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Edgar allan poe biography essay
Edgar allan poe biography essay
Edgar Allan Poe stories and life
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Known for his disturbing and sinister work, Edgar Allan Poe’s writing has captured the attention of readers for almost two centuries. His works and reputation were largely influenced by his childhood, education, adulthood, and struggles with his career, along with his legacy before and after his death.
Edgar Allan Poe was born on January 19, 1809, in Boston, Massachusetts, as being David and Elizabeth Poe’s second child of three. David and Elizabeth were professional theatrical actors in a company that performed around America’s Eastern coast (Dameron, J. Lasley). David was not as popular an actor as Elizabeth was and therefore drank for his miseries before leaving the mother of three to fend for herself and the children. (“Edgar Allan Poe.” Edgar Allan Poe.) Elizabeth Poe died on December 11, 1811 from tuberculosis, which is a disease that destroys the lungs. Edgar, his older brother and younger sister were orphans and then separated into different relative and foster homes (Lange, Karen E. 10-11). Edgar went to live with a wealthy tobacco seller, John Allan and wife Frances. (Dameron, J. Lasley) They had him baptized with their name as his middle name, but the Allans did not adapt Edgar legally. In his first three years of life, many events occurred to pave the way for Poe’s writing influences.
By being fostered by a wealthy family, he was able to get a good education than the one that was promised with his biological parents. When the Allans moved to London for John’s tobacco business, Poe was enrolled into outstanding English boarding schools. He was extremely advanced in many subjects, including writing, spelling, literature, the languages of French and Latin, and the Christian faith, prior to going to college. I...
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...igh education, relationship complications, career struggles and the controversy before and after his death produced a menacing writing style, masterpieces and reputation. While applying his writings to the unconscious mind, Edgar Allan Poe was able to get “under a reader’s skin” (Lange, Karen E. Forword) with his disturbing and sinister work.
Works Cited
Dameron, J. Lasley. “Edgar Allan Poe, 1809-1849.” Edgar Allan Poe. The University Library of
North Carolina at Chapel Hill. 2004. Web. 24 Apr. 2014.
“Edgar Allan Poe.” Edgar Allan Poe. Pearson Literature Education. n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2014.
“Edgar Allan Poe.” Poets.org. Academy of American Poets. n.d Web. 24 Apr. 2014.
Lange, Karen E. Nevermore. Washington D.C.: National Geographic. 2009. Print.
“Poe’s Life.” Edgar Allan Poe Museum: Poe’s Life, Legacy, and Works: Richmond Virginia. N.p. n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2014.
Poe’s frightening stories acts as helpful inspiration for entertainment in the present, and for many years to come. The timeless relevance of his work, and its merciless scrutiny of the human condition, solidifies its place in history and its position of high admiration. In conclusion, the extraordinary-fleeting-tragic life of Edgar Allan Poe will forever remain on record as the tale of an orphan, a gentleman, a soldier, and one of the most prominent literary figures in American history.
Edgar Allen Poe is known for his dark yet comedic approach toward the his theme of his stories. Likewise, Poe’s themes have gathered many fans due to his impression of reasoning in his stories. The author uses thinking and reasoning to portray the theme. Poe’s unique diction comprehends with the theme of the story. Poe has a brilliant way of taking gothic tales of mystery, and terror, and mixing them with variations of a romantic tale by shifting emphasis from, surface suspense and plot pattern to his symbolic play in language and various meanings of words.
Several aspects of Edgar Allan Poe’s life are well known because of his popularity in American literature. Commonly known facts include, but are not limited to knowing that Poe greatly influenced the horror genre of writing, published many famous poems, and that he is credited with creating detective-fiction. One aspect of his life, however, is not as common. Poe suffered from a cognitive disorder presently known as dementia, which, in Poe’s case, worsened throughout his life. This had a negative effect on many aspects of Poe’s health, but his condition did help contribute to the stories and poems he created. Edgar Allan Poe’s progressive dementia influenced his gothic mind, which he set and used as a starting point for his many literary works.
Poe was born in Boston, Massachusetts on January 19, 1809 to the parent of Elizabeth Arnold Poe (maiden name Hopkins) and her husband David Poe, Jr. Elizabeth, commonly referred to as Eliza, and David met while working together at Mr. Placide’s Theatre Company out of Boston. The decided to get married while on tour in 1806, and together had three children-William Henry Leonard, Edgar, and their little sister Rosalie (Edgar Allan Poe Par. 12). Shortly after the birth of Rose, the couple parted. It is a common belief that Mr. Poe was an alcoholic and chose the dri...
Many describe Edgar Allan Poe’s life as a mire tragedy that produced a genius. Edgar Allan Poe was born on January 19 of 1809 in Boston Massachusetts. Poe was described as a handsome or an attractive man; “Poe, himself, is a very good looking fellow” (Simms qtd. in The Poe Log). His clothing was described as simple and black; “He dressed always in black, and with faultless taste and simplicity” (Weiss). He had pale color skin with a good complexion. His hair color was as dark black as a raven’s wing. When he was three years old his biological parents, David and Elizabeth Poe past away. David and Elizabeth Poe had three children Henry, Edgar, and Rosalie. When his parents died he was adopted by his step mother and father the Allan’s; they were tobacco exporters of London. Poe lived a luxurious childhood, going to good academic schools, even moving with his family to London, and continued his studies at a boarding school. When he was a teenager they moved back to US, because the Allan’s tobacco company was failing. He continued his high school career at local private academies. There he had a huge crush on a school friend’s mother. The mother die and Poe took it personally. After he was all grown ...
Edgar Allan Poe was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on January 19, 1809. He was born to two poor actors, David Poe and Elizabeth Arnold Poe. David Poe was born to a good Baltimore family. He was known as a heavy drinker, and soon after Edgar was born, left his mother and Edgar’s two other siblings. Elizabeth was thought to be charming and talented, but she died an early death. She died of tuberculosis at the age of twenty-four. Edgar was only three years old. The death of his mother ruined Edgar for the rest of his life. Edgar’s brother, WIlliam Henry Leonard Poe, also came to be a poet, but he had a n early demise. His sister, Rosalie Poe, grew up to teach penmanship. Edgar and his siblings were separated from each other after the death of their parents).Shortly after, Edgar was taken in by John and Frances Allan. John was a successful tobacco merchant. Edgar moved to England with the Allans and went to school in England from 1815 to 1820. Edgar and David did not see eye to eye at all. John wanted Edgar to be a businessman and a Virginian gentleman, but Edgar aspired to become a writer. By the time Edgar began college at the University of Virginia in 1826, he barely communicated or received support from the Allans. Edgar was a wonderful student but a terrible gambler. He soon accumulated a considerable amount of debt because John sent him to university with a measly amount of money. He did not have enough for expenses which led him to gambling. He was so poor and desperate that he burned his furniture to keep warm. Humiliated, he returned home to Richmond to discover that his fiancée, Elmira Royster, was engaged to another man. His stay at the Allan mansion was cut very short because of the increasing tension b...
Edgar Allan Poe was born in Boston, Massachusetts on January 19, 1809. His parents, who were actors, died when Poe was a small child. Poe was then adopted and raised by John Allan, a tobacco exporter, and Frances Allan in Richmond, Virginia (Magill, 1640). Poe was sent to the best schools because of Allan’s job. When Poe was six years old he was sent to private school. Poe kept studying and went to the University of Virginia for one year. After one year in the University Poe quit school because Allan refused to pay his debts, and he did not have money to pay for Poe’s education. Later, Poe left Boston in 1827 where he enlisted in the army. Poe served two years in the military after he quit school. After two years in the military Poe was dismissed for neglect of duty. His foster father then disowned him permanently. He stayed very little time there because Allan, once again, refused to send Poe any money. (Hoffman, Daniel)
Edgar Poe was born on January 19, 1809 to parents David Poe Jr. and Eliza Poe in Boston Massachusetts. He was the second of three children, his brother William was a poet but died at an early age and his sister Rosalie taught penmanship at a Richmond girl’s school. Before the age of three both of Edgars parents died and the siblings were all sent of to live with different adopted families. John Allan and Frances Valentine Allan adopted Poe. They lived in Richmond Virginia where John was a prosperous tobacco merchant. When Poe turned six the Allan’s moved to England where they stayed for five years. While in England Poe went to good schools and took Latin, French, math, and history classes.
Poe Museum : Poe's life, legacy, and Works : Richmond, Virginia. 02 Feb. 2014 .
Edgar Allan Poe was born on a cold day in a lodging house in Boston, Massachusetts. It was January 19, 1809, and storming in the Boston Harbor. He was born as Edgar Poe to David Poe, Jr., and Elizabeth Arnold Hopkins Poe. They were both traveling actors. Poe’s parents split in when Edgar was one. He also had two siblings; Henry and Rosalie. The youngest was Rosalie, and the oldest was Henry, so Edgar was the middle child. In 1810, their father abandoned his family and left Elizabeth to care for the three children. Mrs. Poe then died a year later in 1811 from pulmonary tuberculosis.
The life of Edgar Allan Poe, was stuffed with tragedies that all affected his art. From the very start of his writing career, he adored writing poems for the ladies in his life. When he reached adulthood and came to the realization of how harsh life could be, his writing grew to be darker and more disturbing, possibly as a result of his intense experimenting with opium and alcohol. His stories continue to be some of the most frightening stories ever composed, because of this, some have considered this to be the reason behind these themes. Many historians and literature enthusiasts have presumed his volatile love life as the source while others have credited it to his substance abuse. The influence of his one-of-a-kind writing is more than likely a combination of both theories; but the main factor is the death of many of his loved ones and the abuse which he endured. This, not surprisingly, darkened his perspective considerably.
Edgar Allan Poe was born in Boston, Massachusetts on January 19, 1809. Even though Edgar Allan Poe did not grow up around his biological parents, his parents were both actors. “His father left the family early on, and his mother passed away when he was only three.” (“Biography”) Since Poe did not have any parents around, he went to live with John and Frances Allan. Poe attended both the University of Virginia and the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. In the 1830's Poe moved in with his aunt and cousin, Virginia, whom he would end up marrying. She was thirteen years of age when they married. In 1835 Poe obtained a job at the Southern Literary Messenger. While he was working there he was able to publish a few novels in a hope of his works receiving notice from others. In 1837 Poe left the Southern Literary Messenger due to various issues that were present in his life. After the death of his wife, Virginia, and an alcohol problem which would strain a lot of his relationships with other people, Poe finally died on October 7, 1847.
Edgar Allan Poe has a unique writing style that uses several different elements of literary structure. He uses intrigue vocabulary, repetition, and imagery to better capture the reader’s attention and place them in the story. Edgar Allan Poe’s style is dark, and his is mysterious style of writing appeals to emotion and drama. What might be Poe’s greatest fictitious stories are gothic tend to have the same recurring theme of either death, lost love, or both. His choice of word draws the reader in to engage them to understand the author’s message more clearly. Authors who have a vague short lexicon tend to not engage the reader as much.
Pruette, Lorine. “A Psycho-Analytical study of Edgar Allan Poe.” Ther American Jounal of Psychology.31.4 (1920): 370-402. University of Illinois Press. Web. 28 March 2014.
Edgar Allan Poe led a strange and unusually hard life, but through his experiences he produced many outstanding and wonderful works which have with out a doubt contributed to American Literature in several different areas. His stories are treasured by an immense readership. Although, Poe was quiet popular for his gothic tales, he was also well known for being and accomplished humorist, which is seen in many of his short stories. Poe was credited for singlehandedly inventing the detective story. No other played a more crucial role in shaping and developing the aesthetic theory, in the nineteenth-century, than Edgar Allan Poe. Thus, Poe remains a permanent fixture of our literary culture.