Edgar Allan Poe Thesis
Lisa Riley
Mr. Johnson
ENG 231
November 30, 2011
Edgar Allan Poe
When you hear the name Edgar Allan Poe it’s sure to conjure up thoughts of the macabre, mystery, death, and madness all of which are pivotal in the writings of Poe. His first works, Tamerlane and Other Poems, was published in 1827 with many short stories, poems, essays, and other writings to follow. He was a resourceful writer, but he was particularly known for his short stories and poems, even being dubbed the architect of the modern short story. Some of his classic and best known writings were “The Tell-Tale Heart”, “The Raven”, “The Black Cat”, and “The Fall of the House of Usher”, all of which included the morbid characters and melancholy themes he was so famous …show more content…
He was the middle child, having one sister and one brother. Poe’s first experience with death came at a very young age as his parents died when he was approximately three years old. Afterwards his siblings were sent to live with relatives while he was taken in by a wealthy tobacco merchant, John Allan and his wife, in Richmond, Virginia. Their desire was for Poe to follow in Mr. Allan’s footsteps and become a businessman; however, Poe had no such desire; his passion was writing. He wished to be like his childhood hero the British poet Lord Byron (Poe …show more content…
He brought his aunt and cousin Virginia to Richmond where he took the 13 year old Virginia as his bride. For once, is seemed, Poe had finally found happiness. Discouraged with his job, he decided to move the family to New York City. Once there he found it very difficult to find work. After one year he moved the family to Philadelphia where he found work at several different magazines. It was here that he published some of his most famous works, “The Black Cat”, ” The Tell-Tale Heart”, and “The Fall of the House of Usher”, all of which entailed tales of sinister deaths and examined the depths of the human psyche. Poe was getting his works published, but he still could not seem to rise from the poverty level he had known all his life. To make things worse, his wife contracted tuberculosis in 1842. This served to intensify his drinking as he could not bear the stress and heartache of her illness (Independence Hall Association).
Still in search of a better life, Poe decided to move back to New York in 1845. Within a year of the move his most famous poem “The Raven” was published to instant success. He was finally a household name and with that distinction came more money but not happiness. Tragedy once again struck when Virginia died two years later. After her death some concluded that “The Raven” was written with his knowledge of her inevitable
Mr. Johnson
ENG 231
November 30, 2011
Edgar Allan Poe
When you hear the name Edgar Allan Poe it’s sure to conjure up thoughts of the macabre, mystery, death, and madness all of which are pivotal in the writings of Poe. His first works, Tamerlane and Other Poems, was published in 1827 with many short stories, poems, essays, and other writings to follow. He was a resourceful writer, but he was particularly known for his short stories and poems, even being dubbed the architect of the modern short story. Some of his classic and best known writings were “The Tell-Tale Heart”, “The Raven”, “The Black Cat”, and “The Fall of the House of Usher”, all of which included the morbid characters and melancholy themes he was so famous …show more content…
He was the middle child, having one sister and one brother. Poe’s first experience with death came at a very young age as his parents died when he was approximately three years old. Afterwards his siblings were sent to live with relatives while he was taken in by a wealthy tobacco merchant, John Allan and his wife, in Richmond, Virginia. Their desire was for Poe to follow in Mr. Allan’s footsteps and become a businessman; however, Poe had no such desire; his passion was writing. He wished to be like his childhood hero the British poet Lord Byron (Poe …show more content…
He brought his aunt and cousin Virginia to Richmond where he took the 13 year old Virginia as his bride. For once, is seemed, Poe had finally found happiness. Discouraged with his job, he decided to move the family to New York City. Once there he found it very difficult to find work. After one year he moved the family to Philadelphia where he found work at several different magazines. It was here that he published some of his most famous works, “The Black Cat”, ” The Tell-Tale Heart”, and “The Fall of the House of Usher”, all of which entailed tales of sinister deaths and examined the depths of the human psyche. Poe was getting his works published, but he still could not seem to rise from the poverty level he had known all his life. To make things worse, his wife contracted tuberculosis in 1842. This served to intensify his drinking as he could not bear the stress and heartache of her illness (Independence Hall Association).
Still in search of a better life, Poe decided to move back to New York in 1845. Within a year of the move his most famous poem “The Raven” was published to instant success. He was finally a household name and with that distinction came more money but not happiness. Tragedy once again struck when Virginia died two years later. After her death some concluded that “The Raven” was written with his knowledge of her inevitable