Master of The Macabre

Edgar Allan Poe was a unique and influential American author known for his dark Gothic writing style. His life was marked by tragedy, including the death of his mother and wife from tuberculosis. Despite financial struggles, Poe made lasting contributions to literature, creating new genres like science fiction and detective stories. His most famous work, "The Raven," brought him national attention. Death and horror were consistent themes in his writing, possibly influenced by the loss of loved ones. Poe's literary style and imagination had a profound impact, but his work may have unintentionally influenced real-life serial killers. Despite his tragic life and death, Edgar Allan Poe remains one of the great writers of the 19th century. Few American authors are as unique and unorthodox as Edgar Allan Poe. He is the master of the macabre and renowned for his dark Gothic writing style. While his life was short and marred by death, Edgar Allan Poe established himself as one of the most influential and unique authors of 19th century America. Edgar Poe was born January 19, 1809, in Boston, Massachusetts, to Elizabeth Arnold Poe and David Poe. His parents were traveling actors, but by the age of two, Edgar's father had abandoned him, and just one year later, his mother died from tuberculosis. The death of his mother marked the beginning of many tragic deaths that occurred during his life. Ultimately, these deaths helped to shape him into the author that we know today. After the death of his mother, Edgar was taken in as a foster child by John and Frances Allan. While they never legally adopted him, Edgar adopted the middle name Allan and used it until his death. Soon after being taken in by the Allan family, they went to Europe. There, Edgar received a classical education in England and Scotland and eventually returned to America. In 1826, he enrolled at the University of Virginia with no money or other means to fund his education. Desperate to fund his schooling, Edgar began gambling as a means of financing his education. The results were disastrous, and he accrued a large gambling debt. As a result, Poe only attended the University of Virginia for one year before being forced to join the United States Army as a last resort means of making ends meet. He joined as an enlisted member. However, he eventually gained admission to the Army's prestigious West Point Academy. Despite his obvious intelligence, he was eventually expelled from the Academy and discharged from the Army for extreme negligence. Once free of his obligations to the Army, he was free to pursue his true passion, writing. Shortly after leaving the Army, Edgar moved to Baltimore, Maryland and began writing. He had mild success as a writer and poet, eventually taking on the position of editor at a local newspaper in Richmond, Virginia. In 1836, he married his cousin, Virginia Clem. Despite being happily married, Poe began drinking more as time moved on. Over the next decade, he changed jobs several times, but continued to write both short stories and poetry. It was during this time that he was able to produce some of his most successful works. Despite being a successful and well-known author, Poe struggled financially for most of his life. It wasn't until after he wrote his legendary poem, The Raven, in 1845 that he was able to make a more comfortable living. However, this success was short-lived due to the death of his wife in 1847 after complications from tuberculosis. After the death of his wife, Poe's life crumbled and spiraled downward. He drank heavily and was constantly depressed. It was not uncommon for him to be seen staggering or passed out drunk on the street. He was briefly engaged in 1849, but Poe died mysteriously on October 7, 1849. There are many theories about the cause of his death. However, the true cause of his death may forever remain a mystery. Although his life was short, only 40 years, Edgar Allan Poe made lasting and important contributions to American literature in several genres. He was an author that specialized in revolution. Many of his writings created entirely new genres of literature. For example, his short story, Hans Voll, was published in 1835 and is considered by many people to be the very first science fiction novel of the modern era. It tells the story of a hot air balloon mission bound for the moon. This story paved the way for authors like Jules Verne and his 1865 classic story, From the Earth to the Moon. Poe's 1841 story, The Murders of the Rue Morgue, birthed the detective story genre as we know it today and inspired countless other stories, including Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's legendary character, Sherlock Holmes. Without question, Poe's most famous literary work was his poem, The Raven. It was an instant success and garnered him national attention. The dark story was centered around the tragic suffering of a student due to depression after the loss of his love, Lenore, and a visit from a mysterious raven. This story is just one of many examples of Edgar's gothic and dark writing style. Examining his numerous short stories and poems, of which there are over 80, there are consistent themes found in many of them, including death and horror. The most obvious theme present in his literary works is death. Death and horror are both present in many of his works, including his 1846 short story, The Cask of Amontillado. The story is centered around the main character planning on murdering a man named Fortunato. He eventually lures him into a subterranean catacomb where he buries the man alive behind a brick wall. Poe describes the event in harrowing detail. A succession of loud and chill screams, bursting suddenly from the throat of a chained form, seemed to thrust me violently back. For a brief moment, I hesitated. I trembled. Unsheathing my rapier, I began to grope it about the recess. But the thought of an instant reassured me. I placed my hand upon the solid fabric of the catacombs and felt satisfied. This dark scene brings chills to people even today. Many people believe that his interest in death was due to the large number of people close to him that died during his life. As previously discussed, his mother died at an early age, resulting in him becoming a foster child. His foster mother died in 1829 while Poe was a sergeant major in the Army. Most tragically of all was the death of his young bride, Virginia, who died at the tender age of 22 due to tuberculosis. All of these women were close and important figures in his life, and their deaths ultimately led him down a path of depression, drunkenness, and death. Despite his short life, Poe made a lasting impression upon American literature in many ways. Besides creating new and exciting genres of writing, his literary style changed the way that authors would write in the future. Future authors would study how he demonstrated a brilliant command of language and technique as well as an inspired and original imagination. His literary style and stories were highly original, but his writings may have had some unintended consequences. There are some people who believe that Poe's work may have even influenced actual serial killers by giving them a framework through which to understand and perhaps even to model their murderous desires. If true, this would be a very tragic consequence, obviously unintended by the author, but it is a clear example of how influential Edgar Allan Poe's writings have been in our society. Despite his tragic life and death, there has never been an author quite like Edgar Allan Poe. He birthed new literary styles, and even today he remains one of the great writers of the 19th century. His raw emotional works have inspired countless directors, authors, and poets. There are few writers that can manage to match his prodigious imagination, his distinct style, and his lasting impression upon the literary world.