Editing The Raven (section)

=== Poetic structure ===
The poem is made up of 18 [[stanza]]s of six lines each. Generally, the meter is [[trochaic octameter]]—eight trochaic feet per line, each foot having one stressed syllable followed by one unstressed syllable.<ref name=K&H192/> The first line, for example (with '''´''' marking stressed syllables and '''˘''' marking unstressed):

{| class="wikitable"
|+Syllabic structure of a verse<ref name="Poe, 773"/>
|- style="text-align:center;"
! Stress
| ´
| ˘
| ´
| ˘
| ´
| ˘
| ´
| ˘
| ´
| ˘
| ´
| ˘
| ´
| ˘
| ´
| ˘
|-
!Syllable
| Once
| up-
| on
| a
| mid-
| night
| drea-
| ry,
| while
| I
| pon-
| dered
| weak
| and
| wea-
| ry
|}

Poe, however, claimed the poem was a combination of [[octameter]] [[acatalectic]], [[heptameter]] [[catalectic]], and [[tetrameter]] catalectic.<ref name=Sova208/> The [[rhyme scheme]] is ABCBBB, or AA,B,CC,CB,B,B when accounting for [[internal rhyme]]. In every stanza, the "B" lines rhyme with the word "nevermore" and are catalectic, placing extra emphasis on the final syllable. The poem also makes heavy use of [[alliteration]] ("Doubting, dreaming dreams&nbsp;...").<ref>Kopley & Hayes, 192–193</ref> Twentieth-century American poet [[Daniel Hoffman]] suggested that the poem's structure and meter is so formulaic that it is artificial, though its mesmeric quality overrides that.<ref>Hoffman, 76</ref>

Poe based the structure of "The Raven" on the complicated rhyme and rhythm of [[Elizabeth Barrett]]'s poem "Lady Geraldine's Courtship".<ref name=Sova208/> Poe had reviewed Barrett's work in the January 1845 issue of the ''[[Broadway Journal]]''<ref>Thomas & Jackson, 485</ref> and said that "her poetic inspiration is the highest—we can conceive of nothing more august. Her sense of Art is pure in itself."<ref name=Meyers160>Meyers, 160</ref> As is typical with Poe, his review also criticizes her lack of originality and what he considers the repetitive nature of some of her poetry.<ref>Peeples, 142</ref> About "Lady Geraldine's Courtship", he said "I have never read a poem combining so much of the fiercest passion with so much of the most delicate imagination."<ref name=Meyers160/>