Edgar Allan Poe

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Edgar Allan Poe

• 1809-1849

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Major Works

• Tell Tale Heart
• Cask of Amontillado
• The Black Cat
• Pit and the Pendulum
• Fall of the House of Usher
• Hop-Frog
• The Raven

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Only 1 Novel

• Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pymm

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Poe lived the saddest life you have ever heard!
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Childhood

• Parents are both actors in Boston.
• Dad abandons family when Poe is 1
• Mom dies of Tuberculosis while Poe is 2!
• Poe is adopted by the Allan family and moves to
  Richmond, Virginia.

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• John Allan

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Tuburculosis melts your lungs and crushes your
body.
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Poes home in Virginia
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In Virginia

• Poe does NOT get along with John Allan.
• Goes to University of Virginia, but is expelled
  because he drinks and gambles too much.
• John Allan cuts off ties with him.
• Goes by the name, Henri Le Rennet
• Soon after, Mrs. Allan dies of tuberculosis

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Military

• Poe and Allan make up
• Poe agrees to go to Westpoint Military Academy
• Poe fights with Allan again over illicit and
  illegitimate children (did Poe have them?)
• Allan once again ditches Poe. They never speak
  again.
• Poe gets intentionally expelled from academy.

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Baltimore

• Poe moves to Baltimore
• Earns money as writer wins awards
• He falls in love with a girl. Shes beautiful
  her name is Virginia Clemm.

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Weird thing is.

• She is 13 AND she is his first cousin! (They lie
  and say she is 21).

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Happiness?

• Things seem to be going well
• Poe is CRAZY about Virginia
• One day, shes playing the piano and singing and
  starts coughing up blood.
• Turns out, she had contracted Tuberculosis and
  dies a slow, painful death while Poe watches.

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The Beginning of the End

• Poe gets engaged to a girl in Rhode Island
• She dumps him because hes a drunk
• Poe gets engaged to a girl in Virginia.
• She dumps him because hes a drunk

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Suicide

• Poe tries to kill himself in 1848 via an
  intentional overdose.
• He didnt take enough and survived!

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The End of the End

• Poe is found on the streets of Baltimore
  delirious
• Wearing clothes that dont fit him, doesnt know
  who he is, or how he got there
• Keeps yelling only one word Reynolds! until
  finally saying, Lord help my poor soul! and
  dying.
• Absolutely no records of his death or hospital
  visit! Spooooky!

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• His grave is in Baltimore, near the Hippodrome
  and about 5 blocks from Ravens stadium.

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Poe Toaster

• Every year since 1949, someone has left roses and
  cognac on Poes grave on January 19th.

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Baltimore named its football franchise after Poe
and his work.
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Poes Artistic Vision

• Every single word in a piece of writing should be
  aimed at creating a single, vivid emotion.