Poe as a fiction writer: a rationalist or a dreamer?

In my essay I would like to discuss some of Poe´s short stories. From what I
have read I think that Poe is much more a rationalist than a dreamer and I would like
to show that on few of his stories.
Edgar Allan Poe is one of the most popular, debating and controversial writers.
Vincent Buranelli calls him in his book „the most complex personality in the entire
gallery of American authors“. J.Gerald Kennedy wrote that „no American writer of the
antebellum period enjoys greater current popularity and recognizability“. Why does
he still attract so much attention? Many writers have written great novels and poems.
However Poe was and still is unique. He was a great poet, novelist and critic. The
secret of his works is its dissimilarity. In one work we can see him as a dreamy
fantasist in other a cerebral logician. Sometimes he resolutely closes his eyes to
factual reality, sometimes he examines it in detail. He works with melancholy but also
with humour, with burlesque and with realism. This is one of the reasons why it is so
difficult to classified Poe into one group.
Writers are always influenced by their surroundings. Poe is no exception. His
life can be titled as a short tale of mystery and horror. He lost his parents in early age,
as a child was adopted, his wife died and he was not always a successful writer.
His life had definitely an influence on his work.
As I said before, Poe is not easy author to understand and to classify him into
only one category. I do not want to categorically deny that he was a dreamer. Many
people may say after reading his stories that he was only a dreamer. Although I do
understand why they say that I cannot agree. When you read Poe´s stories you will
find yourself in absurd situations. You know that what is written there is only a fiction
but you would almost swear that it could have happened. In his stories you can see in
people´s minds and although they do things which you would normally condemn you
somehow understand