Edgar Allan Poe The Man & The Mystery

January , Boston, Massachusetts October , Baltimore, Maryland

Born Edgar Poe, to actors Elizabeth and David Poe Had 2 siblings, William Henry and Rosalie Orphan at the age of three or five Was taken in by John Allan and his wife, hence his middle name Most of his education he received in England and Scotland. In 1826 he was admitted to University of Virginia Here he accumulated a great gambling debt, which tore a rift between him and John Allan His debt ended up forcing him to drop out of school Enlisted in the army in 1827 Did well and earned the rank of Sergeant Major. In 1829 Mrs. Allan dies and John Allan attempts to mend relationship with Edgar Poe transfers to west point, by the help of John Allan. John Allan refuses to financially support Edgar, which tears the rift open again and Edgar, is said to, have broken protocol and rules to be discharged When Allan dies, Poe is left out of the will.

Moves in with his aunt. Mrs. Clemm and her Daughter Virginia Married his cousin Virginia in 1836, He was 27 and she was 13 He went on to work for several magazines as a journalist, editor and literary critic Published many short-stories and poems Though he wrote and worked him and his wife did not have the best conditions Wife became ill and died in 1846 He died on October He is said to have been found on October 3, demented, near a polling place He was taken to the hospital where he died 4 days later Many theories of what killed him have surfaced through time: Alcohol and substance abuse; manly opium or even rabies The official report states “congestion of the brain

Bibliografy 6 6 completed stories T he Black Cat T he Tell-Tale Heart F all of The House of Usher T he Pit and The Pendulum M urders in Rue Morgue M anuscript in a Bottle 7 0 completed poems T he Raven A nnabell Lee A Dream Within a Dream L enore 1 completed novel T he Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket

Poe as a writer Poe places veiled clues before the reader. The writer/narrator strives to appear objective. Poe would have liked to solve everything by the mind. He was disturbed by what he could not solve by reason. The climax of the story is the narrator’s explanation of the crime. His detective novels

Horror’s, grotesque and arabesque stories Grim setting Landscapes are often reflections of character’s mind. Unusual buildings, extremes of nature, eccentric works of art Very few of his stories take place in America; most take place in Europe or Never-never- land. Hidden evil Unspeakable, mysterious crimes, including incest and parracide Obsession with Death Ghosts, blood, body parts Maniacal Laughter The discovered manuscript gives responsibility to someone else Deformity the grotesque--people who don’t look right are capable of activity beyond the norm

Poe was one of the first to write short stories He founded the detective genre and is said to be the influence behind Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes Was one of the establishers of the modern Gothic and Horror genre Has greatly influenced both music, poetry, fiction and is still to this day of interest Poe and his legacy