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Notes:
This manscript copy of lines 103-108 (the final stanza) of "The Raven,"
is written sideways on a piece of note paper embossed "VEP," for
"Virginia Eliza Poe." The manuscript is now part of the collection of
the University of Texas. Mabbott assigns the fragment a date of
"late 1845" (Poems, 1:363), but without explanation. In his catalog of
Poe manuscripts at the University of Texas (p. 9), J. Moldenhauer
suggests a date of 1846, based a letter of June 16, 1846 on similar
paper stock, and also with embossed initials. Further supporting
this later dating is the fact that the first time Poe is known to have
capitalized "Raven" and replaced the ending exclamation point with a
period is in his essay "The Philosophy of Compostion," published in Graham's
Magazine for April 1846. (The word "still" is not italicized in
that essay, but is so marked in Poe's own copy of The Raven and Other
Poems, though not in the manuscript he sent to S. A. Whittaker in
September 1848. This might argue for a later date, but it should be
noted that Poe is using italics in the selected verses for a different
purpose in his essay, and it seems unlikely that he would be using
paper with Virginia's monogram after her death in February 1847.) On
the other hand, the 1845 version of this stanza in The Raven and
Other Poems changes "seeming of a demon that is dreaming" to
"seeming of a demon's that is dreaming," which could justify the
earlier date.
Sadly, the manuscript has no clear provenance. It was first noted in
the collection of Stephen H. Wakeman, sold at auction April 28-29, 1924
(see the catalog of his library, item 949). At that time, it was noted
as being tipped into a copy of The Raven and Other Poems in the
original paper covers. It was later in the collection of Frank J.
Hogan, appearing as item 575 in the sale of his library (January 24,
1945). It was purchased by William H. Koester, and went to the
University of Texas when his collection was acquired in 1966, following
Koester's death.
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[S:1 - MS, 1845 (photocopy)]
- Edgar Allan Poe Society of Baltimore - Works - Poems - The Raven (K) |
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