How Does a Weird Mind Work?: Techniques and Use of Describing Horror and Madness Inedgar Allan Poe¿s Short Stories

I was only an early-teenager when I met Poe's poem, The Raven. It cast a spell on me. The poem's atmosphere, the recurring lines of Nevermore" transmitted such a message to which I was susceptible at that time. Soon I got acquainted with his short stories too and - through them - his personality. His work turned up in my collage-years again but his weird themes and death-concepts always attracted me. Why are his short stories current and interesting even up to these days? The answer is: because he is a master of horror. Terror and death are such topics in literature that will always have an audience. In his tales he finds explanation for the unexplainable and makes us believe the unbelievable. The wide range of his choices of subject gives evidence for the endless possibilities of treating this topic. His unique fantasy reveals such situations characters and happenings which are mainly dealing with dark gothic themes. Without having intended to be exhaustive I tried to illustrate some features of his writing style and the applied methods through which he managed to evoke such feelings in his readers he really wanted to."