Edgar Allan Poe is a very famous author in American literature. “He is widely acknowledged as the inventor of the modern detective story and an innovator in the science fiction genre, but he made his living as America’s first great literary critic and theoretician. Poe’s reputation today rests primarily on his tales of terror as well as on his haunting lyric poetry" (poemuseum.org). Poe’s struggles with depression, alcohol, and substance abuse is reflected through his often morbid writing. Edgar Allan Poe’s life events impacted who he was as a writer and helped him become an influential author. Edgar Allan Poe was born on January 19, 1809. He was orphaned at a young age. “Poe never really knew his parents...His father left the family early …show more content…
Virginia, who was fourteen, acted as a courier to carry letters to Poe’s lovers but she soon became a lover. “He became the editor of the Southern Literary Messenger in Richmond, where he moved with his aunt and cousin Virginia. In 1836, he married Virginia, who was fourteen years old at the time” (poets.org). Poe helped the Messenger become the most popular magazine in the south. Poe wrote sensational stories and scathing book reviews for the magazine. Poe developed a reputation as a fearless critic and attacked some of the most famous writers in the country. Poe disliked his pay and editorial control and the Messenger, so he moved to New York. Poe wrote for a number of different magazines and his fame grew. During this time, Poe wrote most of his major works such as: The Raven, The Fall of the House of Usher, and the Tell-tale Heart. Even though Poe’s popularity had grown, he still was poor, and would remain poor his whole life. In 1847, Virginia died of tuberculosis at age twenty-four. Her death left Poe devastated, and he could not write for months. “After Virginia’s death from tuberculosis in 1847, Poe’s lifelong struggle with depression and alcoholism worsened… On October 3, 1849, he was found in a state of semi-consciousness. Poe died four days later of “acute congestion of the brain.” Evidence by medical practitioners who reopened the case has shown that Poe may have been