The epitome of psychoanalysis is the process of psyche integration—making the unconscious conscious. As such, the unconscious material holds that which is feared most, the unknown. Buried within the unconscious, the shadow is born; an eerie abyss of repressed emotions, unwanted memories, and forgotten fantasies. Accessing this material can be wearisome, even distressing, without skillful clinical support. This dissertation postulates using literature as conduit in a therapeutic setting to facilitate psyche integration and healthy psychological development. The foundation of depth psychology lends a perfect lens through which to view a literary work because of the emphasis for considering the presence of the unconscious. A hermeneutic research methodology and imaginal approach are used to discuss unconscious material derived from the textual themes and characters in selected works of Edgar Allan Poe. Poe’s works provide an appropriate framework to hold shadow material as he utilized and personified psychological affects directly correlated to the shadow, and they still possess the ability to connect to their reader a century and a half after conception. The selected works for this dissertation analysis include: “Ligeia” (1838), “The Fall of the House of Usher” (1839), and “William Wilson” (1840).

Keywords: Edgar Allan Poe, shadow, literature, textual hermeneutic wheel, imaginal, depth psychology.