Top 10 Notes: The Raven

Born in 1809 in Boston, Massachusetts, Edgar Allan Poe was brought up by a Scottish merchant after his father’s departure and mother’s death. His university career was cut short due to money problems and followed by a brief army stint. Poe then struggled to make a living through his writing. Even “The Raven”’s popularity couldn’t keep him afloat - he died after its publication from unknown causes in 1849 at the age of 40.

It’s a raven called Grip from Charles Dickens’ 19th century novel “Barnaby Rudge: A Tale of the Riots of Eighty” that’s believed to have inspired Poe’s narrative poem. Referencing folk and classical work, Poe also used rhythm, meter, rhyme and alliteration to craft “The Raven”’s musical tone.

The poem takes place on a December night in the home of the narrator. Its dark and eerie mood is enhanced by the entrance of a raven, which answers each of the narrator’s contemplations with the phrase ‘Nevermore.’ It’s due to this cryptic response that he assigns supernatural properties to the bird.

“The Raven”’s plot revolves around a man trying to get over the death of a woman named Lenore. His reading is interrupted by a winged visitor, which raps at his window and enters his chamber to sit on a statue of Pallas Athena. After discovering the raven can speak, the narrator begins to ask it questions about life and his lost love. However, the bird’s constant repetition of “Nevermore” makes him go so crazy that he concludes his soul will never be free.

Not much is known about the narrator, but what is known is that he’s a man who’s lost the woman he loves. The most popular belief states he’s a young student who feels very strong emotions towards Lenore.

While the narrator is mourning his loved one, the stately raven taps at his window and perches himself “upon a bust of Pallas just about his chamber door.” With its fiery eyes, the ebony-feathered bird’s facial expression is serious and firm. Associated with the forces of darkness, the raven also has the ability to speak - but “nevermore” is the only word it mysteriously knows how to say.

“The Raven”’s main theme is the narrator’s endless dedication to the late beautiful woman he loves. It deals with his experiences of guilt and grief while he tries to simultaneously remember and forget Lenore. But his emotions, along with the raven’s negative declarations, eventually drive him to madness.

As December has been historically linked to the powers of evil and darkness, it’s fitting that Poe chose to set “The Raven” in this month. But the poem’s key symbol is obviously the raven, which was selected because it has the ability to speak but lacks reasoning. Its black feathers also represent death, which serves as a contrast to the white Pallas Athena statue, which represents wisdom.

Though “The Raven” parodies surfaced as early as the 1850s, the poem continues to be satirized in the 20th century and beyond, whether it’s Mad Magazine, Walt Disney’s Comics and Stories or Calvin & Hobbes. James Russell Lowell referenced it in his own poetry, while horror writer Stephen King and English author Neil Gaiman mentioned ravens more than once. The list goes on.

“The Raven”’s popularity in pop culture includes inspiring multiple songs and video games and even a pro wrestler with the ring name Raven. While many television shows have cited Poe and his black bird, the poem may be most famous for its presence in big screen adaptations. While it’s a place in films like “The Crow,” “The Pagemaster” and “The Expendables,” it’s also served as the base of a 1915 silent film and 2012 thriller of the same name, both of which included actor portrayals of Poe himself.

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