]" or the total absence of the code notes that the text has been entered, but not yet verified. Anyone who has ever tried to proofread a large volume of text will appreciate the inherent difficulties.






 

The Collections and Books:

During his lifetime, Poe planned, but never published a collection of his literary notices. A posthumous collection, edited by Rufus Wilmot Griswold, incorporates a few of his reviews, taken from the material Poe had accumulated for "Literary America." These collections are listed chronologically.
  • Living Writers of American   (late1846-1847, manuscript expansion of Poe's "Literati" series, incomplete and unpublished during Poe's lifetime) [The full manuscript was first published, with extensive notes, by Burton R. Pollin, "The Living Writers of America: A Manuscript by Edgar Allan Poe," Studies in the American Renaissance, 1991, Charlottesville: The University Press of Virginia, 1991, pp.151-211.]







The Literary Criticism:

These items are arranged alphabetically by the name of the author who is the subject of the review or notice. Within each name, the items are listed chronologically. Few of these items were published under any specific title and most are, therefore, given here as "Review of . . " or "Notice of . . . ." It should also be noted that most of these reviews did not carry the name of the reviewer. The authorship of specific items is a topic long researched and debated. Some notices are signed, but for most, the attribution to Poe is necessarily the result of conjecture.  

Scroll down, or select letter:  A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H   I   J   K   L   M   N   O   P   Q   R   S   T   U   V   W   X   Y   Z



 

~~ A ~~

  • Ainsworth, William Harrison (1805-1882)



  • Anthon, Charles (1787-1867)
    • Review of Sallust's Jurgurthine War   (May 1836, text "A" — Southern Literary Messenger)
    • Review of Select Orations of Cicero   (January 1837, text "A" — Southern Literary Messenger)
    • Review of A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities




~~ B ~~


  • Barrett, Elizabeth Barrett (previously Moulton, later Browning) (1806-1861)
    • Short notices of Elizabeth Barrett Barrett
      • Short notice (?)  (October 8, 1844  — Evening Mirror)  (Woodberry, 1909, II, p. 101)
      • Short notice (?)  (December 7, 1844  — Evening Mirror)  (Woodberry, 1909, II, p. 101)
    • Review of The Drama of Exile, and other Poems
  • Bird, Robert Montgomery (1806-1854)
  • Bland, Theodorick (1777-1846)
    • Review of Report of Case Decided in the High Court of Chancery in Maryland
      • Review of Report of Case Decided in the High Court of Chancery in Maryland (October 1836, text "A" — Southern Literary Messenger)
      • (brief excerpt) Marginalia item CLXXXI  (1850, text "B" — Works) (In the original this item is misnumbered as CLXXX.)
  • Bolles, William
    • Review of An Explanatory and Phongraphic Dictionary of the English Language  (June 14, 1845, text "A" — Broadway Journal)



  • Bryant, William Cullen  (1794-1878)

  • Butler, Frances Anne
    • Review of  Journal  (???) (May 1835, text "A" — Southern Literary Messenger) (doubtfully by Poe)
  • Byron  (see Wolfe, Rev. Charles)




~~ C ~~

  • Campbell, Thomas
    • Review of Life of Petrarch
      • Review of Life of Petrarch (September 1841, text "A" — Graham's)
      • (excerpt) Marginalia item CLXXXVII  (1850, text "B" — Works)  (In the original, this item is misnumbered CLXXXVI.)







  • Colman, Samuel
    • Review of Hyperion: A Romance  (October 1839, text "A" — Burton's)








~~ D ~~


  • Dalton, James F.
    • Review of Peter Snook, a Tale of the City; Follow your Nose; and other Strange Tales
      • Review of Peter Snook  (October 1836, text "A" — Southern Literary Messenger)
      • Magazine-Writing — Peter Snook (June 7, 1845, text "B" — Broadway Journal)
      • "Magazine-Writing — Peter Snook" (1856, text "C" — Works)


  • Dawes, Rufus (1803-1859)
    • "The Poetry of Rufus Dawes, a Retrospective Criticism"
      • "[Review of Geraldine, Athenia of Damascus, and Miscellaneous Poems, by Rufus Dawes. (New York: Samuel Colman), 1839.]"  (May 1839, text "A" — manuscript, apparently lost. Poe prepared this review for Burton's Gentleman's Magazine, but the owner and proprietor, William E. Burton, declined the article, regretting "the word-catching tone of your critique" and noting that he prefers to "deal leniently with the faults of genius" (W. E. Burton to Poe, May 30, 1839). Poe seems to have retained the manuscript, perhaps planning to use it in his own proposed magazine, "The Penn," for which he was unable to obtain the necessary financial backing. About July 1842, he offered the article to J. and H. G Langley, editors of The Democratic Review, with the promise of a half page introduction "to supersede the old beginning" and give it the "character of a general & retrospective review."  The Langley's apparently chose not to buy the article and returned the manuscript. Poe eventually arranged to have it printed in the October 1842 issue of Graham's.)
      • "The Poetry of Rufus Dawes, a Retrospective Criticism"  (October 1842, text "B" — Graham's)
      • "Rufus Dawes"  (1850, text "C" — Works)
  • Defoe, Daniel (also De Foe) (1660-1731)
    • Review of The Life and Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe
      • Review of Robinson Crusoe  (January 1836, text "A" — Southern Literary Messenger)
      • (excerpts) Marginalia item CCXX  (1850, text "B" — Works)







~~ E ~~

  • Ellet, Elizabeth Frieze (or Fries) (1818-1877)





~~ F ~~

  • Fauvel-Gouraud, Francis (also Gourand)
    • Review of Phreno-Mnemotechny
      • Notice of Phreno-Mnemotechny - Part I  (April 12, 1845, text "A" — Broadway Journal)
      • Notice of Phreno-Mnemotechny - Part II  (April 19, 1845, text "A" — Broadway Journal)
      • Review of Phreno-Mnemotechny  (May 1845, text "B" — Southern Literary Messenger)






~~ G ~~

  • Glass, Francis
    • Review of Washingtonii Vita (A Life of Washington in Latin Prose)
      • Review of Washingtonii Vita  (December 1835, text "A" — Southern Literary Messenger)
      • Review of Washingtonii Vita  (1836, text "B" — one of several "Testimonials" printed as advertisements in A Life of George Washington) (reprinted from the Southern Literary Messenger, without Poe's name)


  • Gould, Hannah Flagg (1789-1865)
    • Review of Poems  (January 1836, text "A" — Southern Literary Messenger) (This review is a combined examination of Zinzendorff, and other Poems (Sigourney), Poems (Gould) and Poems; Translated and Original (Ellet).)





~~ H ~~



  • Hall, Captain Basil
    • Review of Patchwork
      • Review of Patchwork (April 1841, text "A" — Graham's)
      • (Excerpt) Marginalia item CLXXXV  (1850, text "B" — Works)  (In the original this item is misnumbered as CLXXXIV.)
  • Hall, Samuel Carter (1801-1889)
    • Review of The Book of Gems: The Poets and Artists of Great Britain
      • Review of The Book of Gems: The Poets and Artists of Great Britain (August 1836, text "A" — Southern Literary Messenger)
      • Review of The Book of Gems  (May 17, 1845, text "B"  — Broadway Journal)
      • (Excerpt) Marginalia item CLXXXVI  (1850, text "C" — Works)  (In the original this item is misnumbered as CLXXXV.)


  • Hawthorne, Nathaniel  (1804-1864)
    • Review of Twice-Told Tales   (May 1842 — Graham's Magazine)
    • "Tale-Writing -- Nathaniel Hawthorne"
      • "Tale-Writing -- Nathaniel Hawthorne"  (before December 15, 1846, "Houghton" Manuscript fragment) (Poe says the MS is sent in his letter to Eveleth, Dec. 15, 1846.)
    • Reprints:
    • "The Tale Writer and His Art"  (1888 — Library of American Literature, New York: Charles L. Webster & Company)  (reprinted from the 1850 Works)

  • Headley, Joel Tyler (1813-1897)
    • Review of The Sacred Mountains
      • "Joel T. Headley"  (1850, text "A" — Works)
      • "Joel T. Headley"  (October 1850, text "B" — Southern Literary Messenger) (Printed from text "A," prior to publication.)


  • Hirst, Henry Beck (1813-1874)
    • Review of The Coming of the Mammoth, etc. (July 12, 1845, text "A" — Broadway Journal)
    • "Henry B. Hirst"
      • "[Henry B. Hirst]"  (@1848, text "A" — "Barrett" and "Koester" manuscript fragments) (This manuscript was apparently prepared as part of Poe's "Marginalia" series.)
      • "Henry B. Hirst"  (@1849, text "B" — "Griswold" manuscript roll) (This version was printed by Griswold in Works, 1850)
      • "Henry B. Hirst"  (1850, text "C" — Works)






~~ I ~~

  • Ingraham, Joseph Holt (1809-1866)





~~ J ~~

  • James, George Payne Rainsford (1801?-1860)
    • Review of Lives of Richelieu, Count Oxenstiern, Count Olivarez and Cardinal Mazarin
      • Review of Lives of Richelieu, etc  (October 1836, text "A" — Southern Literary Messenger)
      • (Excerpt) Marginalia item CLXXVI  (1850, text "B" — Works)  (In the original this item is misnumbered as CLXXV.)
  • Jones, George




~~ K ~~






~~ L ~~




  • Lewis, Tayler (1802-1877)
    • Review of Plato Contra Atheos   (June 21, 1845, text "A" — Broadway Journal)



  • Lord, William Wilberforce (1819-1907)





~~ M ~~









  • Miles, Mrs. L.
    • Review of Phrenology, and the Moral Influence of Phrenology  (March 1836, text "A" — Southern Literary Messenger)
  • Milton, John
    • Review of The Prose Works of John Milton  (edited by R. W. Griswold) (September 27, 1845, text "A" — Broadway Journal)





  • Mowatt, Anna Cora (later Ritchie) (1822-1870)
    • Review of Fashion  (March 29, 1845, text "A" — Broadway Journal)




~~ N ~~

  • Newnham, W.
    • Review of Human Magnetism   (April 5, 1845, text "A" — Broadway Journal)


 
~~ O ~~

  • Osborn, Laughton  (1809-1878)





~~ P ~~


  • Paulding, James Kirke  (1778-1860)
    • Review of A Life of Washington
      • Review of A Life of Washington  (May 1836, text "A" — Southern Literary Messenger)
      • Marginalia item CXCIII  (1850, text "B" — Works) (In the original this item is misnumbered as CXCII.)
  • Poe, Edgar Allan (1809-1849)
    • Notice of Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque  (?)  (January 1840, text "A" — Burton's) (A one-sentence notice. Authorship uncertain.)
    • Review of Tales  (?) (October 1845 — Aristidean) (Mabbott attributes this review to T. D. English.)
    • "A Reviewer Reviewed" (under the pseudonym of Walter G. Bowen)
      • "A Reviewer Reviewed"   (summer 1849, text "A" — "Graham" manuscript, unfinished)
      • "A Reviewer Reviewed"   (March 15, 1896, text "B," abridged — New York Journal)
           Reprints
      • "A Reviewer Reviewed" (1926, Phillips, E. A. Poe the Man, vol. II, pp. 961-967.)
  • Power, Marguerite  (Countess of Blessington) (1789-1849)





~~ R ~~








~~ S ~~


  • Sedgwick, Catharine Maria (1789-1867)
    • Review of The Linwoods  (December 1835, text "A" — Southern Literary Messenger)
    • Review of Tales and Sketches  (January 1836, text "A" — Southern Literary Messenger)
  • Sigourney, Lydia Huntley (1791-1865)
    • Review of Zinzendorff, and other Poems  (January 1836, text "A" — Southern Literary Messenger) (This review is a combined examination of Zinzendorff, and other Poems (Sigourney), Poems (Gould) and Poems; Translated and Original (Ellet).)
  • Simms, William Gilmore (1806-1870)
    • Review of The Partisan  (January 1836, text "A" — Southern Literary Messenger)
    • Review of The Damsel of Darien  (November 1839, text "A" — Burton's)
    • Review of The Wigwam and the Cabin

  • Smith, Elizabeth Oakes  (1806-1893)
    • Review of The Poetical Writings





  • Stone, William Leete (1792-1844)