Poe lecture notes
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Edgar Allan Poe had a tragic life, being orphaned as a child and never fully accepted by his foster parents. He struggled financially his whole life, despite his literary successes. He was a troubled man who dealt with alcoholism and the early deaths of his wife and other family members. Poe is now considered one of the most influential American authors, being dubbed the father of horror and the father of mystery stories. However, his own life story was one of hardship and misfortune.
Poe lecture notes
- 1. THE TRAGIC TALE OF EDGAR ALLAN POE
- 2. EAST COAST BOY • Born January 19, 1809 in Boston, Massachusetts • Parents: David and Elizabeth Poe, both of whom died before Edgar was three. --They were both actors. • Siblings: Henry and Rosalie. Elizabeth Poe
- 3. GROWING UP • Raised by: Frances and John Allan in Virginia --The couple was wealthy so Edgar went to good schools. --He even studied in England for 5 years from ages 6-11. • Edgar was never adopted by them and harbored resentment about this fact. • His brother and sister were raised separately.
- 4. UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA • Began in 1826 • Studied Latin and French • Began to gamble and accrue debts • Began to drink heavily • Quit the school after a year • Had a falling out with John Allan
- 5. ARMY YEARS • • • • • Joined 1827 at the age of eighteen. Served two years Attained the rank of sergeant major Published his first poem: “Dreams” in the Baltimore North American Published his first book Tamerlane and Other Poems
- 6. THE NEXT MOVE? • Frances Allan dies, Edgar tries to reconcile w/ John • Moves in with his grandmother and aunt, Mrs. Clemm. His brother Henry and cousin Virginia also live there. • Enters Westpoint in 1829 but is dismissed a year later
- 7. STARVING ARTIST • He moves New York City in 1831 and began to write • Submitted stories to a number of magazines, all rejected • Poe begs Allan for help, none comes • John Allan dies in 1834 --Edgar is not mentioned in the will
- 8. CAREER MOVES • He becomes a newspaper editor in 1835. --Successful editor of Southern Literary Messenger in Richmond • Wins a contest with his story “The Manuscript Found in a Bottle” • Brings Mrs. Clemm and Virginia to live with him in Richmond
- 9. EDGAR FINDS LOVE AT LAST • Marries his cousin Virginia in 1836. --He was 27, she 13 • Poe leaves the paper • Moves around some (New York, Philadelphia)
- 10. GAINING NOTORIETY • First volume of short stories published in 1839 --Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque • Still struggling financially • Also publishes only novel, The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym
- 11. TRYING TO STAY AFLOAT • He becomes Editor for Graham's Magazine in 1840. --successful editor and essayist --publishes more stories • He leaves in 1842 because he wanted to start his own magazine. • Begins The Stylus --it is a failure • He then gets a string of jobs, all short term --still struggling financially • Begins work at The Broadway Journal in 1845. --New York
- 12. TRAGEDY STRIKES AGAIN • His wife Virginia dies in 1847. • A bereaved Poe collapses from stress and later turns to alcohol.
- 13. POE’S FINAL YEARS: 1847-1849 • Goes back to Richmond • Joins “The Sons of Temperance” to attempt to stop drinking --doesn’t work • Renews boyhood romance w/ Sarah Royster Shelton • Plans to marry her that October Sarah, as she was when Poe first loved her.
- 14. POE’S FINAL DAYS: 1849 • September 27, Poe leaves Richmond for New York, via Philadelphia • September 30, heads to New York, takes the wrong train, ends up in Baltimore • October 3, Poe is found at Gunner's Hall --taken to a hospital • October 7, 1849, Poe dies in Baltimore • No one knows for sure what happened the last few days of his life --theories include: alcohol poisoning, mugging, murder, and rabies
- 15. POE’S LEGACY • Poe is best known for his scary, short stories but also wrote poetry • Some of his most famous works: --”The Raven” --”The Tell-Tale Heart” --”The Pit and the Pendulum” • Poe is considered the father of horror and the father of mystery stories --Steven King, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle