Text: Rebecca C. Tansil, “Introduction,” French Language and French Influence in the Works of Edgar Allan Poe (1827), pp. 1-2

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Purpose of the Study

The purpose of this study has been to determine to what extent Poe was influenced by the French language and French literature.

Method of Procedure

In beginning this investigation the first step has been to learn all the facts possible in regard to the training Poe received in the French language and the contact he had with French literature throughout his life. In order to account for the French influence in his works it has been necessary to follow the various influences in his life and studies as discussed by many biographers.

Follow this study of the life of Poe his prose works have been examined and a tabulation made of the French he used in these selections. This tabulation has included [1] French words. [2] French phrases and sentences. [3] references to French writers and French quotations. An examination of Poe's poetry [page 2:] reveals such a negligible amount of French that this field of work has not been taken into consideration. It has also been necessary to refer to histories of French literature for possible influences of certain French writers.

Results

Of the sixty-five tales examined thirty-six contain French words, phrases and references. The essays and critical reviews reveal more French, especially references, than do the tales. The French used in the prose selections range from single words to entire sentences in French. These foreign words and expressions are always set off by quotation marks, parentheses or italics. The references appearing in Poe's prose works represent forty-three French writers whose dates run from Rabelais, 1495, to Hugo, 1802. The period most often represented is the classical period. Poe's purpose for using French seems to be two-fold. First it is used as many writers use foreign words, to give a fashionable atmosphere and for the romantic appear of the word. The second reason is the special meaning that the foreign word imparts.