Literary criticism is an important part of many works written by the author of edgar allan poe's short stories in his short life. At that time, there was hardly anyone in the literary world except James Russell Lowell. Lowell never praises others easily, but he regards Poe as "the most insightful and philosophical critic". Edmund wilson, a contemporary literary critic, also said that Poe's literary criticism is indeed an unprecedented masterpiece in American literature. He has always advocated "art for art's sake". His artistic thought runs through almost all his works, including poems, short stories and papers. In these works, he claimed that "the purpose of all arts is entertainment, not truth". He believes that "only creating beauty in poetry-extraordinary beauty is the proper way to arouse interest." Music is an indispensable part of poetry, which is especially important for poets to strive to express extraordinary beauty. In story writing, artists might as well try to create thrilling, horrible and strong emotional effects. And every work should have an effect. "
His original papers, such as Philosophy of Writing (1846), Principles of Poetry (1850), Comments on Hawthorne's Old Stories, Poems by Longfellow, Coleridge, Wordsworth and Tennyson, and Dickens' Old Antique Shop, are all displayed.