"The Raven": Demon of Despair - article on Edgar Allen Poe, death, and despair

A very tangible manifestation of black-winged demon of despair and his influence is described by Edgar Allan Poe in his uncannily beautiful poem, “The Raven.” Making masterful use of his gift for consonance and cadence, Poe has, within seventeen stanzas, depicted as powerful a description of a descent into the pit as to be found outside Dante’s Inferno.