The Influence of Edgar Allan Poe's Life on his Works

Edgar Allan Poe was an early to mid 19th century writer, poet and artist. Unlike most of his fellow writers Poe had very depressing and morbid stories to tell, and until later on after his death not many people knew why this was so. As other writers and poets told of the make believe or how things could be better, he focused on the supernatural and making sure his true emotions would show through his words. He was not a believer of covering up the truth as he saw it just to appeal to the faint hearted. During this time of Poe’s almost perpetual down slope until his death, tuberculosis was taking the lives of many American people. It killed approximately 10,000 people per day, out of these thousands dead Poe lost many loved ones to this ravenous disease including his biological mother, his brother and his angel upon the earth, Virginia Clemm (his wife and cousin). This idea of women being “angels” began at an early age subsequent to his mother’s death, when Poe was age three, and it left him exceedingly vulnerable. This is where it is believed Poe’s infatuation with women and his belief of their angelic characteristics came from. All through life Poe courted and serenaded women, sometimes more than one at a time, this is why in many of Poe’s literary pieces he speaks of women or the sorrows of love. On the other hand Poe wrote of death, disease, and supernatural occurrences either side by side or separate from his romantic pieces. Some of these supernatural pieces were much more personal for Poe such as “The Raven” and “The Fall of the House of Usher.” Although both poems reflect his personal life in some way “The Raven” is a much more accurate portrayal of his personal experiences.

The death of Virginia Clemm, his cousin and later wife, was one of the most influential deaths he had to endure. Her death led to a period of hard drinking and staying up all hours to watch over her grave, sometimes even sleeping on her grave to be closer to her.