Poe’s Poetic Unconscious: Applying Charles Mauron’s Psychocritical Method to The Raven, Ulalume, and Annabel Lee

Abstract

This study offers a critical analysis of Edgar Allan Poe’s poetry by applying Charles Mauron’s psychoanalytic approach. Drawing on Mauron’s method of tracing the associations among recurring images and metaphors in literary texts, the study seeks to uncover the underlying personal myth that structures Poe’s poetic imagination. By examining the recurrence and interaction of these images and metaphors across selected poems, the study explores the psychological patterns underlying Poe’s poetic expression and their role in shaping his distinctive literary vision.