The great masters of imagination have seldom resorted to the
vague and the unreal as sources of effect. They have not used
dread and horror alone, but only in combination with other
qualities, as means of subjugating the fancies of their readers.
The loftiest muse has ever a household and fireside charm about
her. Mr. Poe's secret lies mainly in the skill with which he has
employed the strange fascination of mystery and terror. In this
his success is so great and striking as to deserve the name of
art, not artifice. We cannot call his materials the noblest or
purest, but we must concede to him the highest merit of
construction.
As a critic, Mr. Poe was aesthetically deficient. Unerring in his
analysis of dictions, metres and plots, he seemed wanting in the
faculty of perceiving the profounder ethics of art. His
criticisms are, however, distinguished for scientific precision
and coherence of logic. They have the exactness, and at the same
