The Influence of Edgar Allan Poe's Life Experience on His Writings: From the Psychoanalytic Perspective

摘要

Psychoanalytic literary criticism is the literary criticism that is influenced by the tradition of psychoanalysis begun by Sigmund Freud. It is a literary approach where critics see the text as if it were the reflection of writer's repressed desire. It uncovers the author's hidden motivations. Edgar Allan Poe is one of the most controversial writers in the 19th century in America. His short stories reflect his repressed desire which was caused by his tragic and unfortunate life. This paper aims to study the influence of Edgar Allan Poe's life experience on his writings and try to explain why the characters in his short stories are always dead or mad.