Edgar Allan Poe published “The Philosophy of Composition” in 1846. It first appeared in the April 1846 issue of Graham’s American Monthly Magazine of Literature and Art.
The essay was published after the success of “The Raven,” which had first appeared in 1845. Poe uses that poem as a case study, claiming that its effects were built through deliberate choices rather than spontaneous inspiration. He describes decisions involving the poem’s length, mood, setting, refrain, and central subject.
The essay became important to Poe’s literary reputation because it presents writing as a carefully engineered process. However, scholars have questioned whether Poe’s account fully describes his actual creative method. It may also be a crafted argument intended to demonstrate his theories about unity and emotional effect. The year 1846 is distinct from 1845, the publication year of “The Raven,” and from 1850, when the essay was reprinted after Poe’s death.