I.
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Poe had a characteristic, dark style of writing, one that resulted from the misfortune he experienced during his lifetime and the cultural experiences he had as a child. a.
Edgar Allan Poe’s poems often feature Gothic elements. i.
Gloomy, mysterious atmospheres, as in “The Raven.” ii.
Two of his poems, “Dream-Land” and “Fairy-Land,” have exotic settings, another characteristic of Gothic literature (“Gothic: Origins”) iii.
In “Dream-Land” and “Fairy-Land,” Poe uses the exotic, unreal, and unfamiliar setting to prevent readers from interpreting the poem using everyday logic, as the rules of this world do not necessarily apply to the worlds described in the poems (Postema). In doing so, Poe created poems in which he “controls readers and their interpretations”, so that readers cannot really interpret his writing; they must accept what he has written as true statements and can only simply read (Postema). iv.
Poe’s poems frequently included women who the narrator had lost and mourns or yearns for, such as in “Annabel Lee” and “The Raven.” v.
Poe’s use of dark atmospheres guides his readers’ thinking and helps to immerse them in the poem. b.
Poe’s life was filled with hardships and misfortune, as well as other factors that affected his writing. i.
A major event that occurred very early in Poe’s childhood was the loss of his parents. His mother died before Poe reached the age of three, and his father abandoned young Poe shortly after (Minor).

Nguyen 2 ii.
In his childhood, from 1815 to 1920, Poe lived in England with his foster family. During this time, Poe was exposed to Gothic styles, which would have a major effect on Poe’s writing in the future (Minor). iii.
Poe faced financial difficulties for much of career as a writer or editor
(Minor), which certainly had detrimental effects on his well-being and mental health. iv.
In 1842, one of the blood vessels of Poe’s wife, his cousin Virginia
Clemm, burst. Over the following five years, her health worsened until her death in 1847 (Minor). His wife’s poor health and the eventual, premature death of another important woman in Poe’s life not only had an impact on his health, but on his writing as well; Poe’s losses are reflected in some of his poems, such as “To Annie” and “To My Mother.” The latter specifically refers to the two that Poe lost, while the former is an example of one of the several poems that Poe authored that feature a woman. v.
The fact that Poe has had many unfortunate experiences in his life explains the morbid nature of his writing. c.
Poe’s writing style was influenced by the Gothic styles, which he was exposed to during his stay in England, that were common in English society at that time
(“Gothic: Origins”) and by the desires of his readers to read works concerning death and mystery (Blasiak). i.
At the time, Gothic literature, which is devoted to horror, the supernatural and dark themes, was prevalent (“Gothic: Origins”), and, as he was

Nguyen 3 constantly surrounded by this type of writing, it influenced his writing style. ii.
Gothic architecture may have also affected Poe’s writing; the style of the buildings, the spires and arches that stretch towards the sky represent mankind’s desire to transcend human limits, and supernatural forces are often depicted as carvings or the like (“Gothic: Origins”). iii.
An obvious sign of the influence of the Gothic styles on Poe’s writing is that Poe’s writing has many Gothic motifs and themes; as stated previously, almost all of Poe’s poems have a dreary atmosphere, and many deal with the supernatural.

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Thienkhanh Nguyen
Ms. Minton
Freshman Language Arts
19 March 2013
The Gothic Poe t
What kind of writing is the best? Modern writers craft works of all genres, but in the early 19 th century, the majority of people preferred Gothic literature, so many Gothic authors, such as Edgar Allan Poe, emerged. Poe had a characteristic, dark style of writing, one that resulted from the misfortune he experienced during his lifetime and the cultural experiences he had as a child.
Even the least analytical of readers can tell that Edgar Allan Poe’s poems often feature
Gothic elements. Frequently, Poe creates gloomy, mysterious atmospheres in his works, such as in “The Raven.” Additionally, two of his poems, “Dream-Land” and “Fairy-Land,” have exotic settings, another common characteristic of Gothic literature, as the article “Gothic: Origins” states. In “Dream-Land” and “Fairy-Land,” Postema claims that Poe uses the exotic, unreal, and unfamiliar setting to prevent readers from interpreting the poem using everyday logic, as the rules of this world do not necessarily apply to the worlds described in the poems (2013). As
Postema states, in doing so, Poe created poems in which he “controls the readers and their interpretations”, so that readers cannot really interpret his writing; they must accept what he has written as true statements and can only simply read (292). Also, Poe’s poems frequently included women who the narrator had lost and mourns or yearns for, such as in “Annabel Lee” and “The
Raven.” Poe’s use of dark atmospheres guides his readers’ thinking and helps to immerse them in the poem.

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Throughout his life, Poe experienced many hardships and much misfortune, as well as other factors that affected his writing. Minor writes that one major event that occurred very early in Poe’s childhood was the loss of his parents; his mother died before Poe reached the age of three, and his father abandoned young Poe shortly after (2010). In his childhood, from 1815 to
1920, Poe lived in England with his foster family. During this time, as Minor reports, Poe was exposed to Gothic styles, which would have a major effect on Poe’s writing in the future (2010).
Minor also claims that later in Poe’s life, for much of his career as a writer or editor, Poe faced financial difficulties (2010), which certainly had detrimental effects on his well-being and mental health. Then, in 1842, one of the blood vessels of Poe’s wife, his cousin Virginia Clemm, burst, and over the following five years, her health worsened until her death in 1847, according to
Minor (2010). His wife’s poor health and the eventual, premature death of another important woman in Poe’s life not only had an impact on his health, but on his writing as well; Poe’s losses are reflected in some of his poems, such as “To Annie” and “To My Mother.” The latter specifically refers to the two that Poe lost, while the former is an example of one of the several poems that Poe authored that feature a woman. The fact that Poe has had many unfortunate experiences in his life explains the morbid nature of his writing.
Poe’s morbid writing style was also influenced by the Gothic styles, which he was exposed to during his stay in England, and by the desires of his readers to read works concerning death and mystery, as Blasiak states. At the time, Gothic literature, which is devoted to horror, the supernatural and dark themes, was prevalent, according to the article “Gothic: Origins,” and, as he was constantly surrounded by this type of writing, it influenced his writing style. Gothic architecture may have also affected Poe’s writing; as the article “Gothic: Origins” stated, the characteristic spires and arches that stretch towards the sky represent mankind’s desire to

Nguyen 6 transcend human limits, and supernatural forces are often depicted as carvings or the like. An obvious sign of the influence of the Gothic styles on Poe’s writing is that Poe’s writing has many
Gothic motifs and themes; as stated previously, almost all of Poe’s poems have a dreary atmosphere, and many deal with the supernatural.
In conclusion, the recurring Gothic themes in Poe’s works and Poe’s gloomy writing style stemmed from his tragic life and the Gothic literature and architecture that he experienced as a child. One might say that Poe’s exposure to Gothic elements ultimately decided his style of writing.

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Works Cited
Blasiak, Krysta. "Edgar Allan Poe." Edgar Allan Poe . N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Mar. 2013.
Gothic: Origins.
”Gothic: Origins”
. Melbourne High School, n.d. Web. 18 Mar. 2013.
Minor, Mark. "Biography Of Edgar Allan Poe." Critical Insights: The Poetry Of Edgar Allan
Poe (2010): 8-12. Literary Reference Center.
Web. 17 Mar. 2013.
Postema, James. "Edgar Allan Poe's Control Of Readers: Formal Pressures In Poe's Dream
Poems." Critical Insights: The Poetry Of Edgar Allan Poe (2010): 290-300. Literary
Reference Center.
Web. 17 Mar. 2013.