1. Edgar Allan Poe

2. General Info 01/19/1809 – 10/07/1849 His parents died three years after he was born He was raised by John and Frances Allan Richmond, VA 2 siblings, raised by other families

3. Early Life John Allan was a tobacco businessman Wanted Poe to follow his footsteps That wasn’t happening

4. What did Poe Want? Edgar Allan Poe wrote. A lot. He even wrote poetry on the back of the ledgers for the tobacco job By 13, he had enough poetry to publish a book It was not published

5. Young Adulthood 1826: Poe went to the University of Virginia John Allan did not provide enough money for this Poe had to burn his furniture just to stay warm Came back home His fiancée was engaged to another man Decided to leave home Published Tamerlane (age 18) Left to join the military John Allan started to help after Frances died

6. But… John remarried and didn’t even tell Poe Poe decided to get expelled from West Point He got expelled Published another book

7. So… Poe moved to Baltimore, where his blood father had lived John died, leaving nothing to Poe But he did leave things to an illegitimate child he had whom he had never even met

8. Love Finds a Home Virginia took Poe’s letters to his lady friends Poe soon fell for her Poe had a job back in Richmond (Southern Literary Messenger) He brought Virginia there, and they married

9. Oh Yeah… Virginia was his cousin He was 27; she was 13

10. Later On Poe moved to New York and later Philadelphia, and then back to New York Virginia died when she was 24, 5 years after contracting tuberculosis (which also killed Poe’s parents and foster mother) Poe began to court a few other women, including his initial fiancée, who was now a widow

11. The End Poe was travelling from Richmond to Philadelphia He stopped in Baltimore, and disappeared for 5 days He was found in a bar, taken to a hospital, and died a few days later His family had no idea until they read about it in the newspapers

12. Libel Rufus Griswold, who was insulted in print by Poe, wrote an untrue obituary of Poe He portrayed Poe as drunken, womanizing, and with no morals nor friends This drove up sales of Poe’s books

13. Noteworthy Works 1835: “Hans Pfaal” (first modern science fiction story) 1838: The Narrative of Arthur Gorden Pym (only novel) 1841: “Murders in the Rue Morgue” (first modern detective story) 1842 – 1846: “The Pit and the Pendulum” “The Masque of the Red Death” “The Tell-Tale Heart” “The Raven” “The Cask of Amontillado” After death: “The Bells” “Annabel Lee” “El Dorado”

14. Setting the Right Mood Poe’s stories are known for their mood Dark, somber While these are not necessarily “scary” stories, they are horror stories because of the mood

15. Source http://www.poemuseum.org