It is because of this that he is "arguably the most influential American writer" of the eighteen hundreds, and many other writers and thinkers during the time "sought to come to terms" with him (Baym 211). ...

• Word Count: 1963
• Approx Pages: 8
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Images of fog are featured in Thoreau's poetry to present the bridge between Nature and heaven. ... Described in terms of the countryside, the "low-anchored cloud- has several connotations. ... In Thoreau's poetry fog serves as a metaphor of a semi-obscured realm where man and nature may unite. ... "For Thoreau the world was not a pasteboard mask hiding the golden Over-Soul [but] the basis of all philosophy, and poetry, and religion even."" ...

• Word Count: 1654
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

Poe, well known today for his poetry and short stories, such as "The Pit and the Pendulum", is regarded by many to be the founder of the modern detective story. ... It is not a rejection of the existence of God, but a preference to explain an individual and the world in terms of an individual....

• Word Count: 1786
• Approx Pages: 7
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate