![]() ![]() Sanderlin appropriately points out that the same image occurs in “Israfel” (p. Our initial encounter with the bold knight finds him journeying “In sunshine and in shadow.” Stephen W. Even in defeat, the gallant and bold find Eldorado” ( M 1:461). This is our poet himself at his best, and what we wish toīe. Speaking of those who seek beauty, truth, and the Ideal, Mabbott says, “In theįace of every adversity, even death itself, they ride boldly, singing a song. Identifying the knight as poet, indicates as much. Indeed, the very richness of potential meaning implies that what really matters is the quest itself. It is subsumed under the reverberative connotation of “Eldorado,” a singular word conjuring up a Long, / Singing a song.” Not untypical of Romantic quest poems, the exact object of his search is vague and suggestive rather than The opening stanza suggests that we see the knight as representative of the questing poet. Human limitations that make the creation of poetry so difficult, and the role of the imagination in overcoming these limitations. As with “To Helen” and “Israfel,” “Eldorado” is about poetry, the “romantic aspiration” and its futility.( 1) There is far more wealth in this poem, Other commentators would have us view “Eldorado” ironically as Poe’s means of calling into question A variation of this reading argues thatĮldorado represents death, reflecting Poe’s belief that the Ideal can be found only in the timeless realm beyond physicalĮxistence. The poem symbolizes the search for the Ideal and the necessary courage in pursuing that quest. As to meaning, the most common view is that Have considered joining the frenzied throng that invaded the goldfields ( M 1:461). Mabbott even suggests that Poe, “at least in imagination,” may There is no question that its immediate cause was theĮxcitement generated by the California gold rush. Commentary on the poem, however, has not done its true complexity justice. “Eldorado” attains an expressive perfection that places it alongside “To Helen” as Poe’s finest poeticĮffort. Pitfalls that mar much of his other poetry - tortured syntax, jangling meter, discordant rhyme, banal repetition. Poe’s “Eldorado” (1849) is deceptively brief, deceptively straightforward. ![]()
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