Katherine Schwind

English 9

Mrs. T

Period 4

Edgar Allan Poe

Edgar Allen Poe was one of the most important and influential American writers of the

19th century. He was the first author to try to make a professional living as a writer. Poe’s life,

like his literature, is shrouded in mystery, and the lines between fact and fiction have been

blurred substantially since his death.

Poe was born on January 19, 1809 in Boston, MA. He was the second child of actors

David and Elizabeth Arnold Hopkins Poe. His father abandoned the family in 1810, and his

mother died the following year. The children were taken in by John and Frances Allen of

Richmond, Virginia. Poe had a difficult relationship with John. The family sailed to Britain in

1850. He attended the grammar School for short period of time in Irvine, Scotland. He then

studied at a boarding school in Chelsea until summer 1817. Poe moves with the Allens back to

Richmond, Virginia in 1820. A few years later Poe became engaged to Elmira Royster before he

registered at the University of Virginia. There he studied ancient and modern language. After a

year he gave up But do not feel welcome returning back to Richland after he found out his

sweetheart Royster married someone else. After Paul was unable to support himself he enlisted
himself into the Army. Later he was just discharged from the army. He went to New York in

1831 and released a third volume of poems.

Poe's best works we’re gothic, a genre that he followed to appease the public taste. His

most recurring theme was questions of death. Such as physical signs, effects of decomposition,

concerns of premature burial, the reanimation of the dead, and mourning. Poe’s writings

reflected his literary theories. He disliked didacticism and allegory, though he believed that the

meaning in literature should be an undercurrent just beneath the surface. He believed that work

of quality should be brief and focus on a specific single effect. He also said the writer should

carefully calculate every sentiment and idea.

Poe’s most famous work is “The Raven”. First published on January 1845. This story is

about someone who recently lost their love. To cop with these feelings of loss, he has taken to

secluding himself in his study where he continues to read various books. It tells a story of a

scholar who encounters a raven who slowly drives him insane. This story encapsulates the

feeling of despair from losing someone.

Annabel lee is a rhyming poem, it tells of the love between two people Annabel Lee and

the speaker. In this poem Poe is side by side with Annabel Lee keeping the spiritual ties alive. In

this he is transforming his childhood love into something everyone will know. In this poem there

is a sense of supernatural set up in this, with mention of an angelic and demonic order attempting

to separate two lovers. The real love is powerful because of the thought of these two souls still

together after all they have been through.

In conclusion, Edgar Allen Poe was one of the most influential American writers of the

19th century. Being the first writer to make a living off of it he inspired many people trying to
pursue the same dream he had. Even thought Poe’s life shrouded in mystery he used it in his

favor to help him with his writing.

 Work cited

Who Was Edgar Allan Poe? (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://www.poemuseum.org/who-was-edgar-allan-poe

The raven by Edgar Allan Poe. (n.d.). Retrieved from

http://www.poe200th.com/the-raven-by-edgar-allan-poe/

Edgar Allan Poe. (2019, May 21). Retrieved from

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_Allan_Poe