EDGAR ALLAN

POE
Meet the Man Behind the tales of Terror
 CONTENT

01 02 03 04
Biography Main Style Short Stories
Contribution Written
BIOGRAPHY
POE’S EARLY LIFE
 Edgar Poe was born on January 19th, 1809 to traveling actors Eliza
and David Poe.
When Edgar was a baby, David abandoned the family, leaving Eliza to
support three young children.
Eliza contracted tuberculosis and spent the last few months of her life
in Richmond. She died on December 8th, 1811 at the age of 24,
leaving behind her three children.
Two-year-old Edgar was taken in by Richmond couple John and
Frances Allan. Edgar was never officially adopted, a cause and result
of constant tensions between him and his foster father. He did not take

Edgar Allan their last name, but instead he became Edgar Allan Poe.

Poe As a teenager Poe enjoyed the life of the elite upper-class.

In 1824, a young Edgar Allan Poe was a part of a
junior honor color guard that escorted the
Revolutionary War General Marquis de Lafayette
around Richmond, Virginia.
Lafayette and the color guard stopped at Richmond’s
Old Stone House to visit the Ege family, who had
assisted in the American Revolution. Poe stood guard
on the front steps of the house. 98 years later, the Old
Stone House became the Poe Museum.

The Old Stone House

 At the age of 17, Edgar traveled to Charlottesville to attend the
University of Virginia (UVA). He left behind a fiancé, Elmira Royster,
who promised to wait until after graduation to marry.
Edgar almost immediately ran into trouble at UVA. Although he was a
talented student, he had arrived at college with only $110 for tuition.
UVA’s tuition was three times that, so he decided to gamble to raise
the rest of the funds. Instead, Edgar generated $2,000 worth of debt.
After just a couple months at UVA, he returned to Richmond
disappointed and continued to feud with his foster father. To make
matters worse, Elmira had become engaged to someone else.
While Edgar was off at UVA, Elmira’s father had intercepted Edgar’s
letters and steered her in the direction of another man who promised
Elmira Royster to be a successful businessman and a respectable citizen, something
Shelton Edgar could not promise.
 In Baltimore Poe lived with several relatives, including his aunt Maria
Clemm and her daughter, Virginia.
Poe lived in Baltimore for four years, during which time he shifted
from writing poetry to short stories.
One publication that took special interest in him was the Southern
Literary Messenger based in Richmond, Virginia.
Poe published “Metzengerstein” which is considered his first horror
story, and “Berenice” which was so graphic and terrifying that the
magazine received multiple complaints from readers. Editor Thomas
White offered Poe a job on the staff of the Messenger. Poe agreed and
moved back to Richmond.

Maria Clemm and Virginia Poe

POE’S LITERARY
CAREER
 Soon after Poe joined the Southern Literary Messenger, he and White
began to have issues, the root of which perhaps came from Poe’s
drinking.
Poe invited his aunt and cousin, Maria and Virgina to live with him in
Richmond. One year later, Poe and Virginia then got married. She was
13, he was 27. This is an unlikely pairing and there is much debate
about the nature of their relationship. Poe often referred to Virginia as
“sissy” (sister) and Maria as “Muddy” (mother).
Although many people today presume their relationship was familial,
we ultimately will never know what happened in their marriage
behind closed doors. Virginia and Maria had a stabilizing effect on
Poe. He seemed to be more responsible and happier during the years
when they were with him.
Virginia Clemm Poe
In 1837 Poe left the Southern Literary Messenger and Richmond. Starting in 1838 while living in
Philadelphia, he enjoyed his prime years of literature. Poe wrote “The Tell-Tale Heart,” the “Masque of the
Red Death,” “The Black Cat,” “The Pit and the Pendulum,” “The Gold Bug,” “The Fall of the House of
Usher,” “The Murders in the Rue Morgue,” and more.
 “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” is
particularly important because it was the first
modern detective story. Poe was the first to
write about an eccentric genius who solves
mysterious crimes. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
cites Poe’s character, C. Auguste Dupin, as the
literary inspiration behind his character,
Sherlock Holmes. Poe was also an early pioneer
of science fiction. Interestingly, the majority of
his stories are comedies.
Poe’s most famous piece is “The Raven.” Once
published, in the early months of 1845, this poem made
him an overnight success.
Before the publication, Poe was well known in literary
circles, but because of “The Raven” Edgar Allan Poe
became a household name. Although Poe only made
around $15 from the publication of “The Raven,” its
international success created financial opportunities
like taking on literary clients and giving lectures and
recitations.
Poe was the first American writer to live completely off
of his earnings from writing. But for most of Poe’s
adulthood, he struggled to financially support himself
and his family.
Unfortunately, by this time, his wife Virginia
began exhibiting symptoms of tuberculosis. She
was sick for several years and died in 1847
while the couple lived in New York. Virginia
was 24 years old when she died. Poe never
emotionally recovered from the death of his
wife. It was evident that he relied on her for
mental and emotional support. Poe began to
drift back south towards the city of his
childhood: Richmond.
Poe wrote in many genres, but his contribution to horror is
what makes him famous today. Poe revolutionized the
genre. He was one of the first to involve deep, intuitive,
psychological horror.
He often wrote stories where the true monster was the
capacity for evil that is inside each person, and what
happens when that evil is acted upon.
 THE DEATH OF
EDGAR ALLAN POE
Poe’s last day in Richmond was on September 26th, 1849. Elmira was worried about his health. After his bout of cholera,
his health had been quite fragile. She encouraged Poe to visit his doctor who is also a friend. Poe did, but it was primarily
a social visit. He had a late meal at Sadler’s Restaurant. And at 4am on September 27th, 1849, Poe boarded a ship headed
for Baltimore. From September 27th until October 3rd, there is no record of his whereabouts.
On October 3rd, an election day, Poe was found delirious in a tavern called Gunner’s Hall in Baltimore. He appeared
drunk, wearing someone else’s clothes and was taken to Washington University Hospital. For the next four days he was
in and out of consciousness, sometimes being alert, sometimes screaming at nothing and no one.
Edgar Allan Poe died on October 7th, 1849. The doctor labeled his cause of death as “phrenitis” (inflammation of the
brain) which was commonly used when the true cause of death was unknown. Because of these mysterious
circumstances, and the persona of Poe, there is much speculation about the true manner of his death. There are over 26
published theories on his demise, so far.
Poe’s death, although untimely and unfortunate, was quite the fitting end for a writer who created stories of true horror
and mystery. Even in death, Edgar Allan Poe created a mystery that would live on forever.
 MAIN
CONTRIBUTION
 EDGAR ALLAN POE
INVENTS THE MODERN
DETECTIVE STORY
MAIN CONTRIBUTION
 1) Invented Modern Detective
Story
Edgar Allan Poe created a new literary genre when
he wrote “The Murders in the Rue Morgue.” 
1) Invented Modern Detective Story
In “Murders in the Rue Morgue,” Poe outlined elements
that future writers would adapt and develop further. Poe’s
fictional detective C. Auguste Dupin is a reclusive
character who is contacted by the police when they are
unable to solve the crime. Dupin has keen powers of
observation and points out to his companion, who
narrates, that “the necessary knowledge is of what to
observe.” Poe makes clues available throughout the story,
thereby offering the reader an opportunity to solve the
mystery. Dupin was featured in three of Poe’s stories,
establishing another feature of the detective genre–the
recurring character.
1) Invented Modern Detective Story
In “Murders in the Rue Morgue,” Poe outlined elements
that future writers would adapt and develop further. Poe’s
fictional detective C. Auguste Dupin is a reclusive
character who is contacted by the police when they are
unable to solve the crime. Dupin has keen powers of
observation and points out to his companion, who
narrates, that “the necessary knowledge is of what to
observe.” Poe makes clues available throughout the story,
thereby offering the reader an opportunity to solve the
mystery. Dupin was featured in three of Poe’s stories,
establishing another feature of the detective genre–the
recurring character.
1) Invented Modern Detective Story

Although mysteries were not a new literary form, Poe was the
first to introduce a character that solved the mystery by
analyzing the facts of the case.
1) Invented Modern Detective Story
Poe has an almost world-wide reputation for the part which he played in
developing the modern short story. The ancient Greeks had short stories,
and Irving had written delightful ones while Poe was still a child; but
Poe gave this type of literature its modern form.
He banished the little essays, the moralizing, and the philosophizing,
which his predecessors, and even his great contemporary, Hawthorne,
had scattered through their short stories. Poe's aim in writing a short
story was to secure by the shortest air-line passage the precise effect
which he desired.
 STYLE
Edgar Allan Poe's Writing Style
Edgar Allan Poe's Writing Style

Poe's works are quintessential examples of Gothic literature.

They invoke a feeling of terror while exploring death, despair,
suspense, and the nuances of romance. Poe engaged readers
through the utilization of imagery and suspense within vivid
settings.
Edgar Allan Poe's Themes

Death
Death was central to Poe's life. Specifically, he lost the
women who were closest to him: his mother, Elizabeth
Poe; his foster mother, Francis Allan; and his wife,
Virginia. These experiences allowed Poe to delve
deeply into the psychological ramifications of death as
he explored the emotions of mourning and regret.
Edgar Allan Poe's Themes

Sadness
Sadness often came on the heels of death in many of
Poe's works. His portrayal of the angst of losing a loved
one and the longing of having the dead back with the
living was enhanced by his concise application of vivid
words, nuance, and cadence.
Edgar Allan Poe's Themes

Beauty
Beauty was both mourned and exalted in Poe's writing. Poe
believed that there was a certain beauty in the honest expression
of emotions, even if those emotions were negative. Women were
often praised for both their physical and inner beauty, and Poe
often lamented the fading of beauty with illness. Despite this,
Poe acknowledged the passive beauty that often remained after
death.
Edgar Allan Poe's Themes

Angst
Poe often expressed anxiety, terror, and trepidation through his
use of foreboding and suspense. Many of Poe's characters
became overwhelmed by their feelings of angst as they were
tormented by relentless or increasing dread. These emotions
were often portrayed through precise word use, onomatopoeia,
and rhythm.
Edgar Allan Poe's Themes

Regret
Poe's characters often regretted their actions and reactions. Many
gradually lost their sanity as they attempted to reconcile their
regret. Scholars often suggest that Poe himself struggled with
overwhelming regret for actions and circumstances that were
both within and beyond his control, such as the illness and
subsequent death of his wife, Virginia.
SHORT STORIES
WRITTEN
Short Stories Written
"The Angel of the Odd" (1844)

• Comedy about being drunk

"Berenice" (1835)

• Horror story about teeth

"The Black Cat" (1845)

• Horror story about a cat

"The Cask of Amontillado" (1846)

• A story of revenge
Short Stories Written
"The Fall of the House of Usher" (1839)

• An old house and its secrets

"The Gold Bug" (1843)

• A search for pirate treasure

"The Masque of the Red Death" (1850)

• The horror of the plague

"The Murders in the Rue Morgue" (1841)

• A detective story
Short Stories Written

"The Pit and the Pendulum" (1850)

• A torture chamber

"The Tell-Tale Heart" (1843)

• A murderer's guilt