--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: No formal course in fiction-writing can…" description: "\"No formal course in fiction-writing can equal a close and observant perusal of the stories of Edgar Allan Poe or Ambrose Bierce.\" — H. P. Lovecraft" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b9/h-p-lovecraft-1408_allan-poe_no-formal-course-in-fiction-writing-can_668437.png" --- # No formal course in fiction-writing can equal a close and… ![“No formal course in fiction-writing can equal a close and observant perusal of the stories of Edgar Allan Poe or Ambrose Bierce.” quote by H. P. Lovecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b9/h-p-lovecraft-1408_allan-poe_no-formal-course-in-fiction-writing-can_668437.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b9/h-p-lovecraft-1408_allan-poe_no-formal-course-in-fiction-writing-can_668437.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b9/h-p-lovecraft-1408_allan-poe_no-formal-course-in-fiction-writing-can_668437.png) > “No formal course in fiction-writing can equal a close and observant perusal of the stories of Edgar Allan Poe or Ambrose Bierce.” [H. P. Lovecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-lovecraft/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Studying Poe and Bierce provides deeper insight than formal classes alone. **In simple terms:** Read classic masters for better writing. Key Takeaway Learn from masters, not just courses. Themes writing literature learning Mood analytical inquisitive Type educational inspirational When to use this quote - creative writing class - self‑study - reading groups - literary analysis Key Concepts classic horror story structure Questions to Reflect On - Which classic story most influenced your style? - How can you blend formal lessons with classic reading? A Different Perspective Classroom instruction offers structured feedback that self‑study lacks. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Fiction writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction-writing/) [Observant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/observant/) [Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poe/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [My favorite poem ever was 'Annabel Lee' by Edgar Allan Poe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-lynch/my-favorite-poem-ever-was-annabel-lee-by-edgar-allan-poe/) [Ross Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-lynch/) > [Detective fiction could not have existed without Edgar Allan Poe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-foden/detective-fiction-could-not-have-existed-without-edgar-allan-poe/) [Giles Foden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-foden/) > [Man, you should have seen them kicking Edgar Allan Poe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lennon/man-you-should-have-seen-them-kicking-edgar-allan-poe/) [John Lennon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lennon/) > [I always thought it would be really, really cool to play Edgar Allan Poe, because when I was a kid, he was one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-miller/i-always-thought-it-would-be-really-really-cool-to-play-edgar-allan/) [Ezra Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-miller/) > [“It was a story by Edgar Allan Poe" "I didn't know the Teletubbies had first names ...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-a-lancaster/it-was-a-story-by-edgar-allan-poe-i-didn-t-know-the-teletubbies-had/) [Mike A. Lancaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-a-lancaster/) > [“You remind me of Edgar Allan Poe's Dupin. I had no idea that such individuals did exist out of stories.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/you-remind-me-of-edgar-allan-poe-s-dupin-i-had-no-idea-that-such/) [Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/) > [Edgar Allan Poe, I think he's a brilliant poet. I was actually given a copy of his work when I was, like, 8 years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dove-cameron/edgar-allan-poe-i-think-he-s-a-brilliant-poet-i-was-actually-given-a/) [Dove Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dove-cameron/) > [Edgar Allan Poe is amazing because he was so dark. He's from Baltimore and so cynical that you can feel it when you're reading,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/goldlink/edgar-allan-poe-is-amazing-because-he-was-so-dark-he-s-from-baltimore/) [Goldlink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/goldlink/) > [If I'm too old to be Emo, how do you account for the very Emo and very old Edgar Allan Poe? Checkmate!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/if-i-m-too-old-to-be-emo-how-do-you-account-for-the-very-emo-and-very/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [If Edgar Allan Poe were alive today, his agent would be constantly slapping him upside the head with tightly rolled copies of his brilliant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/if-edgar-allan-poe-were-alive-today-his-agent-would-be-constantly/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“Edgar Allan Poe was an American poet, short story writer, playwright, editor, critic, essayist and one of the leaders of the American Romantic Movement.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/edgar-allan-poe-was-an-american-poet-short-story-writer-playwright/) [Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/) > [“EDGAR ALLAN POE was born on January 19, 1809, in Boston, the second of three children born to actors David Poe Jr. and Elizabeth Arnold Hopkins.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/edgar-allan-poe-was-born-on-january-19-1809-in-boston-the-second-of/) [Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/) > [The sky was the color of Edgar Allan Poe's pajamas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-sky-was-the-color-of-edgar-allan-poe-s-pajamas/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [“It was all Mrs. Waddington could do to refrain from hurling a bust of Edgar Allan Poe at her head.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-g-wodehouse/it-was-all-mrs-waddington-could-do-to-refrain-from-hurling-a-bust-of/) [P.G. Wodehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-g-wodehouse/) > [Epilepsy is a disease in the shadows. Patients are often reluctant to admit their condition - even to close family, friends or co-workers -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynda-resnick/epilepsy-is-a-disease-in-the-shadows-patients-are-often-reluctant-to/) [Lynda Resnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynda-resnick/) ## More by H. P. Lovecraft > [It is the night-black Massachusetts legendry which packs the really macabre "kick". Here is material for a really profound study in group-neuroticism; for certainly,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-p-lovecraft/it-is-the-night-black-massachusetts-legendry-which-packs-the-really/) [H. P. Lovecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-lovecraft/) > [“Sounds—possibly musical—heard in the night from other worlds or realms of being.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-p-lovecraft/sounds-possibly-musical-heard-in-the-night-from-other-worlds-or/) [H. P. Lovecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-lovecraft/) > [Very few minds are strictly normal, and all religious fanatics are marked with abnormalities of various sorts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-p-lovecraft/very-few-minds-are-strictly-normal-and-all-religious-fanatics-are/) [H. P. Lovecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-lovecraft/) > [It's not a bad idea to call this Cthulhuism & Yog-Sothothery of mine "The Mythology of Hastur" - although it was really from Machen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-p-lovecraft/it-s-not-a-bad-idea-to-call-this-cthulhuism-yog-sothothery-of-mine/) [H. P. Lovecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-lovecraft/) > [The appeal of the spectrally macabre is generally narrow because it demands from the reader a certain degree of imagination and a capacity for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-p-lovecraft/the-appeal-of-the-spectrally-macabre-is-generally-narrow-because-it/) [H. P. Lovecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-lovecraft/) > [There are probably seven persons, in all, who really like my work; and they are enough. I should write even if I were the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-p-lovecraft/there-are-probably-seven-persons-in-all-who-really-like-my-work-and/) [H. P. Lovecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-lovecraft/) > [Nothing is really typical of my efforts... I'm simply casting about for better ways to crystallise and capture certain strong impressions (involving the elements…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-p-lovecraft/nothing-is-really-typical-of-my-efforts-i-m-simply-casting-about-for/) [H. P. Lovecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-lovecraft/) > [Thus I began my systematic though half-bewildered tour of Innsmouth's narrow, shadow-blighted ways. Crossing the bridge and turning toward the roar of the lower…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-p-lovecraft/thus-i-began-my-systematic-though-half-bewildered-tour-of-innsmouth-s/) [H. P. Lovecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-lovecraft/) > [Of what use is it to please the herd? They are simply coarse animals - for all that is admirable in man is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-p-lovecraft/of-what-use-is-it-to-please-the-herd-they-are-simply-coarse-animals/) [H. P. Lovecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-lovecraft/) > [“How little does the earth self know life and its extent! How little, indeed, ought it to know for its own tranquility!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-p-lovecraft/how-little-does-the-earth-self-know-life-and-its-extent-how-little/) [H. P. Lovecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-lovecraft/) > [The trees grew too thickly, and their trunks were too big for any healthy New England wood. There was too much silence in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-p-lovecraft/the-trees-grew-too-thickly-and-their-trunks-were-too-big-for-any/) [H. P. Lovecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-lovecraft/) > [Plots may be simple or complex, but suspense, and climactic progress from one incident to another, are essential. Every incident in a fictional work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-p-lovecraft/plots-may-be-simple-or-complex-but-suspense-and-climactic-progress/) [H. P. Lovecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-lovecraft/) > [Searchers after horror haunt strange, far places.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-p-lovecraft/searchers-after-horror-haunt-strange-far-places/) [H. P. Lovecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-lovecraft/) > [Cosmic terror appears as an ingredient of the earliest folklore of all races and is crystallised in the most archaic ballads, chronicles, and sacred…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-p-lovecraft/cosmic-terror-appears-as-an-ingredient-of-the-earliest-folklore-of/) [H. P. Lovecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-lovecraft/) > [Truth is of no practical value to mankind save as it affects terrestrial phenomena, hence the discoveries of science should be concealed or glossed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-p-lovecraft/truth-is-of-no-practical-value-to-mankind-save-as-it-affects/) [H. P. Lovecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-lovecraft/) [Explore all 244 H. P. Lovecraft quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-lovecraft/) ## More Allan poe quotes > [Man, you should have seen them kicking Edgar Allan Poe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lennon/man-you-should-have-seen-them-kicking-edgar-allan-poe/) [John Lennon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lennon/) > [ “To me \[Edgar Allan Poe's\] prose is unreadable—like Jane Austin's \[sic\]. No there is a difference. I could read his prose on salary, but… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/to-me-edgar-allan-poe-s-prose-is-unreadable-like-jane-austin-s-sic-no/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [“Words have no power to impress the mind without the exquisite horror of their reality.” ― Edgar Allan Poe”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penny-reid/words-have-no-power-to-impress-the-mind-without-the-exquisite-horror/) [Penny Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penny-reid/) > [ I would say that Edgar Allan Poe, \[Georges\] Perec, Thomas Pynchon, and \[Jorge Luis\] Borges are all boy-writers. These are writers who take... a… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/i-would-say-that-edgar-allan-poe-georges-perec-thomas-pynchon-and/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) > [The sky was the color of Edgar Allan Poe's pajamas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-sky-was-the-color-of-edgar-allan-poe-s-pajamas/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [“EDGAR ALLAN POE was born on January 19, 1809, in Boston, the second of three children born to actors David Poe Jr. and Elizabeth Arnold Hopkins.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/edgar-allan-poe-was-born-on-january-19-1809-in-boston-the-second-of/) [Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/) > [“Edgar Allan Poe called it “the imp of the perverse,” that willful, self-destructive voice within that impels us to do things or say things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-cashill/edgar-allan-poe-called-it-the-imp-of-the-perverse-that-willful-self/) [Jack Cashill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-cashill/) > [I am an invisible man. No, I am not a spook like those who haunted Edgar Allan Poe; nor am I one of your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-ellison/i-am-an-invisible-man-no-i-am-not-a-spook-like-those-who-haunted/) [Ralph Ellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-ellison/) > [“Suffice it to say I was compelled to create this group in order to find everyone who is, let's say, borrowing liberally from my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-schmelling/suffice-it-to-say-i-was-compelled-to-create-this-group-in-order-to/) Sarah Schmelling > [“And so it is with old HPL: the very model of an 18th century hipster, born decades too late to be one of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-so-it-is-with-old-hpl-the-very-model-of-an-18th-century-hipster/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“of Edgar Allan Poe’s 1841 classic “The Murders in the Rue Morgue,” may have been history’s first behavioral profiler.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-e-douglas/of-edgar-allan-poe-s-1841-classic-the-murders-in-the-rue-morgue-may/) [John E. Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-e-douglas/) > [“Edgar Allan Poe was an American poet, short story writer, playwright, editor, critic, essayist and one of the leaders of the American Romantic Movement.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/edgar-allan-poe-was-an-american-poet-short-story-writer-playwright/) [Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/) > [“The Rough Beast snorted. “You don’t get it at all, buddy. It’s not about wrestling. It’s about stories. We’re storytellers.” Caperton studied him. “Somebody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-lipsyte/the-rough-beast-snorted-you-don-t-get-it-at-all-buddy-it-s-not-about/) [Sam Lipsyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-lipsyte/) > [“Wasn't he the one who sliced off his ear and mailed it to his girlfriend?" "Van Gogh," said Varen, in a monotone that suggested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-creagh/wasn-t-he-the-one-who-sliced-off-his-ear-and-mailed-it-to-his/) [Kelly Creagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-creagh/) > [“To the Greeks this problem of the conditions of poetic production, and the places occupied by either spontaneity or self-consciousness in any artistic work,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/to-the-greeks-this-problem-of-the-conditions-of-poetic-production-and/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) Browse all 71 Allan poe quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "No formal course in fiction-writing can equal a close and observant perusal of the stories of Edgar Allan Poe or Ambrose Bierce.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "H. P. 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