Edgar Allan Poe

1
Edgar Allan Poe

• By Lisa Ciardulli
• For High School InTech

2
Early Childhood

• Born 1809 in Boston, Mass.
• Parents Eliza and David Poe, Jr. Actors
• I sister and 1 brother
• Father abandoned them early in life, leaving them
  very poor
• Mother died when Poe was 3

3
John Allan

• Adopted Edgar after his mother died

4
Schooling

• Private school
• University of Virginia, 1826
• West Point Academy, 1830 (was dismissed for poor
  conduct)

5
Personality

• Alcoholism and a temper
• Gambler, heavy debt
• Step-Father disowned him
• Often ill

6
Marriage Family

• 1836, married his cousin, Virginia Clemm, 16
  years old (or was she 13?)
• She died in 1847, at 27 years old
• They had no children

7
Important Dates
8
Contribution to Writing

• First detective/mystery story
• Made short story popular
• Superb plot construction
• Master of grotesque

9
Popular Works

• Murders in the Rue Morgue (1st modern detective
  story)
• The Tell-Tale Heart (short story)
• Cask of Amontillado (short story)
• Annabel Lee (poem)
• The Black Cat (short story)
• The Raven (poem)

10
A Controversial Death

• Died Oct. 7, 1849
• Found in the street wearing someone elses
  clothes
• Was it alcoholism?
• Also theories on rabies, epilepsy, brain lesion,
  etc.
• Possibly even mugged

11
Sources

• Encarta 98 Encyclopedia, Microsoft
• Edgar Allan Poe Society of Baltimore
  raven.ubalt.edu/features/poe/
• Christopher Neilson, Sweden www.poedecoder.com/Qr
  isse/
• Peter Forrest, Canada www.comnet.ca/forrest/inde
  x.html