Edgar Allan Poe Terror Fear Death Darkness Murder Obsession Insanity Sadness Loss Guilt Torture and the Unknown Edgar Allan Poe

1809-1849

Mommy Dearest! She was thought to be exquisitely beautiful. Became a child star Married at 13 Widowed by 14 Fell in love with David Poe David leaves her after Edgar is 3 weeks old…

…later he was found dead in a hotel room, dead of alcoholism.

Edgar…the Younger Years Could Romeo and Juliet really make Poe crazy? Well, he did watch his mother kill herself in the play eight times a week for three years while he sat in the front middle row. His mom dies when he is three.

The Allans Edgar was taken in by Francis Allen and her husband John Allen. Francis wanted to adopt him but John refused. He thought that Edgar was a disgrace; acting was only one step above prostitution. When Francis died, John threw all of Edgar’s belongings on the front lawn and threatened to call the police if he were to return.

Grave Digging= Aerobic Activity In school Edgar was forced to do arithmetic with tombstone dates and dig graves for aerobic activity!

Mariah Klemm She is the sole supporter of her five children Searches for Edgar to take him in Sister to his father Edgar falls in love with her daughter Virginia. Edgar is allowed to marry her when he is 26 and she is 13.

What Happened to the Women? Mom dies of consumption when Edgar is three and a half years old and sitting by her side. After he came back to Richmond, he fell in love with his only friend’s mother. She was diagnosed with a brain tumor and died within five weeks. Poe sat by her side, watched her die, and visited her tombstone every night for the next year. Francis Allan died of consumption when Edgar was away at the University of Virginia. Virginia dies of consumption; they were so poor that he could not afford a blanket and would lay their cat on her for warmth.

How Did his Life Affect his Works? Women just won’t stay dead. He met Charles Dickens, found out about their dead pet, and named “The Raven” after Dickens’s dead Raven. “Annabel Lee” was previously named “To Virginia” and was about his wife Virginia.

The End of Poe Edgar is finally offered a chance to be the editor of a magazine in New York after the success of “Annabel Lee.” He gets on a train stops in Baltimore and dies at the charity hospital. His last words were “God have mercy on my soul!”