what was going on with government and socirty when poe was living??. what were his interests for example music or any form of entertainment.? please answer me today i need this information for a bif english essay!. thank you nikki

-- Anonymous, December 24, 2002

Answers

Western expansion and the US becoming a world nation with its own culture and literature were probabaly the most important. Poe could shrug off the Mexican War, the abolitionist movement, the Gold Rush though he briefly reacted to some of these events. He was mostly apolitical and a total litterateur. The Transcendentalists he even gave short shrift from the outside, himself mostly a southerner and popularizing lyricist. He attended music and theater of the time, commenting more on theater for its literary content, but again this was very secondary to his literary interests. Music he felt should not be explained or given a story but the sound should speak directly to the emotions without prejudice. Search his essays on culture and other topics in his complete works at www.eapoe.org.

-- Anonymous, December 29, 2002