An Analysis of Edgar Allan Poe's Psychological Thriller Essay

Poe began to sell short stories to magazines and later became the editor of the Southern Literary Messenger in Richmond. He later married his cousin Virginia, who was fourteen years old. During these years, Poe published some of his best poems and stories like “The Fall of the House of Usher”, “The Raven” and “The Tell-tale Heart” (PBS).

Edgar Allan Poe is known for his knowledge of how to build and use suspense, but how does he do it? Poe has done many works in his time as a poet and he has mastered suspense in writing these works. He knows when and how to use suspense. In all of his story you can find at least one sentence of suspense. Edgar Allan Poe uses craft elements like short and choppy sentences, the setting, and very descriptive language to build suspense in his works.

     Edgar Allan Poe, the first master of the short story, had written many short stories from mysteries to morbidity. Edgar was born on January 19,1809 in Boston, Massachussettes. Edgars Parents, David and Eliza, were both in the acting business. Poe also had a sister, who is rarely spoken of. When Edgar was young his father fleed from the family, leaving Edgar, his mother, and sister alone. At the age of two Edgar's mother died of tuberculosis. Edgar was then placed in a foster home with John and Fanny Allan.

Edgar Allan Poe was a 19th century American writer who is best known for his poetries and short stories.Poe wrote in many genres;however, his most famous works were written in the mystery or horror genre.According to Robert Giordano,”Poe wrote quite a few gothic stories about murder, revenge, torture, the plague, being buried alive, and insanity” (Giordano).Many of his prominent works include “The Raven,”The Fall of the House of Usher,” and ”The Tell-tale Heart.” The spectacular work of Edgar Allan Poe would be commended and acknowledged throughout history.

"In one case out of a hundred a point is excessively discussed because it is obscure; in the ninety-nine remaining it is obscure because it is excessively discussed." This quote by Edgar Allan Poe describes his obscure works which have been discussed and criticized in great detail for many years to come. Some readers believe that his works are too dark and eccentric maybe even deathly. Others believe his works to be masterpieces. However, one thing that is not up for debate is the fact that Edgar Allan Poe is a literary genius. Edgar Allan Poe, the creator of the ratiocinative story and the amateur sleuth and leading contributor to the gothic genre, is the greatest author of the mid-nineteenth century.

Two years of service and Edgar Allan Poe decides he is done. John Allan sick and dying pays Mr. Poe out of service, gets him enrolled in West Point in 1829, but leaves Edgar with absolutely nothing. Feeling hopeless yet wanting to pursue a writing career still he drops out of West point and moves to New York with his cousin Virginia Clemm, 13, who he later gets married to. Around 1836 Edgar Allan Poe submits a short story titled, "MS: Found in a Bottle," which he won a critically acclaimed title and a cash prize for. Over the next nine years Edgar held several critic jobs for newspapers and upcoming writers, all of which he was fired from due to absences and an obvious drinking issue. He was thought to be a drug addict but this accusation was never proved. In 1847 Virginia died of tuberculosis creating a spiral effect of bad decisions. Edgar moved to Rhode Island pursuing three different women and kept a serious relationship status with none of them. His drinking grew worse and worse. On October 3, 1849, Edgar Allan Poe was seen stumbling into a local pub. After passing out he was rushed to a hospital where he sat in a coma for four days. Pronounced dead on October 7, 1849, to this day we can only take educated guesses as to the cause of his sudden death. Alcohol poisoning, heart failure, or a past diagnosed brain lesion are all

Edgar Allan Poe wrote many famous works of literature, some of which are: The Raven, The Fall of The House of Usher, The Tell-Tale Heart, and The Black Cat. Most of his works were filled with horror as his background was one we all are glad we never had. With his background his atmospheres of horror are far better and deeper than most writers.

Hoping for a new life, Poe joined the army but carelessly mishandled the job and somehow managed getting dismissed. Thus, unemployed he remained, but nevertheless, continued writing and publishing short stories. Feeling overwhelmed, Poe decided to reconnect with his biological family, confiding in his aunt Maria and cousin Virginia whom he later married. Many deemed the relationship strange whereas others assumed Virginia was merely a source of comfort. Career wise, Poe was somewhat accredited until the publishing of the renowned poem, “The Raven” by which he received great recognition.

He married Virginia in 1836 and it is believed that the couple lived very happily together. Alas, in1847, Virginia passed away due to a case of tuberculosis, which is what claimed the lives of his mother and foster mother the years before. Poestories.com states in the article titled “The Biography of Edgar Allan Poe”, “After losing his wife, Poe collapsed from stress but gradually returned to health later that year” (“Biography of Edgar…”). For the next two years, Poe tried starting a relationship with a married woman, Nancy Richmond, but she did not share the same feelings. He attempted to marry Sarah Helen Whitman, but the engagement did not last. He finally became engaged again to his previous fiancée, Elmira Royster, but disappeared shortly after. Many of Poe’s best works are based on the loss of a loved one, especially a woman. “The Raven” is a prime example of this and is also a good example of the things that can happen to a person’s sanity after a loss that great. The poem is a must read for a poetic look at hallucinations.

Edgar Allan Poe is a much known author. He is known for writing dark and mysterious stories and poems. “His imaginative storytelling led to literary innovations, earning him the nickname "Father of the Detective Story" (Edgar Allan Poe Biography.com). When writing stories he wanted the readers to have that one emotion or feeling when reading his writing. Poe has very many stories he is known for two of those short stories being; “The Oval Portrait” and “The Cask of Amontillado”.

When looking at a piece of literature through a psychological approach it is easy to apply Sigmund Freud’s theories of the id, ego, and superego, which focus on conscious and unconscious behavior. When analyzing many of Poe’s works, critics tend to look through a psychological lens. Specifically in Poe’s The Black Cat. Some critics believe that Poe’s alcoholism is reflected in the piece, but many, such as James W. Gargano “advised the tales readers to avoid the biographical pitfall of seeing Poe and the first-person narrator of The Black Cat as ‘identical literary twins’” (Piacentino 1). It is due to his childhood that Poe’s narrator in The Black Cat subconsciously places animals before humans, thus leading to him to murder his wife.

The Portable Edgar Allen Poe, edited by J. Gerald Kennedy, is a phenomenal compilation of works from one of America's greatest writers of the nineteenth century. Published in 2006, the book contains short stories, poems, and letters, written by Edgar Allen Poe. Full of lies, hope, revenge, and guilt, the stories in this assemblage are suspenseful and convey powerful messages.

For every piece of literature there are numerous amounts of critics, formally called readers. Like a critic, the readers pick apart different pieces of a literary work to figure out the deeper meaning the author is trying to display. One thing that readers can pick up from a story is the amount of influence an author’s life has on their work. A good author develops the story or poem by digging deep in his or hers emotions. Throughout history, there have been numerous amounts of inspirational authors that have gone through hardships in their life, whose work has changed the way people view literature. One of the most notable authors to take his heartbreak and tie it into his writing is Edgar Allan Poe. Like Poe, some famous authors give the readers a window to view inside their head and their life. By looking at Poe’s gothic and romantic writings, his audience can see characteristics of himself mingled in parts of different literary elements.

Edgar Allan Poe work can be related to allot of literature criticisms, but it is most familiarized with psychoanalytic criticism and New Historicism because the stories he wrote had allot to do with the mind and how people would behave also he wrote stories based off old history and beliefs.

Poe married his cousin Virginia Clemm in 1836,she was only 13, then in 1837 they went to New York there he published the narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym his only novel. In the summer of 1846 he moved with his wife to a cottage in what was a rural area in Bronx N.Y; she died there of tuberculosis in January of 1947.On October 3, 1949, in Baltimore a stranger found him delirious and in need of medical attention, a few days later he died at the age of 40 from unknown causes.