The Genius of Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe remains today one of the most unique figures in American literary history. Critics have likened him to both Leonardo Da Vinci and the "Jingle Man" ; either the keystone of American literature or simply a writer of fashionable entertainment. As a person and a writer, Poe is also a collection of contradictions. One thing is for certain, few people have left a more lasting impression in the minds of readers than Poe. Subsequent authors have never been able to improve upon the style which Poe created and mastered. Poe's tales have transcended generations of American readers and lasted through many shifts in literary thinking. One of the few things that is as strange and unique as Poe's writings is the man himself. Poe created his unique, strange, and unsettling tales by testing the limits of the soul , walking the line between higher understanding and insanity.
A Redeemed Childhood
Edgar Allan Poe was born in 1809 in Baltimore, Maryland to two young actors named Eliza Arnold Hopkins and David Poe. When Poe was nearly three years old, his mother died from tuberculosis. This had a profound effect on the young Poe, who "always remembered -more or less unconsciously - his mother vomiting blood and being carried away from him forever by sinister men in black," according to Roger Asselineau, professor of American literature at the Sorbonne, Paris. Within a number of days, David Poe, who was known to be an alcoholic, disappeared. Although he was never found, it is assumed that he ran off rather than died.
Fortunately, the young Edgar was taken in by John and Frances Allan of Richmond, Virginia, where Poe was with his family when his mother died. John Allan was a successful business ...
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...e" was a literary genius whose ability to tell tales of the "grotesque" and "arabesque" has still been unmatched. Poe was in many ways a slave to his gifts, and often tempted disaster. It was the fine line that he walked that made him the author he was, but ultimately it was a line he would fall off, destroying his life but making him immortal to readers of his unsettling stories.
Bibliography
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Ketterer, David. Edgar Allan Poe: Life, Work, and Criticism. Fredericton, Canada: York Press LTD, 1989.
Meyers, Jeffrey. Edgar Allan Poe His Life and Legacy. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1992.
Poe, Edgar A. Great Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe. New York: Washington Square Press, Inc., 1965.
On January 19, 1809, Edgar Poe was born in Boston, Massachusetts. His mother, Elizabeth Arnold Poe, a beautiful English actress, died on December 8, 1811, in Richmond, Virginia. Poe believed he inherited his talent for reciting verse primarily from his mother. He perceived her in a nearly angelic light, and his many attempts to find a woman that could equate to her memory are etched into his poet...
Walker, I. M., ed. Edgar Allen Poe: A Critical Heritage. New York: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1986.
New York: A.C. Armstrong & Son., 1884. xv-xxvi. EPUB file. Sova, Dawn B. "Poe, Edgar Allan.
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)
Soon after the death of his mother, Poe was taken in by John Allan and Frances Keeling Valentine Allan, and he relocated to Richmond to join his new foster family. His foster father, John Allan, continually abused him. Poe enlisted in the army as a way to escape his troubled home life. Poe excelled in the ...
Ingram, John Henry. Edgar Allan Poe: His Life, Letters, and Opinions. New York: AMS Press, Inc., 1965.
In the short story Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, there are many themes and literary elements that circulate around the two main characters George and Lennie. One of the most important themes in this short story is the presence of disabilities within the characters. These disabilities represent the significance of how during the Great Depression many people who had disabilities were said to be an added cost or “weaknesses”. Most characters are illustrated with some form of disability that enables them or makes it difficult to accomplish certain goals while also working against them in the environment in which they live in.
In 1811, Elizabeth Poe passed away. Edgar Allan Poe was only 2 when this tragedy occurred. His father abandoned his siblings and him not too long after. After being abandoned by his father, he was adopted by Mr. and Mrs. John Allan. His sister, was adopted by another family. Starting from a young age, Edgar Allan Poe was parentless and had no family connections. Growing up with Mr. and Mrs. John Allan, Poe lived a luxurious life. He went to nice private schools and lived in a nice home. However, when Poe attended college, he was not given enough enough money to survive. This angered him, and he began to drink, gamble, and fall in debt. Not too long after, Poe dropped out of school. It is known that Poe sent many letters to John asking for help but did not receive any. Poe was not mentioned in John’s will when he passed away in 1834. When his foster father died in 1834, the death had major negative effects on Poe’s
Poe, Edgar Allan. Edgar Allan Poe: a collection of stories. New York: Tom Doherty associates, LLC, 1994
Poe, Edgar Allan. The Collected Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe. New York: The Modern Library 1992
Magistrale, Tony. "The Art of Poetry." Student Companion to Edgar Allan Poe. Westport, Conn. ;London: Greenwood, 2001. 39-41. Print.
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.
2. Peeples, Scott. “Life writing/Death writing: Biographical Versions of Poe’s Final Hours.” Biography, 18.4 (1995): 328-338.
Quinn, Arthur Hobson. Edgar Allan Poe: A Critical Biography. New York: D. Appleton-Century Company, 1941. Internet.
Frances Allan, one woman who had been part of the charity helping Eliza, had convinced her husband John Allan to let them take little Edgar in, but they never formally adopted him. John had promised David Poe’s relatives that Edgar would receive a proper and good education. John sent Edgar at the age of five to a teacher named Clotilda Fisher and then after that to William Ewing, the Richmond School master. Mr. Ewing noted that Edgar was quite charming and enjoyed school.