It's certainly a competent narration. However, I do not agree that it was written by Edgar Allan Poe. I've researched the authorship of this poem for many years, and I've concluded, from strong evidence, that it was written by Mathew Franklin Whittier, the younger brother of the poet, John Greenleaf Whittier. Mathew would have based it on real-life circumstances, and an actual event in his life, which occurred in December of 1841. Poe's claim to authorship was merely a brazen public scam. He had nothing to do with writing this poem, which was submitted anonymously for the February edition of "American Review" under the pseudonym, "(blank) Quarles". All Poe did was to scoop the poem by three days in the daily newspaper he worked for, the NY "Evening Mirror." Presumably, he must have known ahead of time that Mathew was not in a position to publicly defend his work.
Walt Whitman wrote “O Captain, My Captain!” as a dedication to Abraham Lincoln. Although it seems like it is just a poem about a sea captain who dies at the end of a victorious voyage, it really refers to Lincoln 's untimely death shortly after his victory in the Civil War. Hope this helps. Thank you for supporting my channel. :)
I really enjoyed your rendition of Annabel Lee. I have loved this poem since I first read it in high school several years ago. Thank you for posting such great poems on your channel.
I love this motivational poem, plus your slow reading makes this pleasant to listen. With a soothing voice like yours, I think you should try ASMR some time if you can. Excellent work as always, Kay!
Edgar Allan Poe wasn't the author. His claim to it was a kind of 19th-century "identity theft." This poem's premiere was submitted anonymously to "American Review" under the pseudonym "---- Quarles" by the true author, Mathew Franklin Whittier, younger brother of poet John Greenleaf Whittier. Poe, a critic for the New York "Evening Mirror," finding the poem in an advance copy of "American Review," scooped Mathew in his own paper by two days. Mathew had shared a copy of "The Raven" with Poe in early 1842, so Poe had a handwritten copy in his possession. This enabled him to convince his editor that he had permission to scoop "American Review"--but he mysteriously left the "Mirror" shortly afterwards (suggesting that he may have been fired for lying about it). It is the height of absurdity that the editor of a newly-launched monthly literary magazine like the "Review," would have given a daily newspaper this permission. The real author was not in a position to reveal his identity because of his anti-slavery work and connection with the Underground Railroad, and hence could not publicly defend himself. See my paper, "Evidence that Edgar Allan Poe Stole 'The Raven' from Mathew Franklin Whittier," which can be downloaded from the following link, or found by searching for the paper's title on Academia.edu. www.ial.goldthread.com/MFW_The_Raven.pdf
