The Marian Aesthetics of Edgar Allan Poe

Abstract This study explores Poe's aesthetic vision of the Virgin Mary in “Morella” and the “Catholic Hymn”—or the “Hymn,” as the poem is referred to today. The argument put forth is that Poe's depictions of Mary in the texts previously mentioned are influenced by his early Anglican upbringing. More specifically, the author traces Poe's early exposure to both the Protestant Episcopal Church in Virginia and the Anglican Church of England, concluding that the latter appears to have had a more pronounced influence on Poe's Marian aesthetics. The anti–Roman Catholic themes we find in “Morella” indicate that Poe was well aware of the common charges of the time that were levied against Roman Catholics, especially the argument concerning Mary as a type of divine intercessor. However, the beautifully poetic language attributed to Mary that we find in the “Catholic Hymn” conveys Poe as a man who revered and adored the Virgin. Poe's Anglican upbringing—especially his exposure to the Church of England—would have taught him that the proper amount of veneration for Mary lies somewhere in between the Roman Catholic Church and the more evangelical Protestant sects of Christianity, and it is in this middle space, the author of the study claims, that we are able to see Poe's Marian aesthetics.