Edgar Allan Poe 1809 1849 Last year he

Edgar Allan Poe 1809 -1849 Last year he celebrated his 200 th Birthday

His Family and Tragic Life ®Born in Boston ®Tragic and unhappy life ®Brother died young; sister later went insane

Tragic and Unhappy Life YOrphaned at the age of 2 Yadopted by Mr. and Mrs. John Allan Yconstant disagreements with his step-father

. . . continued åStudied briefly at the University of Virginia åDrinking and gambling difficulties kept him from continuing at UVA

. . . continued &Received an appointment to West Point, but he provoked his own dismissal &Caused a final separation between Poe and his stepfather

. . . continued v. In 1836 married his 14 year old cousin, Virginia v. Last 12 years of life worked as a journalist, editor, and creative writer

. . . continued ä Lived in poverty stricken conditions ä In 1846 wife died after a long illness

. . . continued ÏDied in Baltimore after he was found in a drunken and delirious state ÏDied a poor man ÏHis works didn’t become famous until after his death

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

Just a Few Titles YShort Stories YThe Tell-Tale Heart YThe Cask of Amontillado YThe Black Cat YThe Pit and The Pendulum ÿPoems: ÿThe Raven ÿAnnabel Lee ÿTo Helen ÿLenore

Addiction a. Sometimes strange special effects in his stories have been linked to his addiction to opium a. Addiction was not uncommon in the 1800’s because of frequent use of laudanum, an opium based medicine, to treat headaches and stomach pains

Gothic Elements supernatural horrors and an atmosphere of unknown terror pervades the action High emotion, pronounced anger, surprise, and especially terror use of words indicating fear, mystery, etc. : apparition, devil, ghost, haunted, terror, fright, fainting

Did you know? n The NFL’s Baltimore Ravens are named after Poe’s famous poem, “The Raven” n http: //knowingpoe. thinkport. org/library/ news/ravens. asp