Edgar Allan Poe Influences

Young, naive, and eager to prove his brilliance, Edgar Allan poe was brought out into the world on January 19, 1809 in Boston, Massachusetts (Meltzer 14). To the modern world, he is known as a brilliant writer, poet and critic, however in his time, he was bombarded with difficulties. Similarly to some authors, Poe’s writing was greatly influenced by his poor socioeconomic standing. His style of writing can be characterized as quite dark as it is the product of an impoverished and hardship riddled life. Alcoholism, death, and illness were no stranger to Poe, either. These themes, being such an integral part of his life, shaped much of Poe’s poetry into a manifestation of what is known as dark romanticism (Buranelli 22). Additionally, Poe grew

He was born as the second child of three to Eliza and David Poe. Initially, his father held a law degree which he abandoned in order to pursue a career in acting like his wife (Meltzer 14 ). Due to the chaotic and frustrating careers of his parents, Poe was often neglected and uncared for. As an infant, his alcoholic father abandoned him and his family when he was unable to provide for them (Meltzer 17). With growing pressures as a single mother, Eliza Poe fell ill and was diagnosed with Tuberculosis (Meltzer 17). Suddenly Poe’s life started to change, at age two in 1811, news spread about his father’s death and a few months after, his mother’s death followed (Meltzer 20). He was separated from his siblings soon after; each child was taken to be cared for by a different family. His older brother, Henry, was left to be cared for by his grandparents. His sister, Rosalie, was adopted by friends of his parents. Meanwhile, he was taken under John and Frances Allan’s care. Although he was never officially adopted, the Allan’s named him “Edgar Allan Poe”( Meltzer 20). During the time in which he lived with his new wealthy, upper class family full of merchants and professionals, he was exposed to literature, music, and affection (Meltzer 22). At around five years old, he began private tutoring lessons; by age nine, he was attending an advanced boarding school (Meltzer 23). Regardless, his parent’s tragedies deeply affected

During his semester there, he learned French, Italian, and Spanish, and excelled in sports. During that time, John Allan had not given Poe enough money for his college tuition, thus he had to resort to gambling in order to pay for the expenses. One day, he received shattering news from his home that his childhood love, Elmira Royster, had married someone else, and that the letters he wrote to her were burned before they had a chance of reaching her due to her father’s disapproval (Meltzer 36). As a result, he began to gamble even more than before, falling deep into a state of depression and alcoholism. After returning home, John Allan refused to provide him with financial support for college due to his gambling problem (Meltzer 37). In the midst of his suffering, Poe turned to poetry to express his immense sadness. He expressed his struggles with alcohol through his famous story, “The Black Cat.” In the story, the main character harms and wounds his cat while he is intoxicated; he is overcome by what is referred to in the story as the demon. The character relates to Poe, especially during his final days to come, because he too was overridden by the demon which turned his life into shambles and delusion. Both men have surrendered to the power of alcohol, and much of their actions are dictated by