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The Poems of Edgar Allan Poe
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The Philosophy of Composition
The Poems of Edgar Allan Poe · Edgar Allan Poe
The Philosophy of Composition Quiz
Poe's 1846 essay explaining, step by step, how he says he wrote "The Raven".
10 questions
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Q1
of 10
Who, in a note, told Poe that Godwin wrote Caleb Williams backwards?
A
Nathaniel Hawthorne
B
Charles Dickens
C
Washington Irving
D
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Q2
of 10
How long did Poe decide "The Raven" should be?
A
Exactly fifty lines, no more
B
As long as a short epic
C
Short enough for one page
D
About one hundred lines
Q3
of 10
What does Poe call "the sole legitimate province of the poem"?
A
Truth
B
Beauty
C
Passion
D
Morality
Q4
of 10
Which tone does Poe call "the most legitimate of all the poetical tones"?
A
Melancholy
B
Terror
C
Joy
D
Irony
Q5
of 10
Why did Poe want the refrain to contain a long "o"?
A
It rhymes with the name Lenore
B
It sounds like a raven's cry
C
It was Virginia's favourite
D
It is the most sonorous vowel
Q6
of 10
Which creature did Poe first think of before choosing a raven?
A
A parrot
B
An owl
C
A black cat
D
A crow
Q7
of 10
What does Poe call "the most poetical topic in the world"?
A
The fall of a great empire
B
A soldier's farewell to his love
C
The death of a beautiful woman
D
The madness of a lonely genius
Q8
of 10
Which stanza of "The Raven" does Poe say he wrote first?
A
The opening stanza at midnight
B
The stanza where the bird enters
C
The climactic stanza about Lenore
D
The very last stanza of all
Q9
of 10
Why did Poe choose a bust of Pallas for the bird to perch on?
A
It suits his scholarship, and sounds well
B
There was one just like it in his own study
C
Pallas was the goddess of the dead
D
A bust was the only place out of reach
Q10
of 10
What does Poe say the Raven finally becomes emblematical of?
A
The poet's own approaching and lonely death
B
Mournful and never-ending Remembrance
C
The cruelty of a silent and absent God
D
Madness creeping over reason