6. ‘Though the original subject of epideictic texts was praise or blame of the institution or person that was the subject of the speech, another assumption arose even in the ancient era: namely, that the praise or blame could apply to the text’s own form and style.’ Interrogate this statement with reference to Poe’s ‘The Philosophy of Composition.’ 
 Edgar Allan Poe’s essay The Philosophy of Composition is as much about his systematic explanation of how literary texts should be constructed as it is about the use of form and style to ensure a particular effect. In this essay I will examine the dynamics of form and style that structure literary composition as presented in Poe’s essay and Aristotle’s conception of epideictic rhetoric. I will explore how these are demonstrated in literature by interrogating the following statement: