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1、ThePoeticPrinciple(1850)byEdgarAllanPoeThisversionof"ThePoeticPrincipleisfromTheWorksoftheLateEdgarAllanPoe,vol.III,1850,pp.1-20.ItwaspublishedinSeptember1850.AnalternateversionwaspublishedonAugust31,1850,intheHomeJournal.THEPOETICPRINCIPLE.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~INspeakingofthePoeticPrinciple,Ihaveno
2、designtobeeitherthoroughorprofound.Whilediscussing,verymuchatrandom,theessentialityofwhatwecallPoetry,myprincipalpurposewillbetociteforconsideration,somefewofthoseminorEnglishorAmericanpoemswhichbestsuitmyowntaste,orwhich,uponmyownfancy,haveleftthemostdefiniteimpression.By"minorpoems"Imean,ofc
3、ourse,poemsoflittlelength.Andhere,inthebeginning,permitmetosayafewwordsinregardtoasomewhatpeculiarprinciple,which,whetherrightfullyorwrongfully,hasalwayshaditsinfluenceinmyowncriticalestimateofthepoem.Iholdthatalongpoemdoesnotexist.Imaintainthatthephrase,"alongpoem,"issimplyaflatcontradictioni
4、nterms.Ineedscarcelyobservethatapoemdeservesitstitleonlyinasmuchasitexcites,byelevatingthesoul.Thevalueofthepoemisintheratioofthiselevatingexcitement.Butallexcitementsare,throughapsychalnecessity,transient.Thatdegreeofexcitementwhichwouldentitleapoemtobesocalledatall,cannotbesustainedthroughou
5、tacompositionofanygreatlength.Afterthelapseofhalfanhour,attheveryutmost,itflags—fails—arevulsionensues—andthenthepoemis,ineffect,andinfact,nolongersuch.Thereare,nodoubt,manywhohavefounddifficultyinreconcilingthecriticaldictumthatthe"ParadiseLost"istobedevoutlyadmiredthroughout,withtheabsolutei
6、mpossibilityofmaintainingforit,duringperusal,theamountofenthusiasmwhich[page2:]thatcriticaldictumwoulddemand.Thisgreatwork,infact,istoberegardedaspoetical,onlywhen,losingsightofthatvitalrequisiteinallworksofArt,Unity,weviewitmerelyasaseriesofminorpoems.If,topreserveitsUnity—itstotalityofeffect
7、orimpression—wereadit(aswouldbenecessary)atasinglesitting,theresultisbutaconstantalternationofexcitementanddepression.Afterapassageofwhatwefeeltobetruepoetry,therefollows,inevitably,apassageofplatitudewhichnocriticalprejudgmentcanforceu
