Abstract:

Edgar Allan Poe is an American poet and the ancestor of detective novels. He not only plays one of the important roles in American Romantic Movement, but also is the father of American short stories. The “beauty” of his eyes is not that of the description of the magnificent world but that of following the distant, unreal, and unworldly beauty. Although Annabel Lee describes the author of his deceased wife with painful memories and the end of this poem is sad, but we can know the romantic feelings of the poet. In To Helen, the poet shows the pure soul of perfect love for the first time. The portrayal shapes the ancient Greek beauty, and the poet expresses his love for Mrs.Stannard. Meanwhile, it implies his desire for beautiful and happy life. This paper will discuss Edgar Allan Poe's life background, the theme of his poetry and the style of the two poems.

Keywords: Edgar Allan Poe; Romantic Movement; Annabel Lee; To Helen; beauty

摘  要：

埃德加.爱伦.坡是一位唯美主义的美国诗人，还是侦探小说的鼻祖，他不仅是美国浪漫主义运动的重要角色之一，还是美国短篇小说之父。他眼中的美并不只是描写华丽的世界,而是发自内心的追随遥远，虚幻，脱俗的美感。虽然《安娜贝尔李》描述的是作者对死去的妻子的怀念与感伤，结局也是凄凉的，但我们从中体会到的是浪漫主义诗人的情怀。《致海伦》，展现了诗人纯洁灵魂中第一次完美的恋爱，诗人塑造了古希腊形象，表达对斯丹娜夫人的爱慕之情，同时也暗含着他对幸福美好生活的向往。本文就从这两首诗中，论述爱伦坡的生活背景，创造主题及艺术风格。

关键词：埃德加.爱伦.坡；浪漫主义运动；《安娜贝尔李》；《致海伦》

1 Introduction to Edgar Allan Poe
1.1 Historical background
American Romanticism started from the end of the 18th century to the Civil War. It was the most important time of American literature. Irving, Whitman, Poe and other writers represented the term “Romantic” as an origin of a school of literature against the Classic or so-called Rationalism. Writers of romantic literature laid emphasis on imagination and feeling. They liked to describe and praise nature. Therefore, the historical background and Poe’s own experiences have affected his works. The characteristics of his works emphasized individualism, the irregular, the mysterious and the indefinite romance. As we all know, the literature of the romantic period was a prosperity of American literature. Hence we also deem that it was “the renaissance of the United States”. In addition, with the popularity of romanticism, American politic, economy and culture were rapidly developing.