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Edgar Allan Poe

Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849) was mostly known for his poems, short tales and his literary criticism. He has been given credit for inventing the dedective story and his psycological thrillers have been influences for many writers.
Edgar Allan Poe was the son of actress Elizabeth Poe and actor David Poe Jr. And was born 19th of January 1809. When his father died at the age of 36 years, Edgar was left alone with his pregnant mother. Elizabeth died of Tubercolosis on December 11, 1811 at the young age of 24. Edgar, only 2, his sister Rosalie were orphaned. Rosalie only 1 was sent to live with Mrs. Mackanzie, Edgar went to live with John and Frances (Fanny) Allan in Richmond, Virginia and Eggar's older brother William was already living with their grandfather David Poe Sr., because at the time of his birth, David and Elizabeth could not afford to care for him. The Allans lived quite closed to the MacKenzies and Edgar probably had the opportunity to meet his sister once in a while in his early years. The Allans lived in England for five years (1815-1820) where Edgar attended school.
In 1826 he entered the university of Virginia where he was forced to gambling. John Allan refused to pay Edgar's debts and Edgar had to leave the university after only one year, He published his first book “Tamerlane and other poems” anonymously under the signature “A Bostain” in 1827. The poems were influenced from Byron and they showed a youthful attitude. Later in 1827 he went to the Army under the name “Edgar A Perry”. There continued his arguments with John Allan.
In 1829 Edgar decided to go to a cadetship at West Point. But before he went to West Point Edgar published a book entitled “Al Aaraaf, Tamerlane, and minor poems” under the name Edgar A. Poe where the middle initial acknowleded John Allan’s name. Edgar’s fellow cadets in West Point gave him a financial aid before he left to publish a third edition of the book “Poems by Edgar A. Poe” in which his famous poems “To Helen” (another version was published in 1848) and “Israfel” were written.
In 1832 he moved to Baltimore where he won the Baltimore Saturday Visiter a $50 prize for his story “MS. Found in a Bottle”. He lived with his aunt Maria Clemm and his cousin Virginia who he loved and wished to marry. Then he wrote tales for the politically correct magazine “The Southern Literary Messenger” printed by Thomas Willis White in Richmond. There he didn’t ear much money and Neilson Poe had offered Virginia to live with him maybe Maria Clemm would be allowed to go with her. Neilson did this probably not only to rescue them from poverty but also to prevent the marriage between Edgar and Virginia. Because of that Edgar began drinking, lost his job and went to Virginia. In the end he married his 13 years old cousin Virginia and he brought Virginia and Maria Clemm on October 3 to Richmond. He got his job back but only when he promised to never drinking/ alcoholic consum. Edgar made the magazine popular and respected and it became an important regional journal. Then Edgar was fired because of his drinking habits. He moved around to New York and Philadelphia trying to establish a name in literary journalism but without any major success.
In January 1847 Virginia died at the young age of 24 and that was for Edgar very hard. He kept on writing until the day he died in Baltimore October 7, 1849.
His theories on musical poems and short prose narratives which were aim at “a certain unique or single effect” can be for example seen in “Ligeia” (1838) and in “The fall of the house of Usher” (1839).
The in 1841 published story “The Murders in the Rue Motgue” is sometimes considered as the first dedective story.
The poems “The Raven” (1845) and “The Bells” (1849) are some examples of his use of a rhytmic and flowing language. The Raven deals with the lost love. The protagonist pines for the lost love in a stormy wintry night. In a long talk with the Raven he thinks about the happiness they had together and he talks about the cruelness of the destiny, that is personificate in the devilish nature of the Raven.
There are three types of narrative beginnings.
The first category determines the medieval plague-story/tale with the interaction of the strange scene and eerie, supernatural events: The Masque of the Red Death (1842), Hop-Frog (1849) and The fall of the House if Usher (1839).
The second category forms from tales, in which the protagonists get psychological and physical in a hopeless threat: The Tell-Tale Heart (1843), The Pit and the Pendulum (1843) or the Cask of Amontillado (1846).
The third category determines about the lost love, but in macabre style: Ligeia (1838) and Berenice.

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