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bygivinghimthepatiencetobeminute,enableshimtothrow
awonderfulrealityintohismostunrealfancies.Amonomania
hepaintswithgreatpower.Helovestodissectoneofthesecancers
ofthemind,andtotraceallthesubtleramificationsofitsroots.
Inraisingimagesofhorror,also,hehasstrangesuccess,conveying
toussometimesbyaduskyhintsometerribledoubtwhichisthesecret
ofallhorror.Heleavestoimaginationthetaskoffinishingthepicture,
atasktowhichonlysheiscompetent.
“Formuchimaginaryworkwasthere;
Conceitdeceitful,socompact,sokind,
ThatforAchilles’imagestoodhisspear
Graspedinanarmedhand;himselfbehind
Wasleftunseen,savetotheeyeofmind.”
Besidesthemeritofconception,Mr.Poe’swritingshavealsothat
ofform.
Hisstyleishighlyfinished,gracefulandtrulyclassical.Itwould
behardtofindalivingauthorwhohaddisplayedsuchvariedpowers.
Asanexampleofhisstylewewouldrefertooneofhistales,“The
HouseofUsher,”inthefirstvolumeofhis“TalesoftheGrotesqueand
Arabesque.”Ithasasingularcharmforus,andwethinkthatnoone
couldreaditwithoutbeingstronglymovedbyitssereneandsombre
beauty.Haditsauthorwrittennothingelse,itwouldalonehavebeen
enoughtostamphimasamanofgenius,andthemasterofaclassic
style.Inthistaleoccurs,perhaps,themostbeautifulofhispoems.
Thegreatmastersofimaginationhaveseldomresortedtothevague
andtheunrealassourcesofeffect.Theyhavenotuseddreadand
horroralone,butonlyincombinationwithotherqualities,asmeans
ofsubjugatingthefanciesoftheirreaders.Theloftiestmusehasever
ahouseholdandfiresidecharmabouther.Mr.Poe’ssecretliesmainly
intheskillwithwhichhehasemployedthestrangefascination
ofmysteryandterror.Inthishissuccessissogreatandstriking
astodeservethenameofart,notartifice.Wecannotcallhismaterials
thenoblestorpurest,butwemustconcedetohimthehighestmerit
ofconstruction.
Asacritic,Mr.Poewasaestheticallydeficient.Unerringinhis
analysisofdictions,metresandplots,heseemedwantinginthefaculty
ofperceivingtheprofounderethicsofart.Hiscriticismsare,however,
distinguishedforscientificprecisionandcoherenceoflogic.Theyhave
theexactness,andatthesametime,thecoldnessofmathematical
