Biography



Alicia Chen and Amy Guo Mrs. Salamone Honors English 9 1AC 21 March 2012 Edgar Allan Poe Of the many poets throughout history, Poe is most definitely unique. Characterized by his morbid themes and apparent obsession with death, he was incredibly quirky to say the least. He was born on January 19th, 1809 inBoston,Massachusetts. Poe’s biological parents had been professional actors, but in 1911, he was orphaned and unofficially adopted by the Allan family. Once an adult, he applied and was accepted to theUniversityofVirginia, but not being able to support himself financially, he was forced to drop out (“Edgar”). During the time he attended, he became engaged to Elmira Royster. However, their engagement was soon broken off by her parents. After leaving the university, he had joined the U.S. Army but was discharged after Mrs. Allan’s death. He later went on toWest Pointwhere he was expelled. Poe eventually married Virginia Clemm, his cousin. After his wife’s death in 1847, he had many romances-- including one with Elmira Royster. Throughout his life, Poe was the editor of several publications. These included the //Southern Literary Messenger//, the //Broadway Journal//, //Burton’s Gentleman’s Magazine//, and //Graham’s Magazine// (“Edgar”). He also won minor prizes from the //Saturday Visiter// and //Dollar Newspaper//. In 1845 he published “The Raven” which was his breakthrough to fame. While attending school and working for local papers, he had also published many poems. These were frequently concentrated on topics such as death, murder, and madness. “The problem of Poe concerns much more than the dark side of his genius. Yet it cannot be denied that he himself has obscured the dimensions of the problem by the very success with which he writes of horror, terror, strange fantasies and psychological abnormalities” (Buranelli 17). Poe also used the main people in his life as a source of inspiration for his many poems, such as Elmira Royster and Virginia Clemm, who were believed to be referenced in “Annabel Lee”. He also used the juxtaposition of beauty and romance against mourning, death, and insanity. He usually achieved this by the death of a beautiful woman, which can be seen in such works as “Annabel Lee”, “The Raven”, and “Ulalume”. It is likely that this recurring topic was a result of the death of many women in Poe’s life, including his biological mother, Mrs. Allan and his wife Virginia. Furthermore, Poe utilized many literary devices to create a certain mood or feeling throughout his poems. “Experimenting with combinations of sound and rhythm, he employed such technical devices as repetition, parallelism, internal rhyme, alliteration and assonance to produce works that are unique in American poetry for their haunting, musical quality” (“Edgar”). Poe has undoubtedly had a profound effect on modern literature. His works set the precedent for writers such as Ambrose Bierce and H.P. Lovecraft who developed the horror genre. He is also said to have started the genres of science fiction and mystery. Unique, masterful, and often chilling, Poe’s exceptional writing has created a legacy that will last through the ages.

Works Cited Buranelli, Vincent. //Edgar Allan Poe.// New York: Twayne Publishers, Inc., 1961. Print. “Edgar Allan Poe.” //Poetry Foundation//. Poetry Foundation, n.d. Web. 12 Mar. 2012.