Edgar Allan Poe Research Paper

Edgar Allan Poe's life through his work

Edgar Allan Poe was born to Elizabeth Arnold Poe, a British actress And David Poe jr. in Massachusetts on January, 19, 1809. Poe's mother and father were deceased before he turned three years old separating him from his brother and sister, William and Rosalie who he reunited with later in life. He was then raised in Richmond, Virginia, by his foster dad John Allan, a very successful tobacco exporter and his wife Frances Valentine Allan. Due to his foster dad's success, Poe was sent to the most prestigious boarding schools and later to The University of Virginia. While Poe excelled academically and was from a very young age a talented writer John Allan, unfortunately, did not support Edgar financially

He self-published some of his most well-known works such as, “The Fall of the House of Usher," “The Tell-Tale Heart," “The Murders in the Rue Morgue," and “The Raven”. Shortly after in 1847 Poe's wife Virginia died of tuberculosis, which was followed swiftly by the death of his aunt and brother these tragedies contributed majorly to his lifelong struggle with finances, depression, and substance abuse. Edgar even wrote about his substance abuse often in the form of alcohol like in “the black cat” where an alcoholic and one time animal lover beats his wife and cat ending in his death. In 1849 he returned to Richmond for a job but stopped in Boston where on October 3, 1847, he was found in a state of semi-consciousness. Poe passed away four days late of what seemed to be acute brain congestion. His death is now surrounded in mystery and many people theorize over how exactly he died. The theories range from; suicide, murder, and drug overdose to rabies and

Although this is inarguably unfortunate, without this tragedy all those that enjoy gothic literature would perhaps be stripped of one of the most well-known and interesting writers in American history. Edgar Allan Poe is attributed with shaping the gothic literary scene in America and across the globe and influencing growing authors in the future such as H.P. Lovecraft. One of the clearest of correlations to draw from his life to his work would be that of the “doomed women he so often depicts” (Weekes, Karen (2002)"Poe's feminine ideal").The most prominent of these women being Virginia his wife and cousin, she is referenced in more than one of Poe's works such as “Annabelle Lee” being about a painful memory of a love now lost. And the “raven”, “It shall clasp a sainted maiden whom the angels name Lenore, Clasp a rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore” Quoth the Raven “Nevermore.”(Poe, Edgar Allan. “The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe.” Poetry Foundation, Poetry Foundation.