Taking Another Look At “The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe

March 6, 1831 was the day Edgar Allan Poe was expelled from West Point. The story is that before he left, he managed to secure a financial sum from fellow cadets to underwrite a new publication of poetry that, once published, was not well received. The light, humorous fellow known among his friends was not found in the pages, so they collectively threw the book into the river. “The Raven” was published in 1845 and, despite its popularity, did not help him financially. The short work is better read aloud. 

After this last reading of “The Raven,” I remembered a Prog album released in 2013 by Steven Wilson titled, “The Raven That Refused To Sing (And Other Stories).” Or TRTRTS, for short. The concept album seems to capture or suggest tones of Poe’s stories and poems while telling some its own ghost stories: of invisible people (everyday people that go unnoticed); of watching a loved one die and learning to move on; of the destruction of an outwardly “perfect person” with a private, secret vice; of a relationship that fell apart; of a wasted life; of a man who has not yet lived and is ready to die. While the song “The Raven That Refused To Sing” itself does not retell Poe’s poem exactly, the parallels are unmistakable and the imagery of the accompanying video suggests intriguing interpretation toward Poe. 

Steven Wilson’s story is about a man looking for healing, even if it comes at the end. And I think this is Poe’s story, too.