An examination of Poe's use of the conventions of the sublime and the picturesque, with a brief history of both traditions as they were developed in eighteenth-century America. "...an informative and provocative study." —Glen A. Omans, Poe Studies Association Newsletter. "This is a book filled with new insights into individual tales and poems by Poe. ...It also provides a solid theoretical background for them." —Donald Barlow Stauffer, University of Mississippi Studies in English.