Edgar Allan Poe is an American writer and is considered the founder of the horror story. Most of his work is dark and brooding. This can be seen in both his prose and his poetry. Poe's writings are sometimes considered as bizarre as the writer himself, but in reality they are deeply artistically developed. His literary creations are perfect examples of romantic and gothic literature. In them he explores the world of the human mind, including imagination and dreams. He wants the reader to be able to fully imagine the scene as if it were present in the story. A good example of this is found in his poem “The Raven”, first published in 1845. Poe wrote it when he was going through difficult times and this is reflected in the overall feeling that is conveyed by the poem. Poe's description of the setting in "The Raven" and his use of figurative language and symbolism help create some of the best poetry he wrote and an atmosphere that can still be felt by readers today. One of the strongest elements of this poem is its setting and the atmosphere it creates. Poe pays great attention to even the smallest detail, which has its own significant meaning in the whole. In various lines he describes the setting and without even realizing it the reader has a very clear image of it. At the beginning Poe simply states that it is a "gloomy" midnight and therefore nothing exciting or joyful can be expected. After the plot begins to evolve, it suddenly stops and Poe returns to describing the scene. The character is sitting in a “room” reading books to forget his pain. Instead of using the word room, chamber is used to evoke a feeling of mystery and perhaps even antiquity. It's December, there's a fire...... middle of paper......and to understand them better. There is a lot of mythology in “The Crow,” which gives it an ancient and mystical feeling. Today's readers are certainly affected in the same way as those of the 19th century were, but not as frightened. To create a memorable and powerful poem Poe uses various literary elements such as strong setting, figurative language, and symbolism. The setting of “The Crow” creates the atmosphere necessary to correctly perceive what the main character is going through. Figurative language gives poetry a high level of artistic value. Finally, symbolism incorporates many layers of meaning into the poem. All of this can still be felt by readers today, even if it doesn't seem as scary as Poe might have thought. It was, is, and will remain one of the best poems that Poe and even American literature has to offer.