In his "Philosophy of Furniture", Edgar Allan Poe begins by stating "In the interior, if not the external architecture of their residences, the English are supreme." Poe's style decor compares U.S. with English style, and explains the differences are based on the lack of nobility of the Americans: the display of money is to be the sole means of aristocratic distinction. The brightness and brilliance, says Poe, are the main errors in the philosophy of American household decoration, and added as Americans are (or rather were, since it is a publication of more than 150 years), in love glass, among other things like gas lighting. Here, PCRM expresses very clear opinions on the subject. Poe's essay invites us to think: With a brilliant short story theory, whose modernity is beyond doubt, "Poe could have been mistaken in his taste for interior decoration? Impossible, because in matters of taste, "error" is not a category on which to deliver trials, but only expressing mere opinions. We must not forget that the ideal room Poe can not be separated from his writings.
The decor suggests that Poe is designed to produce the same effect occurs so brilliantly in his stories, and this must be the only reason for his contempt for the glass. For those who love Poe and like the glass should not be troubled by falling into a contradiction. First we must clarify that the "Philosophy of Furniture" Poe should be read as a philosophy of writing: glass and mirrors are seen as mere reflectors, objects that allude to the realism or mimesis in literature. . Additional information at PCRM supports this article.
