The
First
King
of
Horror
What are some of your
favorite
ghost stories?
Horror books?
Scary movies?
Who wrote
those stories?
Why study authors?
EDGAR
A. POE
Trivia ~ True or False?
• Poe’s parents were actors.
• True. He was most likely
named for the acting
manager of the Charleton
Comedians
Trivia ~ True or False?
• After Poe’s mother Eliza died at
the age of 24, Poe was raised by
his single father.
• False. Poe was raised by a
patron of the theatre, Fanny
Allan, much to her husband
John’s dismay. Poe was
separated from his older
brother and younger sister and
often neglected as a child.
Trivia ~ True or False?
• Poe’s legal name is not
Allan.
• True. He was never
adopted by the Allans, and
renounced the last name at
age 15.
Trivia ~ True or False?
• Poe suffered many traumas
in his childhood which may
have contributed to his
macabre writing style.
• True. He eventually
reunited with his brother,
who died just a few months
later. Both the Allans died
estranged from Poe.
Trivia ~ True or False?
• Poe was an atheist.
• Unknown. Poe did
express that he had no
religion though he was
raised Christian. Nothing in
his life or writings
conclusively state whether
he believed in God.
Trivia ~ True or False?
• Poe died of a broken heart.
• False. The actual cause of
Poe’s death is not known.
One witness said he was
found drunk on a Baltimore
street in 1849; another says
he hadn’t been drinking but
was beaten. Either way, he
died three days after being
found.
Poe & His Writing Genres
• What is a
writing genre?
• Poe’s genres:
–Horror/Thriller
–Mystery/Detective
–Literary Criticism
Poe Fiction
• “The Tell-Tale
Heart”
• “The Cask of
Amontillado”
• “The Premature
Burial”
The Tell-Tale Heart illustration © Rick Geary
Poe Poetry
• “Annabel Lee”
• “Elizabeth”
• “To My Mother”
Annabel Lee illustration © Toni Pawlowsky
Homework:
“The Tell-Tale Heart”
• Read over the vocabulary list. Look up
& write any unknown definitions.
• Read the story, pgs 235-242 in
your text.
• Be able to talk about
what genre of fiction
PSSST: There
this story is.
might be a quiz!