SOURCE: Hogue, L. Lynn. “Eroticism in Poe's ‘For Annie’.” In New Approaches to Poe: A Symposium, edited by Richard P. Benton, pp. 85-87. Hartford: Transcendental Books, 1970.

In the following essay, Hogue studies the erotic elements in Poe's poem “For Annie” while avoiding the conventional Freudian commentary on Poe's sexuality.

Poe rarely used eroticism in his poetry—images and language which convey or reinforce impressions of sexual desire or activity. In fact, of all Poe's poems only “For Annie” reflect a conscious use of it, which deserves more than passing notice. Until now the sexual interpretation of Poe's poetry has been the domain of the Freudians, notably Roy P. Basler and Marie Bonaparte. Basler's study, commendable for its restraint in a field abounding with mountebanks, is limited to the work itself, avoids the personality of the writer,¹ and actually has little to say about sex itself in Poe's work...