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Edgar Allan Poe 1809-1849. Early Life. Born in Boston in 1809 Parents were traveling actors, the mother had talent, but the father did not Father abandoned the family when Poe was two Mother died in December of 1811 Adopted by John Allan and wife. College.
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Early Life • Born in Boston in 1809 • Parents were traveling actors, the mother had talent, but the father did not • Father abandoned the family when Poe was two • Mother died in December of 1811 • Adopted by John Allan and wife
College • Poe began his college career at the University of Virginia in 1826 • While at college he gambled and his debt grew • He also began drinking • Unable to finish at the University Poe was accepted into West Point Academy in 1830 • Poe was dismissed because of missing class and roll calls.
Married Life • Married his 14 year old cousin, Virginia, in 1836 • Began work as a journalist, editor, and a creative writer • He was not very good with finances so he and his bride lived poverty stricken most of their lives • Virginia dies after a long battle of an illness in 1846 (tuberculosis) • The same illness that claimed the life of his mother
Poe’s Death • During the last two years of his life Poe was probably suffering from a brain lesion and he was drinking heavily • He was found outside a polling location on October 3, 1849 • He was taken to the hospital and died four days later • Suspicions' is that the cause of death could have been rabies
Poe and His Genres • Criticism: wanted to be critic • Poetry: he experimented with poetry, this paid the bills during hard times • Psychological fiction: He wanted to create the most horrific effects on the reader • Detective Story
Elements of Gothic in Poe’s Fiction • Grim Setting -Landscapes are usually reflections of the characters’ mind -Unusual buildings, eccentric art work, and extremes of nature -Very stories take place in America, most often Europe or some made up land
Other Elements of the Gothic • Hidden evil -Unspeakable, mysterious crimes, including incest and parricide • Obsession with Death -Ghosts, blood, body parts • Maniacal laughter • The discovered manuscript -Gives the responsibility to someone else • Deformity -the grotesque-people who do not look normal, but who are capable of doing activities beyond the norm
An element of Poe’s Style • Poe uses vocabulary to create setting, for rhetorical effect, rather than for information • Modern day horror films use music to create atmosphere; Poe used vocabulary
References www.ccsweb.cabarrus.k12.nc.us/education www2.cumberland.edu/users/sharris
