Noted for its otherworldly atmosphere and musically rhythmic tone, Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven" was first published in 1845. Once published, "The Raven" » made Edgar Allan Poe very popular. , although he did not prosper financially. Poe received great attention from critics, who not only interpreted, but also criticized his work. He claimed to have structured the poem logically and systematically, so that the poem appealed not only to critical tastes, but also to popular tastes. The writing of the poem is unlike any other. The mysterious atmosphere it conveys and its deep meaning take you beyond the text into an almost nightmarish illusion. Poe claimed that the poem was inspired by a talking raven in Charles Dickens' Barnaby Rudge: A Tale of the Riots of Eighty. It is also notable that Poe used the complex rhythm and meter of Elizabeth Barrett's poem "Lady Geraldine's Courtship" to create the internal rhyme as well as alliteration. What makes the poem so powerful are the elements Poe uses. First, he sets the scene: “It was a dreary night, while I pondered, weak and weary, many picturesque and curious volumes of forgotten knowledge…” It is already clear that it is late at night and that a man is weak and weary. trying to ease his sorrow by reading old books of “forgotten knowledge” (DiYanni 1173). Then the poem goes on to tell of a knock at his bedroom door. When he opens the door, he is surprised to find: “Darkness there and nothing more” (1173). He whispers into the darkness "Lenore", hoping that his lost love has returned, but all that was heard was "an echo [that] whispered back the word 'Lenore!' » » (1173). Angry and perplexed, he returns to his room and suddenly a loud knock is heard against the window lattice. H...... middle of paper ......CityDiYanni, Robert. “Chapter Seventeen, The Raven.” Literature: reading fiction, poetry and theater. 6th ed. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2007. 1173-175. Print. Masterful, Tony. “The art of poetry.” Student companion of Edgar Allan Poe. Westport, CT; London: Greenwood, 2001. 39-41. Print. Meltzer, Milton. "'The Raven' - and fame." Edgar Allan Poe: a biography. Brookfield, CT: 21st Century, 2003. 105-16. Print."Poe, Edgar Allan (1809 - 1849) - Reference subject Creed." Credo reference home. Internet. February 13, 2011. Quinn, Arthur Hobson. and Shawn Rosenheim. “New York – “The Raven” and other matters.” Edgar Allan Poe: A Critical Biography. Baltimore (Md.): John Hopkins UP, 1998. 405-50. Print “The Raven”. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Internet. February 13. 2011. .