Sad Life of Edgar Allen Poe in his Poetry

Edgar Allan Poe, 40, passed October 7th 1849 in Baltimore of congestion of the brain. He was born Edgar Poe on January 19th 1809 in Boston, MA to David Poe Jr. and Elizabeth Poe, later John Allan and France's Allan. He was married to his first cousin, Virginia Clemm Poe on September 22nd 1835, who died of tuberculosis at age 24. He wrote short stories about his struggles in life and his misfortunes. He survived by his siblings, William and Rosalie Poe. He did not have any children or remaining immediate family. His stories will forever be a part of American Literature as pieces of art.

The 19th century American poet, Edgar Allan Poe, had been plagued by grief from an early age. He was an amazing poet and author who just happened to have a darker story. Many who have studied this prestigious man feel that his works, though magnificent, were extremely dark. Some believe it was nothing more then a fancy for him to spin such gruesome tales. Others feel his work was manipulated by the misfortune of his past. These people have actually found evidence that agrees with this statement. The works of Edgar Allan Poe were inspired by the history and life style of the author. The evidence is evident, when people look back and examine the author, his life, and his writings closely.

It is evident that Poe had a problem with alcohol. Poe’s closest friends and local newspapers attributed his death to alcohol poisoning.

Neither of his first two collections attracted much attention. "Poe married his 13-year-old cousin Virginia Clemn. She burst a blood vessel in 1842, and remained a virtual worthless until her death from tuberculosis five years later" (online-literature, pg. 2). He addressed the famous poem "Annabel Lee" to her in 1849. In 1836, he received an editorship at The Southern Literary Messenger in Richmond. Around this time, Edgar began using drugs and dinking very heavily. He even showed up at events drunk. Still, he was writing incredible stories and poems. Poe received a large amount of recognition, not only for his poetry and fiction, but as an exceptional literary critic. He also achieved popular success, especially following the publication of his poem "The Raven." Edgar had fallen for Merrie next and she died of brain cancer. After a period in which he was involved in various romantic affairs, Poe planned to remarry, but in late September, 1849 he arrived in Baltimore for reasons unknown. "Poe suffered from bouts of depression and madness, and he attempted suicide in 1848" (online-literature, pg. 2). In early October he was discovered nearly unconscious in a Baltimore gutter. Edgar was taken to Washington College Hospital. Some say that Poe called out the name "Reynolds" on the night before he died. He died on early in the morning of October 7, 1849. He was buried in the yard of Baltimore's Wesminster Presbyterian Church. People said that his

The life of Edgar Allan Poe is not a tale of ease. Poe’s life was full of personal and fiscal disaster. These disasters help to mold some of the most ominous and intellectually challenging poetry ever written. For the short duration of Poe’s life, he was seen as a literary critic rather than an author. To the modern generation his unbeknown status seems bafflingly inconceivable, considering his now acclaimed publications. Edgar Allan Poe’s writing was very much dictated by his life. The mournful tone of Edgar Allan Poe’s life created his literature; death and all his friends narrated Poe’s life. Edgar Allan Poe shows his life’s constant despair through his poetry and short story writings.

Edgar Allen Poe was married to Virginia Poe when she was only thirteen years old. They were the happiest couple in the Poe family, they were always laughing and singing together. All this rapidly changed when Virginia became sick, she was later diagnosed with tuberculosis. Tuberculosis was a well known disease to Poe, as many of his loved ones died from tuberculosis, so he knew that his love would not live for long. Upon the diagnosis of Virginia's disease, “Poe began to drink more under the stress of Virginia’s illness.”(CSI: Edgar Allen Poe) He would spend hours at taverns attempting to drink his sorrows away, but alas it did not work, it only caused the poet to become an alcoholic. His heavy drinking habits prove that he would very likely died from alcohol as his consumption level was far too high.

“Mr. Poe could not possibly send forth a book without some marks of his genius, and mixed up with the dross we find much sterling ore.” — (From a review of Poe’s Tales, September 6, 1845.) In 1845, Poe, 27, and Virginia, 13, married, and were happy for a time. In 1842, Virginia ruptured a blood vessel; the first sign of the ill health that plagued her short life. Poe turned to alcohol to cope with her illness and the stress of his dying wife. Two years later, Virginia died of tuberculosis, and Poe’s own death would follow shortly two years after that.

This essay will discuss the themes in Poe’s writing that mirror his personal life and, in addition, the fear and supernatural motivators for his characters. First, I will discuss Poe’s background and explore how he became best known as a poet for his tales of mystery and macabre.

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.

Each event in one's life whether important, meaningless, joyful or sickening has an impact on that person's character. Harrowing & tragic events occur often as it was for Edgar Allen Poe which left a vast impact on his character. This author's stories focus on his wretched life and obstacles placed in the forms of stories. His unfortunate events turned into eerie, emblematic tales such as “The Raven”, “The Black Cat”, “The cask of amontillado” & more which all have twisted plot lines such as horror, sadness, revenge etc.

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 had married his fourteen year-old cousin, whom died ten years later at the age of twenty four, from Tuberculosis (Ljungquist N.P.). After Virginia died, Poe became lost, alcoholic, drug addicted, and debauchery (Szumski 20). “Under the adroit cover of the special mechanism he had constructed, Poe could unveil his inner, introverted self

Poe eventually married his thirteen-year-old cousin Virginia Clemm. She proved to be the great love of his life, but she too, unfortunately, died of tuberculosis at the young age of twenty-five. He struggled with alcoholism and opiate abuse, along with a rocky writing career in which he never received the accolades he deserved while living. After his death he became one of the most acclaimed short story writers and poets in history. His writing could be viewed as eerie and disturbing, but one thing is certain, he definitely stood out with his distinct style. One author wrote:

After the death of his beloved wife, Edgar Allan Poe found himself writing so others could understand his pain and sorrow. In the story, Poe refers the want to be with loved ones be telling the readers the raven is the character’s dead wife.

Edgar Allan Poe was a fictional writer that astonished readers with his many mysterious poems and his tales of horror such as “The Raven”, “Annabelle Lee”, and “The Fall of the house of Usher”.