The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1900-03-13
Z
EDGAR ALLAN [. POI
WAS THE SUBJECT
Professor Trent Discussed the Writer.
and His Works.
4 QUESTION AS AS. TO CLASS S,
Poe is Considered by the World a
Great Fictionist-Hc May Not
Rank With Lowell, Long
fellow ct AIS.
Professor rent Discussed the Writer.
4 QUESTION AS TO CLASS.

Professor William @. Trent. native
Richmonder, and recently elected TO a
chair in Columbia University. New 1ork,
last night lectured before the Richmond
Lyceum on .Ehgar Allan Poe The
speaker of the, evening was introduced
by Hon. S. S. P. Patteson, in neat
speech.
Professor Trent, at the beginning Of
his remearks, said: II am approaching
great man, and take it that at TINS
late day few persons will be SO rash as
to deny greatness to Edgar Allan Zoe.
One is always confronted with the ques-
tion: What is the proper point and MODE
of attack. Not that q great author or
statesman, or what not, is our enemy
far from it-but that somehow we 1eel
ut incumbent upon ourselves to reach his
heart his citadel, his capital 50 to speak,
to take possession Of him, co make him
tributary to our moral mad Intellectual
5being-even though we recognize that
the tables will sometime be turned. if he
really be q great man, and that he will
take possession OF US, dominating our.
lives and making us wiser, stronger, bet
ter men and women.
...Often, however, it happens that through
some accident or other we have never ac-
quired a knowledge OF great author, or
have been deferred from understanding
him and enjoying him through some rea-
son personal to ourselves, such as tenn
permental peculiarities; and yet we con-
stantly hear sthis author discussed and
praised, and are always intending to be-
come acquainted with him. Even
those Of US who lead what may be called
literary lives. know that fife is too short
to read all the good books in our own
language, and there are many authors
whose books we can only Know by report.
. I intend to deal only wbal Poe in
broadly critical way, and by this mean
no answer the question: What in the
main does this writer stand for, and IN
answering it we must follow critical
methods. -
A POE RENAISSANCE.
There are many reasons why we
should know what Poe stands for. In
the first place he us being more and
more talked about-he is "a distinctly
timely subject. We are in the midst
OF Poe renaissance. But besides being
a timely subject, Poe is also a vexed
subject. There are few details of his
short, sad life on which his biographies
have reached anything like unaninlity.
1t is also clear that while European
critics and readers are practically sunani-
nous in regarding Poe as the greatest
writer America has yet produced, Ameri-
cans are far from agreed as to the rank
to be assigned to his writings in their
literature. TO be sure there is little
disposition now. as there once was in
certain quarters. to treat the great tales
and poems with positive disparagement,
but it may be questioned whether the
general public has yet taken to Poe;
that his popularity may be said to be
commensurate with his merits; ana it
is quite plain that many well educated
people throughout America would be sur
prised, if not indignant, at having his
claims preferred to those of Hawthorne,
OR Emerson or Lowell, or even to Long,
fellow.
But Poe's rank in our national litera-
ture is more than q timely or debated
matter, for it involves ethical and in
tellectual considerations Of distinct i'm
portance. 1t involves doing justice to a
writer who has rarely had it accorded
him. and it involves our putting our
selves in position to profit from compre-
hension and appreciation of one of the
most rarely endowed spirits this or any
other country has ever produced.
rus SIRIUS Deltcr tHdn any OtHeI AIleT-
lean author-one of the three most i'm
portant tests of literary supremacy
the test of cosmopolitanisn.
TEST OF HIS POPULARITY.
The two-fold test of his popularity in his
native land: Was he successful in appeal
ing to his American contemporaries? Does
he appeal to us Americans to-day?
Prof. Trent answered the first question
in the affirmative as to the period between
1885 and 1850 but he did not have the
popularity of Longfellow because he did
not appeal to the public at large. Though
admitting. In answer to the second ques-
ton. that Poe's popularity may be in
creasng. his works will never exert the
Influence among us as that of Hawthorne
or Longfellow, becauce of the sentiment
against the immoral in literature.
Judged quanitatively, Poe is not a great
poet; judged qualitahvely. he ranks with
the greatest. He was, however. not
great prose writer. His criticisms have
no permanent value, but without. this his.
fiction will build him a fame greater than
any of the minor poets. Yet considered
as a stylist it is doubtful if he could take
rank as great prosewriter. In origin
atty, in range and in power, Poe must
rank among the greatest of the worlds
masters of fiction.
Said the speaker: Cosmopolitan values