1 / 18

Edgar Allan Poe

Edgar Allan Poe. 1809-1849. His Family and Tragic Life. Born in Boston The son of traveling actors Tragic and unhappy life. Tragic and Unhappy Life. Mother died, father deserted him at the age of two Adopted by Mr. and Mrs. John Allan Constant disagreements with his step-father.

penn
Download Presentation

Edgar Allan Poe

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Edgar Allan Poe 1809-1849

  2. His Family and Tragic Life • Born in Boston • The son of traveling actors • Tragic and unhappy life

  3. Tragic and Unhappy Life • Mother died, father deserted him at the age of two • Adopted by Mr. and Mrs. John Allan • Constant disagreements with his step-father

  4. Studied briefly at the University of Virginia • Drinking and gambling difficulties kept him from continuing at UVA

  5. Received an appointment to West Point, but provoked his own dismissal • Caused a final separation between himself and step-father

  6. In 1836, Poe married his 14 year-old cousin, Virginia • During the last 12 years of his life, Poe worked as a journalist, editor, and creative writer

  7. Poe Lived in poverty stricken conditions • In 1846, wife died after a long illness

  8. He died a poor man in Baltimore after having been found in a drunken stupor

  9. Poe’s Work Known for: • Tales of mystery and terror stories • Introducing the modern detective story

  10. Just a Few Titles • Short Stories • The Tell-Tale Heart • The Cask of Amontillado • The Black Cat, • The Pit and The Pendulum • Poems: • The Raven • Annabel Lee • To Helen • Lenore

  11. Addiction • Sometimes strange, special effects were linked to his addiction to laudanum • Laudanum, a highly addictive, opium-based medicine, was commonly used in the treatment of headaches and stomach pains in the 1800’s

  12. “The Cask of Amontillado” (1846) • Setting • A nameless Italian city in an unspecified year (possibly in the 18th century) • Topics: • Revenge • Madness • Friendship

  13. Setting, contd… • Carnival takes places prior to the start of the Lenten season (similar to Mardi Gras in New Orleans). • Lent is when people give up various pleasures - including drinking alcohol. • Also during this time, people will typically wear masks and costumes • They dance and drink on the streets as a “last hurrah” before giving up meat and other pleasures to do penance for their sins.

  14. Images of the Carnival (Italy)

  15. Images of the Carnival (Italy)

  16. Images of the Carnival (Italy)

  17. Setting, contd… • Catacombs = long, winding underground tunnels. • Early Christians would bury their dead in these locations • Suitable for burial because these underground locales were dark and cool • For the purposes of “The Cask of Amontillado”, catacombs are also suitable for the safekeeping of alcohol.

  18. Point of View… • Poe chooses to convey the story through the murderer's perspective. • This story, along with many others of Poe’s, are classic examples of the reliable vs. unreliable narrator. • Reliable = ? • Unreliable = ?

More Related