Edgar Allan Poe

1
Edgar Allan Poe

• 1809-1849

2
His Family and Tragic Life

• Born in Boston
• The son of traveling actors
• Brother William Henry and sister Rosalie
• Tragic and unhappy life

3
Tragic and Unhappy Life

• Mother died of tuberculosis and his father
  deserted him at the age of two
• Fostered by a wealthy Richmond, VA merchant, Mr.
  and Mrs. John Allan
• Constant disagreements with his step-father
  developed in his teenage years

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• Studied briefly at the University of Virginia
• Drinking and gambling difficulties kept him from
  continuing at UVA
• Poe moved back to Baltimore to stay with his
  widowed aunt Maria Clemm, her daughter, Virginia,
  his brother Henry, and his invalid grandmother
• Poe brother dies of tuberculosis

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• Received an appointment to West Point, but he
  provoked his own dismissal
• Caused a final separation between Poe and his
  step-father

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• In 1836 married his 14 year old cousin, Virginia
• In 1845, The Raven was published and was
  enormously popular
• Last 12 years of life worked as a journalist,
  editor, and creative writer

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• In 1846 wife died of tuberculosis after a long
  illness
• Lived in poverty stricken conditions

8
Addiction???

• Sometimes strange special effects have been
  linked addiction to opium
• Addiction not uncommon in the 1800s, because of
  frequent use of laudanum, an opium based
  medicine, to treat headaches and stomach pains

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. . . continued

• Died in Baltimore of unknown causes
• Much of what we know today about Poe death
  came from a biography published shortly after his
  death by another writer who hated Poe

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continued

• Adding mystery surrounding Poe's death, an
  unknown visitor referred to as the "Poe Toaster"
  has paid homage to Poe's grave every year since
  1949
• Likely that the "Poe Toaster" is actually several
  individuals
• Every January 19, Poes birthday, in the early
  hours of the morning, the man makes a toast of
  cogac to Poe's original grave marker and leaves
  three roses

11
Poes Work

• Known for
• Tales of mystery and terror stories
• Introducing the modern detective story

12
Just a Few Titles

• Short Stories
• The Tell-Tale Heart
• The Cask of Amontillado
• The Fall of the House of Usher

• Poems
• The Raven
• Annabel Lee
• To Helen
• The Bells

13
Gothic Elements

• Supernatural horrors and an atmosphere of unknown
  terror pervades the action
• High emotion, sentimentalism, but also pronounced
  anger, surprise, and especially terror
• Use of words indicating fear, mystery, etc.
  apparition, devil, ghost, haunted, terror,
  fright, fainting