Nevermore: Fun Facts about Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven”

Edgar Allan Poe’s Raven turns 176 years old this January, but there are still things to discover about this most mysterious of birds.

Every Halloween, our homeschool group hosts “The Raven-ing,” a competition to see who can memorize the most of the classic Poe poem and who can give the most dramatic reading thereof. It’s an annual highlight, mostly because the weird, eerie poem appeals to almost everyone. It’s even more fun if you slip a few of these surprising facts into the conversation:

What the Dickens? 

Poe’s raven was inspired by the raven in Charles Dickens’ Barnaby Rudge — which isn’t surprising when you remember that the author of Oliver Twist was the pop culture hero of his time.

Meter Maid

Poe dedicated the book “The Raven” was eventually included in to English poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning, another Victorian literary pop star. Poe may have been acknowledging more than his appreciation for the poet — some critics think he borrowed the complex poetic meter from one of her poems for “The Raven.”

Lincoln Log

“The Raven” hit instant popular success and inspired hundreds of parodies. Abraham Lincoln enjoyed one parody, “The Polecat,” (this was the best-formatted version online, but I’m not familiar enough with this website to recommend or not recommend it!) so much that it inspired him to look up the original poem — the 19th century equivalent of reading the book because you liked the movie.

Celebrity Flockers 

Kids followed Poe around, flapping their arms and cawing until Poe delighted them by turning around and dramatically saying, “Nevermore.” That’s how popular “The Raven” was.

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