EDGAR ALLEN POE1809- 1849

P O E I S O N E O F T H E B E S T K N O W N F I G U R E S I N A M E R I C A N L I T E R A T U R E .

"The death of a beautiful woman is

unquestionably

the most poetical topic in the world."

EARLY LIFE

• Edgar Poe was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on January 19, 1809. His mother (Elizabeth) and father (David) worked as traveling actors. When Edgar was two years old, his father abandoned his family. Soon after, Edgar’s mother died of TB (tuberculosis) .

EARLY LIFE

When he was three, Edgar was taken into the home of

John Allan, a wealthy merchant in Richmond, Virginia, and was

christened Edgar Allan Poe. John Allan and his wife raised Edgar

as their own son. Poe was athletic and loved fishing and

hunting. Poe’s new family encouraged a love of learning. In

1826, he enrolled in the University of Virginia. He was a

successful student but had a fondness for gambling. When Poe

incurred a sizable gambling debt, which John Allan refused to

pay, he was forced to leave college.

EARLY LIFE

Poe moved to Boston, where he worked at a number of different jobs. He wrote and printed (at his own expense) a small book of poetry called Tamerlane and Other Poems. The book was ignored by critics and the public.

CAREER BEGINNINGS

In 1827, Poe enlisted in the United States Army. Poe

wanted to go to West Point, a military academy, and won a

spot there in 1830. Poe excelled at his studies at West Point,

but he was court martialed (kicked out) after a year for his

poor handling of his duties. Some have speculated that he

intentionally sought to be court-martialed. During his time at

West Point, Poe had fought with his foster father and Allan

decided to sever ties with him.

VIRGINIAAfter leaving the academy, Poe focused his

writing full time. He moved around in

search of opportunity, living in New York

City, Baltimore, Philadelphia and Richmond.

From 1831 to 1835, he stayed in

Baltimore with his aunt Maria Clemm and

her daughter Virginia. His young cousin,

Virginia, became a literary inspiration to

Poe as well as his love interest. The couple

married in 1836 when she was only 13 (or

14 as some sources say) years old. She

became ill in 1842 and died in 1847.Her

early death may have inspired some of his

writing.

MAJOR WORKS

Poe continued to write fiction, including “The Pit and the

Pendulum” (1842), “The Tell-Tale Heart” (1843), and “The Cask

of Amontillado”(1846). Also during this period, Poe wrote The

Bells (1849), a poem that echoes with the chiming of metallic

instruments, and Annabel Lee (1849), which is addressed to

Virginia.

Edgar Allan Poe was one of the first American writers to• Include a murder in his story• Explore the dark side of the imagination• Explore the psychology of the criminal

MAJOR WORKS

In 1845, Poe earned national fame with a

poem about lost love titled “The Raven.” After

the poem was published, Poe said that he

believed the two most valuable letters in the

English language are o and r- thus the powerful

effect created by the raven’s repeated use of the

word “nevermore.”

Baltimore Ravens????????????????

Poe spent the last few days of his life here in this

small cottage in the the Bronx,

New York.

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MYSTERIOUS DEATH

Just a few short years after the publication of “The

Raven,” Poe was found lying unconscious on a

wooden plank outside a saloon in Baltimore. Four

days later, he was dead (October 7, 1849).

Historians have long disagreed about the cause of

Poe’s death. Some believe he died of alcoholism,

while others have suggested psychological disorders.

MYSTERIOUS DEATH

Ten years ago, a well-respected

physician and researcher at the

University of Maryland announced that

Poe had probably died of rabies, which

would explain the convulsions and

nightmares he experienced in his final

days. There’s no question, however, that

Poe died confused and alone just like his

characters he wrote about.