y can be found in repetition, in something as mechanical as this. Poetry manages to convey the beauty of the human soul, and can even be achieved by the most mechanical of devices. As Barbara Johnson observed, "It is as though a talking bird were the perfect figure for the poetic parroting" (Rosenheim and Rachman 43). Poe's mastery of his theories allows him to write "a highly artificial poem that describes the signifier as an artifice that somehow captures the genuine" (Rosenheim and Rachman 47). Again, Poe desires to create another world, an artificial creation, but in the process conveys the beauty he desires. Edgar Allan Poe's life was one full of despair and depression. Perhaps it was this state of mind which made him fearless, allowing him to voice his opinion in spite of the criticism directed at him. Today, his words are being regarded with a newfound significance, for short fiction has become a genre in and of itself. His theories on writing will continue to be studied for generations to come. Though his place in literary circles was uncertain before, his place in the literary cannon is undeniable today....
