Edgar Allan Poe: Rhetoric And Style -

: Poe believed every word in a short story should contribute to one pre-established mood.

Poe was a "lexical technician" who employed over throughout his work. He adapted his prose style to match the mental state of his narrators—from the "rational" self-reflection found in the initial stages of "The Tell-Tale Heart" to the "diffusional and interjectional" style used to convey hysteria. Edgar Allan Poe: Rhetoric and Style - York University Edgar Allan Poe: Rhetoric And Style

: His word choice often creates a formal, "haunting" atmosphere that lends a sense of gravity and antiquity to his Gothic settings. : Poe believed every word in a short