Edgar Allan Poe

His Family and Tragic Life   Born in Boston   The son of traveling actors   Tragic and unhappy life

Tragic and Unhappy Life   Mother died of tuberculosis and his father deserted him at the age of two.   Fostered by a wealthy merchants, Mr. and Mrs. John Allan.   Constant disagreements with his step-father developed in his teenage years.

...continued   Studied briefly at the University of Virginia   Drinking and gambling problems kept him from continuing at UVA.   Moved back to Baltimore to stay with his widowed Aunt Maria Clemm, her daughter, Virginia, his brother Henry, and his invalid grandmother.   Poe’s brother dies of tuberculosis.

...continued   Received an appointment to West Point, but he provoked his own dismissal   Caused a final separation between Poe and his step-father

...continued  n 1836, married his 14 year old cousin, Virginia.  In 1836, married his 14 year old cousin, Virginia.  In 1845, “The Raven” was published and was enormously popular.  In 1846, wife died of tuberculosis after a long illness.

... continued   Lived in poverty stricken conditions.   Last 12 years of life worked as a journalist, editor, and creative writer.

Father of Detective Story n n He accepted an offer as editor of Graham’s Magazine, where he published his groundbreaking story “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” n n It was considered groundbreaking because it was the first detective story.

Addiction???   Sometimes strange special effects have been linked addiction to opium.   Addiction was not uncommon in the 1800’s, because of frequent use of laudanum, an opium based medicine, to treat headaches and stomach pains.

Addiction???  D  D ied in Baltimore of unknown causes  M  M uch of what we “know” today about Poe’ death came from a biography published shortly after his death by another writer who hated Poe.

Addiction??? A dding mystery surrounding Poe's death, an unknown visitor referred to as the "Poe Toaster" has paid homage to Poe's grave every year since 1949 E very January 19, Poe’s birthday, in the early hours of the morning, the man makes a toast of cognac to Poe's original grave marker and leaves three roses. L ikely that the "Poe Toaster" is actually several individuals.

Poe’s Legacy Known for: TTales of mystery and terror stories IIntroducing the modern detective story

Just a Few Titles…   Short Stories:   The Tell-Tale Heart   The Cask of Amontillado   The Fall of the House of Usher PP o e m s : TT h e R a v e n AA n n a b e l L e e TT o H e l e n TT h e B e l l s

Gothic Elements  Supernatural horrors and an atmosphere of unknown terror pervades the action.  High emotion, sentimentalism, but also pronounced anger, surprise, and especially terror.  Use of words indicating fear, mystery, etc.: apparition, devil, ghost, haunted, terror, fright, fainting.

Gothic Literature n n Gargoyles—carvings of small deformed creatures squatting at the corners and crevices of Gothic cathedrals—were supposed to ward off evil spirits, but they often look more like demonic spirits themselves.

Gothic Literature n Think of the gargoyle as a mascot of Gothic, and you will get an idea of the kind of imaginative distortion of reality that Gothic represents.

Romanticism vs. Gothic n n Romanticism developed as a reaction against the rationalism of the Age of Reason. n n The romantics freed the imagination from the hold of reason, so they could follow their imagination wherever it might lead. n n For some Romantics, when they looked at the individual, they saw hope (think “A Psalm of Life”). n n Romantic writers celebrated the beauties of nature. n For some Romantic writers, the imagination led to the threshold of the unknown—the shadowy region where the fantastic, the demonic and the insane reside. n When the Gothic's saw the individual, they saw the potential of evil. n Gothic writers were peering into the darkness at the supernatural.

Gothic Movement in America n n By the 19th century, Edgar Allan Poe, Nathanial Hawthorne, and to a lesser extent Washington Irving and Herman Melville were using the Gothic elements in their writing. n n Edgar Allan Poe was the master of the Gothic form in the United States.

Edgar Allan Poe His stories have:  Settings that featuring Dark, medieval castles Decaying ancient estates  Characters that are Male—insane Female—beautiful and dead (or dying)  Plots that include Murder Live burials Physical and mental torture Retribution from beyond the grave For Poe, it was only in these extreme situations that people revealed their true nature.