The American literary canon rests its historical laurels largely upon the heads of its nineteenth-century writers. Though a vast group, specific men seem to occupy most spaces in critical literary discussions.

Here, you'll focus on two of them: Nathaniel Hawthorne and Edgar Allan Poe. After thinking about your readings, the lives of these two men, and their cultural contributions to American literature, craft an argument in which you claim that one author is better than the other.

To do so, ensure that you use at least one text from each author, which will validate your stance. Harkening back to our semester's discussions, your central question can be read as follows: which of these two authors should readers recognize proves more valuable to America's literary canon?