Edgar Elan Poe vocabulary

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victor su

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Could you give me some advice? I am now highly motivated to augment my vocabulary though broad reading. I am trying Poe's short stories as part of my reading materials. (I also read newspaper, magazine, and history book) His works are generally praised, and a Chinese movie star once said when she went to the US to take an English training course, the tutor used Poe's texts. But his works were wriiten more than 150 years ago, and some of vocabulary are said to be out-of-date. So are they worth intense study? Would reading works composed in the last few decades be a better choice for my purpose? Thank you.:)
 

Gillnetter

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Jan 16, 2010
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United States
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Could you give me some advice? I am now highly motivated to augment my vocabulary though broad reading. I am trying Poe's short stories as part of my reading materials. (I also read newspaper, magazine, and history book) His works are generally praised, and a Chinese movie star once said when she went to the US to take an English training course, the tutor used Poe's texts. But his works were wriiten more than 150 years ago, and some of vocabulary are said to be out-of-date. So are they worth intense study? Would reading works composed in the last few decades be a better choice for my purpose? Thank you.:)
When Poe (Edgar Allen Poe, not Elan) wrote, few people could read. Those who could read were probably taught more about classical literature than is taught today. To truly understand Poe's poetry it is necessary to understand the various references he made to both the ancient Roman and Greek cultures. If you are only interested in gaining a wider vocabulary you should read more modern books. If you want to learn more about the history of literature and are willing to spend years in this study, then reading Poe may be a worthwhile endeavor.
 
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