The Raven

by Edgar Allan Poe

The brooding, ominous tone of Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Raven” is... read more

The brooding, ominous tone of Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Raven” is masterfully conveyed by illustrator Ryan Price in his moody illustrations that visually interpret the classic tale. It’s not just the overall look of the black-on-tan, shadow-filled art that expresses a sense of growing dread. The horror is in the details, too: images of the lost Lenore that hint at a dark demise, and the Raven’s ominous presence, growing more dark and forbidding as the narrator grows more frantic, suggesting that the bird represents a haunted conscience. There is a literal haunting as well when the speaker is visited by the ghost of Lenore, whose raven-black hair sweeps back like the bird’s wing. A brief essay on Edgar Allen Poe, and on Ryan Price and his interpretation of the poem, conclude another exciting KCP Visions in Poetry publication. (Age 11 and older)

© Cooperative Children's Book Center, Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison, 2007

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