Edgar Allen Poe - Classic Literature Edgar Allen Poe
Edgar Allen Poe was born on January 19, 1809 in Boston, Massachusetts. His parents were actors. His father died in 1810 and his mother in 1811. He was taken in by a merchant named John Allen, and brought up partly in England, from 1815 to 1820. His Godfather never adopted Poe, but Edgar took Allen’s last name for his own middle name.
Poe studied at a school in England at Stoke Newington from the age of seven. He remained there for six years, then returned with Allen to Richmond, where he studied with private tutors for the next three years.
Poe entered the University of Virginia in 1826, but remained less than a year. He was expelled for not paying his gambling debts. This led to a quarrel with Allen, who later disowned him.
Poe entered the US Army in 1827 under an assumed name, giving a false age as well. Ultimately, he obtained a cadetship at West Point in 1830, but was dishonorably discharged the next year because of his drinking and neglect of his studies.
Poe had enjoyed writing since early years. In 1929 he published "As Aaraaf, and Minor Poems", which was not good and was not a foreshadowing of what would come later. He himself was reportedly ashamed of the work.
Poe moved to Baltimore, and in 1833, was living with his fathers’ sister. He won a prize of $50 for the short story, "MS Found in a Bottle" and was hired by the Southern Literary Messenger in Richmond. He had fallen in love with his 13-year-old cousin, Virginia, and eagerly accepted the position. Soon afterward, they were married.
Poe was an editor as well as writer at the Messenger. In 1836, he was credited with 80 to 90 reviews as well as six poems, four essays, and three stories. Poe was fired from this position in late 1836 and he moved to New York in 1837 where he wrote for periodicals.
Poe published a piece of fiction in 1838 entitled "The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym" which was well received. Even though his tenure at the Messenger was brief, he had established a solid reputation as an editor and critic.
He accepted a position as editor for Burton’s "Gentleman’s Magazine" in 1839 and moved to Philadelphia. During his time there he wrote "Fall of the House of Usher" and "William Wilson" both rather macabre psychological thrillers.
Poe accepted an editor position offered by George Graham, in 1840. While there, he began writing his famous work "The Murders in the Rue Morgue." Published in 1841, the story featured the fictional detective Auguste C. Dupin.
Poe continued writing tales of horror during his time with Graham. Two of these were ‘The Tell-Tale Heart" and "The Pit and the Pendulum" among others. Some of his magazine articles were collected and published in "Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque" in 1840.
Poe’s wife burst a blood vessel in 1842, and she lived as a virtual invalid. This affected Poe greatly, as he had suffered periodic bouts of depression and madness. His use of drink and drugs continued.
Poe published ‘The Raven and Other Poems" in 1845 and through it gained the public acclaim he had been lacking for his other works. It catapulted him from the ranks of well-respected editor and critic to the level of genius, both in the US and abroad.
Poe’s wife Virginia finally succumbed to tuberculosis in 1847. After her death, he began to lose his long struggle with drink and drugs. His poem "Annabel Lee" (1849) was accredited to her.
Poe, who had written classics like "The Gold Bug", "The Purloined Letter", "The Bells", and more, had become poverty-stricken by 1848. He moved to Richmond after becoming engaged to a woman of considerable wealth. He then met his childhood sweetheart Elmira Royster and fell in love and planned on marriage. While on a trip to Baltimore to pick up his aunt prior to the wedding, he attended a birthday party where he had a drink. He then disappeared for three days and turned up delirious in a Baltimore gutter. He died on October 7, 1849 at the age of 40.
