Edgar Allan Poe was born in Boston, grew up in Richmond, Virginia, and
lived in six Eastern cities. His father was David Poe, a Baltimore
actor. His actress mother, Elizabeth came to the United States as a kid.
The parents were not that talented; they played small roles in rather
third-rate theatrical companies. Because they both had small parts they
barely managed to make a living.
Edgar was the second of their three children. When the third child was
born, the father died, or disappeared, and Mrs. Poe went to Richmond
with the two youngest children. The oldest boy, William Henry, had
already been left with relatives in Baltimore. Mrs. Poe was in the last
stages of tuberculosis. Weakened by the disease and worn out with the
struggle to support her children, she died. Edgar, two years old, and
the infant, Rosalie, were left as orphans.
It was pure luck that Mrs. Frances Allan, the wife of a merchant in
Richmond learned about the Poe babies. She had no children of her own
and liked handsome little Edgar a lot more than his sister. She took him
home with her, and another family took his little sister Rosalie.
Mrs. Allan would have liked to adopt Edgar, but her husband was
unwilling to commit himself. At that time people thought acting was
immoral. John Allan could not help regarding the little son of actor
parents as a questionable person to inherit his name and the fortune he
was busy accumulating. He was willing however, to support the child, and
in time came to be proud of Edgar’s good looks and intelligence.
When Edgar was six years old, Mr. Allen’s business took him to Scotland,
the country from which he had come originally. The family stayed in
Scotland and England for five years.
Edgar was eleven when the Allans returned to Richmond. Richmond in back
then in the 1820’s was a good place for a boy to live. It was still a
small enough town for the fields, swamps, and woods to be close by. Boys
swam in the river and in the little creeks, they fished, they tramped
through the thick woods, looking for wild muscadines and chinquapins.
In spite of the growing tension between foster father and son, Mr. Allen
was willing to send Edgar to the University of Virginia. Edgar, in turn,
was eager to go, to escape the Allen household if for no other reason.
The student life of the University was more social than academic. The
young men drank too much, gambled too much, fought for the sheer
enjoyment of violence, and rampaged over the campus at all hours. This
was the worst possible environment for young Poe with his emotionally
unstable temperament. He was unusually susceptible to alcohol; one mild
drink sent him into a state of wild excitement. He gambled recklessly,
incurring debts he could not begin to pay.
Mr. Allan’s pride and thrift could not tolerate such conduct. He pulled
Edgar out of the University and set him to work at a lowly, routine job
in his counting house. This was a humiliation Edgar could not bear; his
answer was to leave home. He went to Boston, where he managed to publish
a collection of his poems in pamphlet form, Tamerlane and Other Poems.
Desperate for money, he joined the army under the name of Edgar A.
Perry. Army barracks were no place for a young “aristocrat.” Poe turned
to his foster father with penitent letters, pleading for reconciliation.
Mr. Allen yielded sufficiently to purchase his release from the army,
which was possible at that time. Shortly afterward, a new volume of his
poems was published in Baltimore, Al Aaraaf, Tamerlane and Minor Poems.
A little more than a year after his release from the Army, the young
poet turned again to the idea of a military career. He passed entrance
examinations and gained admission to the United States Military Academy
at West Point, New York. Poe knew than an army career was suitable for a
Virginia gentleman he longed to be, but the discipline was too hard for
him. Two years after his final dispute with Mr. Allan, Poe lived for a
while in Baltimore with his aunt, Mrs. Maria (Poe) Clemm. She was a poor
seamstress, but she welcomed Poe into her home and took care of him.
In 1833 The Saturday Visitor of Baltimore announced a literary contest
with prizes of fifty dollars for the best short story, and twenty-five
dollars for the best poem. Poe submitted a group of stories, Tales of
the Folio Club, and a poem, The Coliseum. One of the stories, MS. Found
in a Bottle, won the story prize, and his poem would have won the poetry
prize except that the judges decided not to award both prizes to the
same contestant.
The prize money was not important, but one of the judges, novelist John
P. Kennedy, took an interest in Poe and befriended him by helping him
sell a story to the new Southern Literary Messenger of Richmond. Poe
joined the editorial staff of the magazine and soon became its editor. A
number of his stories appeared in its pages.
Once established in his job, he brought Mrs. Clemm and her daughter,
Virginia, to live with him. A little later he married his cousin,
Virginia, who was some years younger than he. From that time on, the
three formed a household. He has many problems with drinking and
therefore his job was on and off.
Soon after moving to New York, his poem, The Raven, was published in the
New York Evening Mirror. It was reprinted in a number of magazines, and
at once became extremely popular. The Raven is not by any means Poe’s
best poem. With The Raven, Poe reached the height of his fame.
Poe was the originator of the American short story. There had been other
short works of fiction, but Poe perfected the short story as an art
form. Conan Doyle was influenced by him, particularly in their early
writing, before each had found his individual style. Poe led in his
methods of analysis in his detective stories. No one has outdone him in
creating an atmosphere of morbid horror in such tales as The Pit and the
Pendulum and The Tell-Tale Heart. The best of his poetry is pure magic.
Другие работы по теме:
Romanticism Essay Research Paper Romanticism
Romanticism Essay, Research Paper Romanticism By: Lindsay Cameron ? Bells bells bells bells bells bells bells? this quote from Edgar Allen Poes? The Bells, is one poem that had great influence on early 19th century literature. During the early 1800?s , writers Poe, Irving, and Cooper display characteristics of Romantic writers.
Tell Tale Heart Essay Research Paper Perceived
Tell Tale Heart Essay, Research Paper Perceived Paranoia Edgar Allen Poe?s fevered imagination brought him to great heights of creativity and low depths of paranoic despair. Although he produced a relatively small volume of work, he virtually invented the horror and gothic genres and his literary legacy lives to this day.
Mueller V Allen Essay Research Paper MUELLER
Mueller V. Allen Essay, Research Paper MUELLER V. ALLEN Issue: Did the government violate the Establishment Clause because they provided monetary support to the parents of all school-goers?
Edgar Allen Poe Short Stories Essay Essay
, Research Paper Edgar Allen Poe Short Stories EssayPoe creates a world where his characters live in darkness, with little hopeof happiness. Indeed, many of his characters have lost hope but are notaware of it, while others tell of their sorrow openly. “The Tell-TaleHeart,” “The Raven,” and “Annabel Lee” encompass both of these types ofcharacters.
Red Death Essay Research Paper Red Death
Red Death Essay, Research Paper Red Death Critique Even though Edgar Allen Poe has publicly stated his dislike for the technique of allegory (a type of metaphor abstract). Uses of it can be found in his short story “The Masque of the Red Death”. Two that are evident are; the clock that signals Deaths approach, and the repetition of the number seven to implies life’s end.
Edgar Degas Essay Research Paper Degas pronounced
Edgar Degas Essay, Research Paper Degas, pronounced duh GAH, Edgar (1834-1917), was a French impressionist painter. Like the other impressionists, he wanted to portray situations from modern life. However, he did not share his fellow impressionists’ concentration on light and color. Degas emphasized composition, drawing, and form more than did the other members of the movement.
Edgar Degas Essay Research Paper Degas Edgar
Edgar Degas Essay, Research Paper Degas Edgar was a French painter. His compositions, skillful drawings, and perceptive analysis of movement made him one of the greatest artists of modern art in the late 19th century.
2001 Essay Research Paper Edgar Allen PoeEdgar
2001 Essay, Research Paper Edgar Allen Poe Edgar Allen Poe uses his stories to instill a single emotion into the reader. He uses many different aspects of the story to do this, including setting, characters, and action. For example, in the poems, “The Raven” and “Annabel Lee” he instills the emotions of despair and loneliness.
The Hardships Of Hemingway
’s Heros Essay, Research Paper Daniel Macomber Mrs. Huffer ENC 1102-40037 July 10, 2000 The Obsessive Compulsive Disorder of the Narrator in Edgar Allen Poe?s
The Cast Of Amontillado Essay Research Paper
Edgar Allen Poe, born on January 19, 1809, is one of the greatest American writers of all time. “The story of Edgar Allen Poe’s life remains one of the most disputed and slandered in the pages of American biography, despite conscious attempts to revise the story and rehabilitate the life. Decadence and immorality, in the form of alcoholism, opium addiction, and his relationships with women, and prolific production, as a journalist, editor, poet, reviewer, critic, and fiction writer, have been emphasized as characterizing his brief life” (Lent 3).
Edgar Allen Poe And O Henry As
Told By Poe And Exjambaum) Essay, Research Paper In both of the articles, each author is trying to share his view, or theory on the short story. The view of Edgar Allen Poe is very pessimistic toward the novel and other forms of long fiction, while B.M. Ejxenbaum takes a more analytic approach.
The Raven Edgar Allan Poe Essay Research
Paper Edgar Allen Poe was one of the greatest writers of the nineteenth century. Perhaps he is best know for is ominous short stories. Two of these stories were “The Cask of Amontillado” and “The Raven.” In these short stories Poe uses imagery in many different forms to enhance the mood and setting of the story.
The Raven And The TellTale Heart Essay
, Research Paper Comparisons of ?The Raven? and ?The Tell-Tale Heart? Edgar Allen Poe’s story “A Tell Tale Heart,” has the protagonist obsessed with an old man’s eye. This obsession causes a conflict between the protagonist and his sanity. In ?The Raven the man imagines that a raven is a godsend, intended to relieve him of his anguish.
Telltale Heart Essay Research Paper TellTale HeartTRUE
Tell-tale Heart Essay, Research Paper Tell-Tale Heart ?TRUE!–nervous ? very, very dreadfully nervous I had been and am; but why will you say that I am mad?? Edgar Allen Poe shows us the dark part of human kind. Conflict with in ones self, state of madness, and emotional break down all occur within this short story.
Edgar Allen Poe Biography Essay Research Paper
This Paper is about Edgar Allen Poe. Through out his life bad luck and misfortune seemed to follow him until his death. It seems as if from women and through out his time as an author there was no escaping it. This paper will discuss some of the misfortunes and bad luck that was in Poe’s life.
Impact Of Setting On EAP
’s House Of Usher Essay, Research Paper In the story ?Fall of the House of Usher?, Edgar Allen Poe?s use of setting is very important. The story is about a guy, the narrator who goes to visit his old childhood friend as he and his sister are dying. Roderick Usher, the friend, and his twin sister Madeline are the last remaining members of the Usher, who maintained a very tight family line.
The Raven Essay Research Paper The RavenOnce
The Raven Essay, Research Paper The Raven Once upon a midnite dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary. Edgar Allen Poe, The Raven, This poem is mainly about his wife dying and her being sick and his depression and anger. Nameless here forevermore, Only this and nothing more, Darkness there and nothing more, Tis the wind and nothing more.
The Masque Of The Red Death Essay
, Research Paper The Mask of the Red Death by Edgar Allen Poe Thesis: Poe uses symbolism to unfold this gripping tale of terror. I. The first symbol in the story is the name of the Prince himself, Prince Prospero.
Calvin Klein And Shakespeare The Conspiracy Essay
, Research Paper Calvin Kline, and Shakespeare; The Conspiracy. Nakedness and dress in Shakespeare’s King Lear, represented the status of a character. Many scenes use clothing to show one characters dominance over another.
Edgar Allan Poe S Life Experie Essay
, Research Paper Edgar Allan Poe s Life Experiences as an Influence in his Writings By: Terry Friedmann Edgar Allan Poe is one of the most influential writers in the history of literature. Poe has done everything from criticisms to short story writing during his life as a writer. Although the life he led was one of poverty and disappointment, Poe manages to make himself a cozy spot in our history.
Edgar Allan Poe Essay Research Paper Edgar
Edgar Allan Poe Essay, Research Paper Edgar Allan Poe Throughout literature, an author?s works almost always reflect their mood and character. Edgar Allan Poe was an American writer whose short stories and poems reflected his pessimistic moods. One of Poe?s poems, “The Raven,” is about a raven that flies into the home of a sad and lonely man.
TellTale Heart Essay Research Paper Edgar Allen
Tell-Tale Heart Essay, Research Paper Edgar Allen Poe Edgar Allen Poe by, dave march 15 1999, Edgar Allen Poe, an America writer, was known as a poet and critic but was most famous as the master of short stories, particularly tales of the mysterious and the macrabe. The literary merits of Poe’s writings have been debated since his death, but his works have continued to be popular and many American and European writers have declared their artistic debt to him.
Edgar Allen Poe 6 Essay Research Paper
Edgar Allen Poe is an artist I admire. I found his work very interesting because of the life he led. Throughout Edgar Allen Poe’s life, many factors have contributed and influenced his writing style. He lived a difficult life, because he was raised in a dysfunctional household. This is not the main factor to his writing style, but it is a main factor in the understanding of Poe.
Edgar Allan Poe Essay Research Paper Poe
Edgar Allan Poe Essay, Research Paper Poe’s Never Ending Loneliness “From childhood’s hour I have not been/as others were; I have not seen/ as others say I could not bring/ my passions from a common spring. From the same source I have not taken/ my sorrow; I could not awaken/ my heart to joy at the same tone;/ and all I loved, I loved alone.”
Allen Ginsberg Essay Research Paper What exactly
Allen Ginsberg Essay, Research Paper What exactly does it mean to be American? What are the boundaries of freedom and liberty? Do we have the freedom to speak from the heart? Allen Ginsberg believed so, and he did just that.
Annabel Lee Essay Research Paper Edgar Allen
Annabel Lee Essay, Research Paper Edgar Allen Poe s “Annabel Lee” is a tale of mourning and lost love. Written beautifully and eloquently one can almost forget what the poem is actually saying. “Annabel Lee” is, at best, dark and depressing. But the first time it is read, and the second time, and the third time, for a few people, it is still proclaimed to be “pretty”.
Edgar Allen Poe Essay Research Paper Edgar
Edgar Allen Poe Essay, Research Paper Edgar Allen Poe Edgar Allen Poe, the greatest American teller of mystery and suspense tales in the 19th century was a tormented artist. He struggled to become the accomplished author he is
Annie Essay Research Paper In Edger Allen
Annie Essay, Research Paper In Edger Allen Poe?s poem ?For Annie? it illustrates Poe?s life as being an illness, which has finally come to an end. For example, on lines 29 & 30 Poe writes, ?With a fever called ?Living? That burned in my brain?. It?s odd how Poe reverses the ways of death and life. He feels that life is an illness and that death is a cure for the illness called life.
Life Of Edgar Allen Poe Essay Research
Paper The name Edger Allen Poe is known through out the world, some might even consider it a household name. His literary works have sold millions of copies everywhere in the world. Poe never knew of any of these fames during his life. He wasn’t considered popular, he was considered a failure.
The Masque Of The Red Death By 2
The Masque Of The Red Death By Edgar Allen Poe Essay, Research Paper Edgar Allen Poe’s ?The Masque of the Red Death? is an elaborate allegory that combines objects in the story with visual descriptions to give focus to the reader’s imagination. In the story, a prince named Prospero tries to dodge the Red Death through isolation and seclusion.
Poe Vs Hemingway Essay Research Paper Edgar
Poe Vs. Hemingway Essay, Research Paper Edgar Allen Poe (1809-1849) and Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961) were both controversial and intriguing writers of their times. People in their time were
Edgar Allen Poe And His LifeStory Essay
, Research Paper Edgar Allen Poe and His LifeStory Edgar Allen Poe was a very famous poet and writer,Poe created many poems and stories such as The Raven, The Tall -Tale Heart, The Fall of The House of Usher
Symbols Essay Research Paper SymbolsSymbols can play
Symbols Essay, Research Paper Symbols Symbols can play very important roles in the stories that contain them. ?The Masque of the Red Death? by Edgar Allan Poe has three major examples of symbols that help to give the story its true meaning. The three main occurrences of symbolism are evident as a color, number, or a name.
Pride Can Be A Fatal Trait Essay
, Research Paper Pride Can Be a Fatal Trait Sometimes a person?s pride can overshadow their good judgment, in turn effecting their actions. The result of this over zealous pride can mean death for the person. In Edgar Allen Poe?s ?The Cask of Amontillado?, Fortunato is a prime example. Through his own desire to show his skill as a wine connoisseur, he causes his own demise.