Edgar Allen Poe and His Work

1495 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Edgar Allan Poe's unique writing style

Edgar Allen Poe and His Work

Outline

I. Introductory Paragraph

I.1. Thesis statement

I.2. High points

II. First Paragraph

II.1. Brief history of life

III. Second Paragraph

III.1. Edgar's Writing Style

III.2. Examples

IV. Specific poems and short stories

IV.1. Examples

V. Conclusion Paragraph

V.1. Restating thesis statement

V.2. Restating high points of the paper

Edgar Allen Poe was one of the great writers of this world. He created several poems and short stories of a dark and dreary setting. His imagination was incredible. Edgar Allen Poe did not have a normal life. Bad luck and heart ach seemed to follow him until his death. His writing style was very different than other writers' style. His most famous pieces of work will be remembered for many generations to come.

Edgar Allen Poe was born in Boston on January 19, 1809. He was the son of Elizabeth Poe and David Poe, both minor professional actors. He had one brother and one sister. Their names were William Henry Leonard and Rosalie. Both his parents died before he was three years old from tuberculosis, and he was raised in the home of Frances Keeling Valentine Allan and her husband John Allan, an exporter from Richmond, Virginia. He became very attached to his stepmother and then she passed away of tuberculosis. As a youth, Poe attended the finest academies in Richmond, his stepfather overseeing his education. He entered the University of Virginia at Charlottesville in 1825. He distinguished himself academically at the University but was forced to leave due to inadequate financial support from his stepfather. Poe returned to Richmond in 1827 but soon left for Boston. There, he enlisted in the army and published a collection of poetry called "Tame...

... middle of paper ...

...y. Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allen Poe is often known as the father of the short story, and the first sci-fi short story writer. He is a remarkable poet who's mournful and never ending memories will be remembered by readers for centuries to come.

Works Cited

Allen, Hervey. The Life and Times of Edgar Allen Poe. New York: Rinehart, 1934.

Buranelli, Vincent. Edgar Allen Poe. New Haven, Conn.: Twayne Publishers,

1961.

Edgar Allen Poe – Biography and Works. 2003. Online-literature.com. Feb. 2006

.

Edgar Allan Poe: An Introduction. 2003. Enotes. Feb 2006.

.

Jacobs, J., William. Edgar Allan Poe: Genius in Torment. New York: McGraw-Hill

Book Company, 1949.

Parks, W., Edd. Edgar Allen Poe as Literary Critic. Athens: University of

Georgia Press, 1964.

Quinn, Patrick. Edgar Allen Poe: Poetry and Tales. New York: Literary Classics

of the United States, 1984.

Show More
Related

  • The Fascinating Edgar Allan Poe

    1294 Words  | 3 Pages

    Edgar Allan Poe, an often misinterpreted literary mastermind, known predominantly by his extraordinary tales of horror, forbidden love, madness, and mystery, is more than meets the eye. Though his genres of expertise may indicate otherwise, Poe was a very social person, a gentleman by trade, and he possessed more hands-on military experience than any other major American author in history. As a writer, Poe gained a great deal of his inspiration from his surroundings. His enlistment in the army contributed significantly to his repertoire, and inspired some of his greatest works, including “’The Gold Bug;’ ’The Man Who Was Used Up,’ a satire of southern frontier politics; ‘The Balloon Hoax,’ set along the mid-Atlantic Carolinas coast; ‘The Oblong Box,’ involving a voyage out of Charleston harbor; [and] ‘The Cask of Amontillado,’ possibly based on a Fort Independence/Castle Island Legend”(Beidler, Soldier 342). The death of his mother and his unfortunate love life played another major role in his authoring, giving him the ability to write about “. . . the intense symbiosis between love and hatred . . . [illustrating that] love is seldom as simple or as happy as popularly hoped” (Hoffman 81). Poe’s chilling tales remain popular today, and have a long history of providing inspiration for major books and other cultural staples of entertainment.

    Read More

  • Comparing Edgar Allan Poe And Stephen King

    1963 Words  | 4 Pages

    Edgar Allan Poe was a famous horror writer, short story author, poet and editor of newspapers during the 1800's. He is also known to be the first horror writer in the United States. He set the importance for the horror writers in the United States of America. Young Poe was born on January 19, 1809 in Boston of two poor actors. Mother, Elizabeth Arnold Poe, charming and talented actress and his

    Read More

  • Edgar Allan Poe's Cooping Theory

    1232 Words  | 3 Pages

    Edgar Allan Poe was born on January 19, 1809 in Boston Massachusetts. Poe is best known today as a short story writer, poet, critic, and editor. Poe was born into a family of actors and was the second youngest of the three children. Poe never really knew his parents because his father had left the family when he was in a early age and his mother ended up passing away before he reached the age of three years old. Poe was seperated from both of his siblings and began living with John and Frances Allan who was a successful tobacco merchant. In 1826 Poe went to the University of Virginia but money was a big issue for Poe since the Allam family didnt give him enough funds for school. Poe turned toe gambling to try to make enough money to cover the

    Read More

  • Was Edgar Allan Poe A Rebel?

    1711 Words  | 4 Pages

    Edgar Allan Poe was a 19th century American poet, author, and critic. Poe is often described as a rebel against society and art-for-art's sake supporter who experimented in making his poems without didacticism and devoid of any meaning, but he is also respected as a genius in terms of his commitment to art and his ability to experiment with various forms of expressions (Fromm 304). In my opinion, Poe was not a rebel because he remained true to himself. Although he was influenced by traditional artists, he adapted this tradition to his personal being. Although he might have been perceived as a rebel against society because of his innovative views on the world, human beings, and poetry, I believe his work remains popular and influential today because he remained true to his style and personality. However, I agree that he was dedicated to art for art's sake because his main intention was to express himself through his work. Poe did not bother with popular styles and techniques, but he was a master poet when it comes to adapting to different styles to convey his emotions appropriately. Overall, Poe's poetry displays sentimentalism because he puts all emphasis on emotions and no emphasis on logic, but it is not limited to optimism because he displays both positive and negative emotions, and he displays them often together using both extremes in a single poem.

    Read More

  • The Life And Death Of Edgar Allan Poe

    1437 Words  | 3 Pages

    Edgar Allan Poe was born in Boston, Massachusetts, the son of actress Elizabeth Arnold Hopkins Poe and actor David Poe, Jr. His father abandoned the family in 1810, and his mother died of tuberculosis when he was only two, so Poe was taken into the home of John Allan, a successful tobacco merchant in Richmond, Virginia. Although his middle name is often misspelled as "Allen," it is actually "Allan" after this family. After attending the Misses Duborg boarding school in London and Manor School in Stoke Newington, London, England, Poe moved back to Richmond, Virginia, with the Allans in 1820. Poe registered at the University of Virginia in 1826, but only stayed there for one year. He was estranged from his foster father at some point in this period over gambling debts Poe had acquired while trying to get more spending money, and so Poe enlisted in the United States Army as a private using the name Edgar A. Perry on May 26, 1827. That same year, he released his first book, Tamarlane and Other Poems. After serving for two years and attaining the rank of Sergeant-major, Poe was discharged. In 1829, Poe's foster mother Frances Allan died and he published his second book, Al Aaraf. As per his foster mother's deathwish, Poe reconciled with his foster father, who coordinated an appointment for him to the United States Military Academy at West Point. His time at West Point was ill-fated, however, as Poe supposedly deliberately disobeyed orders and was dismissed. After that, his foster father repudiated him until his death in March 27, 1834.

    Read More

  • Edgar Allen Poe

    938 Words  | 2 Pages

    Edgar Allen Poe was born on January 19, 1809 in Boston, Massachusetts. His mother and father where both actors, David and Elizabeth Arnold. They had financial difficulties, which soon caused the father to abandon the family. Poe's mother soon had another child; however, she was having physical conditions causing her death on December 8, 1811. Becoming orphans, both Poe and his sister were split up in family friend’s houses. Poe went to live with the Allan's. As Poe grew up he started having problems with his John Allan, his foster father, which caused future problems. Poe's first step to start a career was attending the University of Virginia in 1826. "Allan failed to provide Poe with enough money for necessities such as furniture and books and Poe soon ran up a tremendous gambling debt and began drinking, despite his very low tolerance for alcohol" (Loveday 2). After a time he moved to Boston, "The Great Literature Capital." What was helping Poe start of his career, where the big hopes of one day becoming a writer despite the harsh life he had since he was little. Poe's work has had an impact on literature. Throughout his most famous pieces of literature, "The Fall of the House of Usher," "The Raven," and "The Cast of Amontillado," we see common factors that influenced these types of works through his plots and characters. "Madness, alienation, and mankind's long love affair with morbidity were the his subjects, and he didn't mind admitting to being more to being more than half in love with easeful death, to mangle a line from his favorite poet, Tennyson," (Allen 2).

    Read More

  • The Death Of Edgar Allan Poe

    1325 Words  | 3 Pages

    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...

    Read More

  • The Life and Work of Edgar Allan Poe

    859 Words  | 2 Pages

    Edgar Allan Poe was born in Boston, Massachusetts, to parents who were traveling actors. His father David Poe Jr. died probably in 1810. Elizabeth Hopkins Poe died in 1811, leaving three children. Edgar was taken into the home of a merchant from Richmond named John Allan. The remaining children were cared for by others. Poe's brother William died young and sister Rosalie later became insane. At the age of five Poe could recite passages of English poetry. Later one of his teachers in Richmond said: "While the other boys wrote mere mechanical verses, Poe wrote genuine poetry; the boy was a born poet." Poe was brought up partly in England (1815-20), where he attended Manor School at Stoke Newington. Later it became the setting for his story 'William Wilson'. Since Poe was never legally adopted, he took Allan's name for his middle name. Poe attended the University of Virginia (1826-27), but was expelled for not paying his gambling debts. His expulsion led to a quarrel with Allan, who refused to pay the debts. Allan later disowned him. In 1826 Poe became engaged to Elmira Royster, but her parents broke off the engagement. During his stay at the university, Poe wrote some stories, but not much is known of his beginning works.

    Read More

  • Edgar Allan Poe's Life and Work

    1406 Words  | 3 Pages

    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)

    Read More

  • How Did Edgar Allan Poe Influence His Life

    1263 Words  | 3 Pages

    Edgar Allan Poe was born on January 19, 1809 in Boston, Massachusetts. Edgar’s parents, Eliza Poe and David Poe Jr, weren’t there through the entirety of his life. His father abandon his family before he was born while his mother took care of Edgar and his siblings on her own. His mother Eliza, made an honest living as an actress

    Read More

  • Edgar Allan Poe Essay

    819 Words  | 2 Pages

    Edgar Allan Poe was born in Boston on January 19, 1809. His parents were and David Poe, Jr. and Elizabeth Arnold Hopkins. When Poe was 3, both of his parents perished. Edgar then went on to live in with John Allan, a rich tradesman, in Richmond, Virginia, while his siblings went on to live with other families. In his younger years, the Allans treated him as their own, sending him to a private school. But when Edgar grew into adolescence, trouble arose between Poe and John Allan. The trouble began when Poe wanted to pursue his literary aspirations. Poe then enrolled into the University of Virginia, but soon enlisted into the army after not getting financial support from Allan. In two years, Poe became a sergeant major. Then Poe enrolled in West Point.

    Read More

  • The Life of Edgar Allan Poe

    859 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Edgar Allan Poe Biography

    1022 Words  | 3 Pages

    Edgar Allan Poe is a Boston born native to Massachusetts. An orphan by age two, Poe was separated from his two siblings, William Henry and Rosalie, and sent to live with John and Fanny Allan. Poe’s young life was ordinary. At the age of 6, Poe and the Allan family moved to England for John’s expanding business. Poe was separated from his new family to attend schools in Scotland and Chelsea, England. He was unhappy and bitter about being abandoned in his later years. The Allan’s business failed and their debt increased to an unimaginable level. The Allan family and Poe returned to America in 1820. After the death of John Allan’s uncle, the inheritance was able to soothe their debt. As a teen, Poe attended Clarke Academy which is where he began his love of poetry and literature. Poe went on to excel in athletics and academics, all the while never being legally adopted by his guardians. Poe attended the University of Virginia in Charleston and ran into his own debt. His relationship with John became increasingly difficult and eventually came to physical confrontation after the death of Fanny, Poe’s beloved maternal figure. Poe left in 1827 to join the army. In 1830 he began at West Point Military Academy, only to be court martialed a year later. Upon leaving West Point, Poe left to live with his extended family in Baltimore Maryland. This family consisted of his aunt Maria, and two cousins Henry and Virginia. During his time of staying with his aunt “Muddy” and his two cousins, Poe lost his old guardian John Allan and also his oldest brother Henry. In 1835 he began working for the Southern Literary Messenger. His first short story, "Metzengerstein" was published in 1836. In May of that year, Poe and his 14 year old cousin Virginia Cl...

    Read More

  • Edgar Allan Poe Obstacles

    443 Words  | 1 Pages

    Edgar Allan Poe was an american short story writer and poet. When Poe was younger he faced many challenges and through these hard times came some of his best works. Due to the hardships that inspired Edgar Allan Poe’s work, he became one of the most well known writers and poets. Edgar Allan Poe (Birth name) was 3 years old both his mother and father died and Poe was taken into the home of John Allan and his wife, who were later thought to be his godparents. Poe was later taken to Scotland and England to get a proper education.

    Read More

  • Edgar Allan Poe

    4000 Words  | 8 Pages

    Edgar Allan Poe is one American author whose name is known to almost everyone. Edgar is known for his elegant poems and for being a tough critic of refined tastes, but also for being the first master of the short story form, especially tales of mystery. He has a talent of having an extraordinary hold upon the readers imagination and not letting lose. Many advents of Edgar’s life has probably led to the strange, but successful and renowned pieces of American literature.

    Read More

More about Edgar Allen Poe and His Work

Open Document