The Time Period of
Poe
 Tuberculosis was still a leading cause of death, in fact,
most of Poe’s close relatives who died, including his
first wife, Virginia, died from this disease.
 As a result, life was very uncertain which likely
contributed to Poe’s writings centering on the sudden
appearance of wasting diseases and other bizarre
afflictions.
 No drug/gambling rehab facilities or help available, so
Poe was left to struggled with these issues entirely on
his own, even more so when his step father, Allen,
disowned him.
 Europe was seen as the place of higher learning and
enlightenment so Poe traveled there to increase his
knowledge where he encountered various other
European writers.
 Poe also had a Gentle attitude towards women, seeing
them as frail, delicate objects.
 Medical Science also was not as advanced as it is
presently, so there persisted fears of being buried or
entombed alive.
 Poe capitalized on these fears in his short stories The
Fall of the House of Usher and The Cask of
Amontillado. Both feature characters put prematurely
into the ground, though the in Cask it is done
deliberately as an act of revenge.
The Life of Poe
(1809-1849)
 Poe was born on 19 January 1809 in Boston,
Massachusetts, lived and worked in South.
 Parents were Elizabeth Arnold Hopkins and David
Poe, both actors.
 Both parents died and Poe went to live with
merchants.
 Went into Army for two years to pay off gambling
debts.
 At one point he attended West point military academy
but was dismissed a year later.
 Became estranged from his foster father during time at
West Point
 Married twice. Spouses were his cousin Virginia and
the teenage Elmira Poe. Both died before he did, it is
likely that he wrote the Raven because of Virginia as
she was wasting away at the time of its conception and
the poem features a man bewailing the loss of his
lover.
 Poe Suffered periods of insanity and madness, nearly
committing suicide in 1848
 Poe Suffered periods of insanity and madness, nearly
committing suicide in 1848
 Poe was found in a Baltimore gutter unconsciousness
and was never awoken. He died from shortly
afterwards on October 7, 1849 and was buried without
ceremony or inscription. The cause of death was
unknown, but alcoholism is blamed.
 Later, a stone carving memorial that included a Raven
was placed on the site.
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Poe was born on 19 January 1809 in Boston, Massachusetts
Parents were Elizabeth Arnold Hopkins and David Poe, both actors.
Both parents died and Poe went to live with merchants.
Went into Army for two years to pay off gambling debts.
Became estranged from his foster father during time at West Point
At one point he attended West point military academy but was dismissed a year
later.
Majority of Poe’s works are short stories and poems, but he did publish one
completed novel, The Narrative of Arthur Gorgon Prym. Novel was a whaling
adventure that became a story about mutiny, murder, and cannibalism.
Poe is considered father of modern Detective story because of “Murders in the
Rue Morgue”. The story followed the classic detective formula: man has to solve
a crime, gathers clues and interrogates witnesses, and then formulates the correct
solution about what happened, in this case, an orangutan kills two people with a
razor.
Married twice. Spouses were his cousin Virginia and the teenage Elmira Poe.
Both died before he did, it is likely that he wrote the Raven because of Virginia as
she was wasting away at the time of its conception and the poem features a man
bewailing the loss of his lover.
Poe Suffered periods of insanity and madness, nearly committing suicide in 1848
Gained fame and renown for best known poem, The Raven, but it did NOT make
him rich.
Poe’s last ambition was to create his own magazine, The Stylus. He never made it.
Poe was found in a Baltimore gutter unconsciousness and was never awoken. He
died from shortly afterwards on October 7, 1849 and was buried without
ceremony or inscription. The cause of death was unknown, but alcoholism is
blamed.
Poe’s remains later were exhumed and disappeared from the graveyard, it is
unknown where they are now.
Later, a stone carving of a Raven was placed on the site with the inscription,
“Quothe the Raven, Nevermore Original Burial Place of
Edgar Allan Poe
From
October 9, 1849
Until
November 17, 1875
Mrs. Marian Clemm, His Mother-In-Law
Lies Upon His Right And Virginia Poe
His Wife, Upon His Left. Under The
Monument Erected To Him In This
Cemetery
Patrick Simmons
3/25/08
American Poetry 9:30—10:45
Professor Erben
Links for Poe Material
Edgar Allen Poe Biography and Works “The Literature Network”
< www.online-literature.com/poe/>
Accessed March 23 2008
Edgar Allen Poe (1809—1849) “Books and Writers”
<http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/eapoe.htm>
Accessed March 23 2008
Edgar Allen Poe Biography “essortment.com”
<http://www.essortment.com/all/edgarallanpoe_rnng.htm>
Accessed March 24 2008
Edgar Allen Poe (1809—1849) “Houghton Mifflin”.
<http://college.hmco.com/english/lauter/heath/4e/students/a
uthor_pages/early_nineteenth/poe_ed.html>
Accessed March 24, 2008
Poe’s Works
 Majority of Poe’s works are short stories and poems,
but he did publish one completed novel, The Narrative
of Arthur Gorgon Prym. Novel was a whaling
adventure that became a story about mutiny, murder,
and cannibalism. Poor results in U.S but successful in
England.
 Worked as editor and critic in Southern Literary
Messenger. Gained reputation as the harsh
“Tomahawk man” for aggressive style.
 Poe is considered father of modern Detective story
because of “Murders in the Rue Morgue”. The story
followed the classic detective formula: man has to
solve a crime, gathers clues and interrogates
witnesses, and then formulates the correct solution
about what happened, in this case, an orangutan kills
two people with a razor.
 Gained fame and renown for best known poem, The
Raven, but it did NOT make him rich.
 Poe’s themes tended to center on sickness, death, and
insanity, likely inspired by the sickness and death
plaguing his family and the insanity that plagued him.
 Poe’s last ambition was to create his own magazine,
The Stylus. He never made it.
 Poe was popular in France were he inspired many
other authors, including Jules Verne.