Edgar Allan Poe is unique for being at once so firmly entrenched within the American literary tradition and yet so questionable in the eyes of the very critics whose attentions strengthened his position. Harold Bloom wonders if Poe's longevity suggests that literary merit and canonical status aren't inseparable. This title, Edgar Allan Poe, part of Chelsea House Publishers' Modern Critical Views series, examines the major works of Edgar Allan Poe through full-length critical essays by expert literary critics. In addition, this title features a short biography on Edgar Allan Poe, a chronology of the author's life, and an introductory essay written by Harold Bloom, Sterling Professor of the Humanities, Yale University.