The poem starts with the line, “Once upon a...” just like a fairy tale but instead of the general word “...time,” is followed by the phrase, “midnight dreary”.

Question

What do you make of Poe’s specific choice of wording? How does “

Answer 1

On account of the poem starting with "Once Upon a Midnight Dreary" is implied that this is going to be a tragic story that is expected to start with the element of fear. Instead of the pleasant infancy of a Fairytale.