“The Gold-Bug” was not published until sometime later, but it was as editor of Graham’s Magazine that Poe first became known as a writer of detective stories.  One of the most famous is “The Murders of the Rue Morgue.”  It is an imaginary story, but none the less interesting.  A murder was committed in Paris by an orang-outang, which had climbed in at a window and then closed the window behind it.  The police could find no clew; but the hero of Poe’s story follows the facts out by a number of clever observations of small facts.

“The Gold-Bug” seems to have been written in 1842 for Poe’s projected magazine, The Stylus.  F.O.C.  Darley, the well-known artist, was to draw pictures for it at seven dollars each.  Poe himself took to him the manuscript of “The Gold-Bug” and that of “The Black Cat.”

As this magazine was never published, the story of “The Gold-Bug” was sent to Graham some time after Poe had left him; but he did not like it, and made some criticisms upon it.  Poe got it back from Graham in order to submit it for a prize of $100 offered by The Dollar Newspaper.  It won the prize, and became Poe’s most popular story.

* * * * *

CHAPTER XI

HOW “THE RAVEN” WAS WRITTEN

“The Raven” was published in New York just two years before Mrs. Poe died; it instantly made its author famous, although it brought him little or no money.  It is said that he was paid only ten dollars for the poem; but as soon as it appeared it was the talk of the nation,—­being copied into almost every newspaper.  Poe had written and published many other poems, but none of them had attracted much attention.

We have spoken of Poe as a story-writer, and now in “The Raven” we see him a great poet.

It is not unusual to think of poetry as the work of inspiration or genius; but how it is written, nobody knows.  Poe maintained that literary art is something that can be studied and learned.  To illustrate this he told how he wrote “The Raven.”  Some people considered this a sort of joke; but it was not.  When Poe began to write, his work was not at all good; as years went on, he learned by patient practice to write well.  It was more than anything else this long course of training that made him so great.

The essay in which he tells how he wrote “The Raven,” begins by saying that when he thought of writing it he decided that it must not be too long nor too short.  It must be short enough so that one could read it through at a sitting; but also it must be long enough to express fully the idea which he had in mind.

Then, it must be beautiful.  All true poetry is about beauty.  It doesn’t teach anything useful, or analyze anything, but it simply makes the reader feel a certain effect.  When you read “The Raven” you hardly know what the poet is saying; but you feel the ghostly scene, and it makes you shudder; and there is a strange fascination about it that makes you like it, even if it is horrible.