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Kaitlynn Styers
Kaitlynn Styers

Mr. Melton

APP2000

Feb 25, 2023

Edgar Allan Poe

Edgar Allan Poe was a well-known nineteenth-century author. He was given the name the

"Father of the Detective Story" because "his inventive storytelling contributed to literary

advancements." His short story "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" is considered to be the earliest

example of detective fiction. His tunes were often dark and sad. He was a forerunner in the genre

of horror fiction. Poe had a difficult upbringing, adult unhappiness and gloomy moods, and sadly

died while he was young. Poe's life and work are akin to that of modern horror author Stephen

King. There are many parallels and differences between the two authors.

On January 19, 1809, Poe was born in Boston, Massachusetts. He'd never met his parents,

both of whom were actors. David Poe Jr., his father, abandoned the family and died in 1810 or

1811. His mother, Elizabeth Arnold Poe, died of tuberculosis in 191 at the age of twenty-four.

Poe was three at the time, and her death may have had an impact on him for the rest of his life.

"He always remembers his mother vomiting blood and being carried away from him forever by

frightening individuals in black," he said. Because she had three children, Edgar was isolated

from his brother and sister. Rosalie went insane after the death of his younger brother, William.

While he was not adopted, Edgar was taken in by John and Frances Valentine Allan. Edgar had a

close relationship with Frances but not with John. John, a well-known tobacco trader in

Richmond, Virginia, wanted Edgar to work with him as a clerk. Poe was probably taken in by

Frances. He was a great poet at the age of thirteen, but his headmaster and John discouraged him
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from writing poetry. They were at times both polite and harsh to him. Poe's family relocated to

London in 1815, where he studied in a classical academy until 1820. Poe afterwards moved to

Richmond and attended Joseph H. Clarke's school, where he produced numerous poems about

local schoolgirls.

Edgar was secretly in love with and engaged to Elmira Royster when he enrolled at the

University of Virginia in 1826. The relationship did not last. Edgar did well and obtained high

marks, but he ended up with a significant gambling debt since John did not offer him with much

spending money. Some academics believe Poe drank heavily during this era, while others feel

small doses of alcohol affected him. After John failed to pay his obligations, Poe entered the

army in 1927. He returned two years later after learning that Frances Allen was dying of TB, but

she died before he arrived. Allan admitted him to WestPoint in 1930, but he was expelled for

inadequate performance of his responsibilities, therefore Allan disowned him in 1831. Historians

also know that John Allan remarried without informing him, igniting their hatred. Others believe

Edgar was exiled on purpose in order to seek vengeance on John. John died without leaving any

money to Edgar, but he did leave money to a child he had never met. Poe published many

volumes of poetry during this period, including Tamerlane and Other Poems (1827) and Poems

(1828).

Notwithstanding the fact that he was working as a short story writer in Baltimore in 1832,

historians know little else about his life at the time. He was living in Baltimore with his father's

widowed and poor sister, Mrs. Clemm, by 1833, and had won a $50 prize for his short story "MS

Discovered in a Bottle" in The Baltimore Saturday Vister's short story contest. In addition, he

began work on a play called Politician, which he never completed. In 1835, he became the editor

of the Richmond-based Southern Literary Messenger. He worked for different periodicals for the
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remainder of his life, but he was constantly dismissed because of his strange behavior, which

was compounded by his drinking. He wrote a lot of poetry, short stories, and articles, which won

him a lot of money but also a lot of criticism. These also assisted him in becoming well-known.

His poetry had a simple, distinct rhythm, and his stories were often bizarre and preoccupied with

death.

Yet, he spent a lot of time with Mrs. Clemm and married Virginia Clemm, his 13-year-

old cousin who was both his artistic inspiration and his love interest, in 1836. She was pallid and

weak, like many of Poe's characters. He adored her, but she ruptured a blood vessel while

singing in 1842. She made a partial recovery before dying of tuberculosis in 1847. Because of

her death, his life was wrecked. According to some historians, his inebriation worsened, and he

became addicted to opiates. Others believe he grew unwell and experienced manic and depressed

episodes throughout his adolescence as a result of a brain damage. He also began dating other

women and married widowed Elmira Royster Shelton. He was still writing and publishing stories

and poetry at the time.

His "last days remain somewhat of a mystery," according to historians. His heart was still

broken by Virginia's death. On September 28, 1849, he went on a drinking binge and drank wine

at a birthday party in Baltimore. He was discovered unconscious in a Baltimore gutter on

October 3, 1849. He passed away on October 7 after being taken to Washington College

Hospital. "Lord, take pity on my sorrowing soul," he begged as he died. He was buried at what is

now Westminster Churchyard on October 8, 1849, and a memorial to him was afterwards

constructed. Mrs. Clemm and her daughter were laid to rest next to him.
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Death, lost love, and dying are all common themes in Edgar Allen Poe's writings. His

characters are frequently alcoholics or drug addicts. His stories are not cheerful, and his

characters appear deranged at times.

Stephen King, the horror writer, is a modern-day Edgar Allan Poe. Both authors had a

difficult life, with their dads abandoning them when they were children. They were both good

primary school students who began writing at an early age. They both traveled around a lot as

kids and were outcasts in high school. Both of these writers began drinking in college.

Additionally, they both put in a lot of effort to achieve where they are. Poe worked so hard that

at the age of 16, he swam seven miles across the James River to show himself, "emulating Lord

Byron's swimming over the Hellespont as a physical manifestation of his goal to build a

reputation for himself, to be a great writer". Both authors developed characters that struggled

with drug and alcohol addiction. Stephen King is a well-known author who has published several

tales. Stephen King, in contrast to Poe, has had a long and successful career, is well-known, and

has made a lot of money. He is roughly 65 years old and still writes.

Edgar Allan Poe wrote a wide range of works, including stories, poetry, and other things.

He was a notable nineteenth-century author who is today considered as one of America's most

influential writers. Despite the fact that his works and poems were written almost 200 years ago,

they still "shock, frighten, and influence" contemporary readers. Despite this, he never made any

money, was generally forgotten throughout his lifetime, and died while he was young. His

frightening and nasty works will make him famous.

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Works cited

Litz, A. Walton, and Lea Baechler. American Writers: A Collection of Literary Biographies.
Scribner, 1981.

Padgett, Ron. World Poets, Volume 2. Vol. 2, Scribner/Charles Scribner's Sons, 2000.

Perkins, George. Benet's Reader's Encyclopedia of American Literature. HarperCollins

Publishers, 1991.

Unger, Leonard. American Writers Volume 3. Vol. 3, Charles Scribners Sons, 1974.