The Raven is a narrative poem by American writer Edgar Allan Poe, first published in January 1845. It tells the story of a talking raven's mysterious visit to a distraught lover, tracing the man's slow fall into madness. The lover, often identified as being a student, is lamenting the loss of his love, Lenore. Sitting on a bust of Pallas, the raven seems to further instigate his distress with its constant repetition of the word "Nevermore". The poem makes use of a number of folk, mythological, religious, and classical references. The poem begins with the narrator lamenting the death of his beloved Lenore. He is sitting in his chamber, half-drunk and half-asleep, when he hears a tapping at his door. He opens the door to find a raven, which he initially believes to be a sign of ill omen. The raven can only speak one word, "Nevermore". The narrator is perplexed by the raven's presence and questions it about various topics, such as lost love, faith, and the afterlife. The raven's only response is "Nevermore". As the poem progresses, the narrator's sanity deteriorates as he becomes more and more obsessed with the raven and the word "Nevermore". In the end, the narrator is left in despair, accepting the finality of death and the impossibility of recovering his lost love.
By Edgar Allan Poe · First published 1845 · Genre: Gothic Fiction, Romanticism, Horror