First, edgar allan poe's Gothic literary theory.
Edgar allan poe has a strong fascination with the decline of beautiful things. In the final analysis, it also stems from his childhood bereavement and middle-aged bereavement. The shadow of the dead woman often haunts his mind, leading him to soar in the kingdom of poetry. Gothic style is appropriately used by him to interpret his inner fear and depression.
Many writers often exaggerate the external environment when describing horror plots, while he pays more attention to depicting people's inner world. He is convinced that "the best theme of poetry is death, especially the death of beautiful objects, which will undoubtedly be the most poetic theme in the world (Poe: 133- 140)". He practiced his writing principles with poetry and devoted his life to this sad beauty. In order to show Poe's Gothic writing style more clearly, this paper will take The Crow as an example to interpret the beauty of death and Gothic elements contained in it.
Second, image building.
1, the shaping of people and things
Crows have created two important images: young people and crows. The sad man has just lost the woman he loves most. He tried to immerse himself in the book to forget the pain, but it was all in vain. The more he reads, the more he is eroded by loneliness and sadness. The crow, symbolizing death and ominous, flew into the hut where people greeted their late lover Renault at midnight. In addition, the poet also created two images that play an important role in the theme of poetry. One is black. "Pure colors can make people feel happy or depressed" (Zhu Liyuan: 489-490). The continuous use of black background in poetry can make readers feel depressed, thus feeling the fear and sorrow in men's hearts.
The recurring "never come again" in poetry can also be regarded as a special image. In addition to the initial accident, this word also has symbolic meaning. When the crow appeared, the sad man asked what its name was, and the crow's answer was "Never again". However, when the owner asked the crow if there was any medicine to eliminate his yearning for Leo, and when he wanted to know whether he could meet Leo in a distant heaven and finally let the crow leave the hut, the crow replied "Never again", which was the word that plunged the man into the abyss of eternal grief.
2. Scene setting
At the beginning, readers can see a sad midnight picture:
Gloomy atmosphere, creepy scenes, mysterious and melancholy people, ominous crows ... In the gloomy and cold midnight, everything around is silent except the roar of the cold wind and the sound of the man turning pages. The world outside the house is shrouded in darkness, and the narrow space inside the house is flickering under the dim light. Suddenly, there was a short knock at the door, but when he opened it, it was. However, when he returned to the house, the previous knock on the door rang again, and the crow flew into his room and perched on his door.
But why choose midnight as the time of the story? Midnight means terror and mystery, and all kinds of ghosts always haunt at this time. This frightening atmosphere laid the foundation for the emergence of crows. The poet set the story in a secluded and narrow room with ulterior motives. First of all, the narrow and closed space plays an absolute auxiliary role in creating a lonely and isolated Gothic terror atmosphere. Secondly, the hut is the love nest of two couples. This room is still the same, but the laughter that once disappeared with the fragrance of the hostess is gone forever. How sad it is for men to guard the house where things are different and think about people when they see things. Such a scene setting will arouse readers' sympathy for men.