How does Poe's "The Raven" reflect the era in which it was written?

There are several ways in which the poem reflects its period. The first is that the setting points to a fairly limited chronological range. A poor student who nonetheless could afford many books is something only possible a few centuries after the invention of the printing press. Lamplight and velvet cushions suggest technology and decor typical of the nineteenth century. 

Next, the use of the pathetic fallacy, in which the external weather echoes the mood...

There are several ways in which the poem reflects its period. The first is that the setting points to a fairly limited chronological range. A poor student who nonetheless could afford many books is something only possible a few centuries after the invention of the printing press. Lamplight and velvet cushions suggest technology and decor typical of the nineteenth century. 

Next, the use of the pathetic fallacy, in which the external weather echoes the mood of the narrator is something typical of Romantic and Victorian poets as is the intensely melancholic tone and use of a poor, depressed, sensitive student as a narrator. The protagonist, as is typical of nineteenth century writing, is not an heroic figure, but an outsider distinguished by a superior degree of taste and sentiment rather than by wealth, bravery, or strength as one might have found in earlier poetry.

The metrical experimentation and intense musicality are also typical of the period. Trochaic octameter is an unusual choice of meter, but Poe, like Tennyson and other mid-nineteenth century poets used unusual meter and frequent assonance and alliteration to create a dreamlike and emotionally charged atmosphere.