The City in the Sea
Encyclopedia
"The City in the Sea" is a poem
by Edgar Allan Poe
. The final version was published in 1845, but an earlier version was published as "The Doomed City" in 1831 and, later, as "The City of Sin". The poem tells the story of a city ruled by Death using common elements from Gothic fiction
. Poe drew his inspiration from several works, including Kubla Khan
by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
and was accused of plagiarizing "The City in the Sea" from a lesser-known poem.
In addition, the end suggests that this city is more evil than Hell for it will hold the city of Death in reverence. It is suggested, that Death may be worse than the Devil.
The weird setting and its foreboding remoteness in "The City in the Sea" is a common device of Gothic fiction
. This combines with the poem's theme of a self-conscious dramatization of doom, similar to Poe's "The Sleeper" and "The Valley of Unrest."
's History of the Jewish Wars
, a first century account of the Biblical
city of Gomorrah
. The poem also bears a resemblance to the Lucretius
's classical poem "De Rerum Natura" and, specifically, an English translation by John Mason Good
. Thirty-five of eighty-five consecutive lines parallel the work. Poe's last version of the poem may also reference Edmund Spenser's
The Faerie Queene
with the term "proud tower". The mood and style of the poem also seem to echo "Kubla Khan
", a poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
, known to be a heavy influence on Poe's poetry.
in August 1836 as "The City of Sin". It was first printed under the title "The City in the Sea" in the April 1845 issue of the American Review. It was included by Rufus Wilmot Griswold
in the tenth edition of The Poets and Poetry of America
in 1850, the year after Poe's death, as an example of Poe's best poetry.
part of the poem from a poem called "Musing Thoughts", first published in 1829 in The Token. Both poems include a line about a "thousand thrones". Even so, it is considered one of his best poems from his early years.
, though the name of the poem was given as "The City and the Sea".
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
by Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe was an American author, poet, editor and literary critic, considered part of the American Romantic Movement. Best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre, Poe was one of the earliest American practitioners of the short story and is considered the inventor of the detective...
. The final version was published in 1845, but an earlier version was published as "The Doomed City" in 1831 and, later, as "The City of Sin". The poem tells the story of a city ruled by Death using common elements from Gothic fiction
Gothic fiction
Gothic fiction, sometimes referred to as Gothic horror, is a genre or mode of literature that combines elements of both horror and romance. Gothicism's origin is attributed to English author Horace Walpole, with his 1764 novel The Castle of Otranto, subtitled "A Gothic Story"...
. Poe drew his inspiration from several works, including Kubla Khan
Kubla Khan
Kubla Khan is a poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, completed in 1797 and published in Christabel, Kubla Khan, and the Pains of Sleep in 1816...
by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Samuel Taylor Coleridge was an English poet, Romantic, literary critic and philosopher who, with his friend William Wordsworth, was a founder of the Romantic Movement in England and a member of the Lake Poets. He is probably best known for his poems The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Kubla...
and was accused of plagiarizing "The City in the Sea" from a lesser-known poem.
Analysis
The city is one in the west ruled by Death who is revered above all: ‘While from a proud tower in the town, Death looks gigantically down.’ This is another classic Poe poem in that it deals with death and presents it in a non-conventional way. It is seen as a god that rules over a glorious, peaceful city in the west. There are ‘Domes and spires and kingly halls, and fanes and Babylon like walls…’ That the city is in the west is appropriate, because the west, in which the sun sets, has traditionally been associated with death. At the end of the poem a ‘stir in the air’ or a wave moves the towers so that they create ‘A void within the filmy heaven.’ Poe speaks in the last part of the poem of the end of days when ‘the waves now have a redder glow, the hours are breathing faint and low.’ The waves turning red is a sign of hell's coming, because red is the color of fire and hence the color of hell and the devil. ‘And when, amid no earthly moans, Down, down the town shall settle hence, Hell rising from a thousand thrones, shall do it reverence.’ The last lines of the poem speak of the devil's gratitude to death in allowing him to come forth and rule over Earth.In addition, the end suggests that this city is more evil than Hell for it will hold the city of Death in reverence. It is suggested, that Death may be worse than the Devil.
The weird setting and its foreboding remoteness in "The City in the Sea" is a common device of Gothic fiction
Gothic fiction
Gothic fiction, sometimes referred to as Gothic horror, is a genre or mode of literature that combines elements of both horror and romance. Gothicism's origin is attributed to English author Horace Walpole, with his 1764 novel The Castle of Otranto, subtitled "A Gothic Story"...
. This combines with the poem's theme of a self-conscious dramatization of doom, similar to Poe's "The Sleeper" and "The Valley of Unrest."
Inspiration
Poe was inspired at least in part by Flavius JosephusJosephus
Titus Flavius Josephus , also called Joseph ben Matityahu , was a 1st-century Romano-Jewish historian and hagiographer of priestly and royal ancestry who recorded Jewish history, with special emphasis on the 1st century AD and the First Jewish–Roman War, which resulted in the Destruction of...
's History of the Jewish Wars
The Wars of the Jews
The Jewish War , in full Flavius Josephus's Books of the History of the Jewish War against the Romans , also referred to in English as The Wars of the Jews and The History of the Destruction of Jerusalem, is a book written by the 1st century Jewish historian Josephus.It is a description of Jewish...
, a first century account of the Biblical
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
city of Gomorrah
Gomorrah
Gomorrah or Gomorra may refer to:* Sodom and Gomorrah, infamous biblical cities* Gomorrah , by Roberto Saviano** Gomorrah , based on the book* Operation Gomorrah, the Bombing of Hamburg in World War II in July 1943...
. The poem also bears a resemblance to the Lucretius
Lucretius
Titus Lucretius Carus was a Roman poet and philosopher. His only known work is an epic philosophical poem laying out the beliefs of Epicureanism, De rerum natura, translated into English as On the Nature of Things or "On the Nature of the Universe".Virtually no details have come down concerning...
's classical poem "De Rerum Natura" and, specifically, an English translation by John Mason Good
John Mason Good
John Mason Good , English writer on medical, religious and classical subjects, was born at Epping, Essex.John Good's parents were the Nonconformist minister Revd Peter Good and Sarah Good, the daughter of another Nonconformist minister, Revd Henry Peyto of Great Coggeshall...
. Thirty-five of eighty-five consecutive lines parallel the work. Poe's last version of the poem may also reference Edmund Spenser's
Edmund Spenser
Edmund Spenser was an English poet best known for The Faerie Queene, an epic poem and fantastical allegory celebrating the Tudor dynasty and Elizabeth I. He is recognised as one of the premier craftsmen of Modern English verse in its infancy, and one of the greatest poets in the English...
The Faerie Queene
The Faerie Queene
The Faerie Queene is an incomplete English epic poem by Edmund Spenser. The first half was published in 1590, and a second installment was published in 1596. The Faerie Queene is notable for its form: it was the first work written in Spenserian stanza and is one of the longest poems in the English...
with the term "proud tower". The mood and style of the poem also seem to echo "Kubla Khan
Kubla Khan
Kubla Khan is a poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, completed in 1797 and published in Christabel, Kubla Khan, and the Pains of Sleep in 1816...
", a poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Samuel Taylor Coleridge was an English poet, Romantic, literary critic and philosopher who, with his friend William Wordsworth, was a founder of the Romantic Movement in England and a member of the Lake Poets. He is probably best known for his poems The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Kubla...
, known to be a heavy influence on Poe's poetry.
Publication history
An early version of the poem, titled "The Doomed City", appeared in Poe's 1831 collection simply called Poems. It was reworked, as many of Poe's works, and published in the Southern Literary MessengerSouthern Literary Messenger
The Southern Literary Messenger was a periodical published in Richmond, Virginia, from 1834 until June 1864. Each issue carried a subtitle of "Devoted to Every Department of Literature and the Fine Arts" or some variation and included poetry, fiction, non-fiction, reviews, and historical notes...
in August 1836 as "The City of Sin". It was first printed under the title "The City in the Sea" in the April 1845 issue of the American Review. It was included by Rufus Wilmot Griswold
Rufus Wilmot Griswold
Rufus Wilmot Griswold was an American anthologist, editor, poet, and critic. Born in Vermont, Griswold left home when he was 15 years old. He worked as a journalist, editor, and critic in Philadelphia, New York City, and elsewhere. He built up a strong literary reputation, in part due to his 1842...
in the tenth edition of The Poets and Poetry of America
The Poets and Poetry of America
The Poets and Poetry of America was a popular anthology of American poetry collected by American literary critic and editor Rufus Wilmot Griswold...
in 1850, the year after Poe's death, as an example of Poe's best poetry.
Critical reception
Poe was accused of plagiarizingPlagiarism
Plagiarism is defined in dictionaries as the "wrongful appropriation," "close imitation," or "purloining and publication" of another author's "language, thoughts, ideas, or expressions," and the representation of them as one's own original work, but the notion remains problematic with nebulous...
part of the poem from a poem called "Musing Thoughts", first published in 1829 in The Token. Both poems include a line about a "thousand thrones". Even so, it is considered one of his best poems from his early years.
Adaptations
A performed version of the poem was included on the 1997 album Closed on Account of RabiesClosed On Account of Rabies
Closed On Account of Rabies is a double-CD with poems and tales of Edgar Allan Poe performed by various artists, and produced by Hal Willner...
, though the name of the poem was given as "The City and the Sea".