Edgar Allan Poe1809-1849

Edgar Allan Poe:

Background

•Born in Boston Massachusetts•2nd of three children•Mother:

•Elizabeth Arnold•Actress•Father:

• David Poe Jr.• Actor

•Father deserted family when Poe was 1 year old•Poe’s mother died when he was 2 years old•Separated from his brother and sister, Poe was forced to live John and Frances Allan•They renamed him “Edgar Allan”

Edgar Allan Poe: Background

• 1815: Accompanied his family to England• Collapse of London tobacco market• Hostility between Poe and his foster father• 1826: Good student• Wrote poetry on the side• Debt=drinking=gambling• Kicked out of school and out of his home

Background

•Moved to Baltimore and reconnected with his brother•1827: Changed his name to avoid creditors•1827: Joined the army•1829: Tamerlane and Other Poems”•1829: Worked on Poems•1830: Accepted to West Point- became known for his friendliness and skills in math and French•1830: Poe realized he would not receive heir to Allans’ fortune and rebelled

•Expelled from West Point

Home in Baltimore (1831-1835)

Poe’s mature career (21-40) was

spent in 4 literary centers:

• Baltimore

• Richmond

• Philadelphia

• New York

• Lived in poverty(1832) FIRST STORY

PUBLISHED:•Metzengerstein in Philadelphia Saturday Courier

After 1832, placed stories

and poems

in the Baltimore

Saturday Visiter

Poe formed many good relationships

after 1835, but ruined most of them &

future jobs due to his excessive

drinking

1836: Poe secretly married his

13 year old cousin, Virginia

Clemm• Poe was 27

Poe lived with Virginia and her

mother

Literary Career• Tales• Slavery and race remain highly problematical

– Sometimes resorted to racial stereotypes – Conveyed fears of black violence– Silent on political debate of slavery

•Most killers of his tales are white men•1841: co-editor, writing articles on the art and science of code-breaking• “The Murders of the Rue Morgue” critics regard as the

earliest example of detective fiction

•1845: Most successful year• “Man of genius”• “The Raven” appeared in American Review and NY’s Evening

Mirror• Lectured other poets

• Hoped to have his own magazine

Common words found in reviews

• Suspenseful• Death• “Effect”• Revenge• Evil• Dark and Gloomy• Dramatic Irony• Thrilling• Madness

Literary Feuds

1847: Virginia dies

of tuberculosis Maintained commitment

to writing

1849: Poe was found senseless near a polling place on Election Day

• Died in a hospital “of congestion of the brain”

More drinking

Last Years

Poe’s Writings

• Consists of his criticism-aspired to be a powerful critic and influence on American Literature

• Gothic style• Importance of beauty• Strongly believed poems should be short enough to read in

one sitting• Understood his audience-the fascination with the new and

short-lived, its confusion + shock value• Issues: the place of irrationality, violence; repression in

human consciousness; the absolutely terrifying dimensions of one’s own mind

Edgar Allan PoeThe pursuit of the beautiful in works of

art motivated Poe’s writing to the very end

• Always wanted to write about the criminal, not the artist

• “Nothing is more beautiful than the death of a beautiful woman”

Works• Tales• "The Black Cat"• "The Cask of Amontillado"• "A Descent into the Maelström"• "The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar"• "The Fall of the House of Usher"• "The Gold-Bug"• "Hop-Frog"• "Ligeia"• "The Masque of the Red Death"• "The Murders in the Rue Morgue"• "The Mystery of Marie Rogêt"• "The Oval Portrait"• "The Pit and the Pendulum"• "The Premature Burial"• "The Purloined Letter"• "The System of Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether"• "The Tell-Tale Heart"

• Poetry• "Al Aaraaf"• "Annabel Lee"• "The Bells"• "The City in the Sea"• "The Conqueror Worm"• "A Dream Within a Dream"• "Eldorado"• "Eulalie"• "The Haunted Palace"• "To Helen"• "Lenore"• "Tamerlane"• "The Raven"• "Ulalume"

Other Works• Politian (1835) – Poe's only play• The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Py

m of Nantucket (1838) – Poe's only complete novel

• "The Balloon-Hoax" (1844) – A journalistic hoax printed as a true story

• "The Philosophy of Composition" (1846) – Essay

• Eureka: A Prose Poem (1848) – Essay

• "The Poetic Principle" (1848) – Essay

• "The Light-House" (1849) – Poe's last incomplete work

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKVp4vcAAHE&feature=related

• http://www.mystudiyo.com/act123789/go/