Some say he’s insane, others call him a genius. No matter what end of the spectrum you fall on, he is a major figure in world literature. Edgar Allan Poe shaped what the world knows as a short story (poets.org), his works were the basis for detective and horror stories and his morally questionable stories chilled generations to the bone. Popular themes used in his writing consist of love vs. hate, self vs. your alter ego (pride), beauty, and death. His childhood was no walk in the park and neither was the rest of his life.
Edgar Allan Poe was born on January 19th, 1809 in Boston Massachusetts. He had two siblings, an elder brother, William Henry Leonard Poe and a younger sister Rosalie Poe. His father David Poe Jr., abandoned the family in 1810, Poe’s mother died from pulmonary tuberculosis the next year. He was then sent off to live with John and Frances Allan, separated from his siblings (American National Biography). In continuation of Poe’s young years, his foster family was very well off. Edgar Allan Poe’s foster father, John Allan was a prosperous tobacco dealer, along with other big sellers like cloth, wheat, tombstones and slaves. This benefited Poe’s …show more content…
Around the same time, his foster father married his second wife, Louisa Patterson. Poe and Allan argued heavily, which lead to Allan ultimately disowning Poe. Poe left West Point on purpose, as he was going through some rough patches in life due to depression and anxiety, which affected him throughout his entire life. In 1831, Poe moved to New York where he published his third volume of poems in hopes of a big break. Multiple cadets from West Point compiled together $170 and his works were published. It got more publicity than his first two, but still wasn’t what Poe was looking for. Poe’s brother Henry, whom he was very close with, died after complications with alcoholism around this time. This was the turning point in Poe’s writing
Edgar Allan Poe was born on January 19th, 1809 in Boston Massachusetts. He had two siblings, an elder brother, William Henry Leonard Poe and a younger sister Rosalie Poe. His father David Poe Jr., abandoned the family in 1810, Poe’s mother died from pulmonary tuberculosis the next year. He was then sent off to live with John and Frances Allan, separated from his siblings (American National Biography). In continuation of Poe’s young years, his foster family was very well off. Edgar Allan Poe’s foster father, John Allan was a prosperous tobacco dealer, along with other big sellers like cloth, wheat, tombstones and slaves. This benefited Poe’s …show more content…
Around the same time, his foster father married his second wife, Louisa Patterson. Poe and Allan argued heavily, which lead to Allan ultimately disowning Poe. Poe left West Point on purpose, as he was going through some rough patches in life due to depression and anxiety, which affected him throughout his entire life. In 1831, Poe moved to New York where he published his third volume of poems in hopes of a big break. Multiple cadets from West Point compiled together $170 and his works were published. It got more publicity than his first two, but still wasn’t what Poe was looking for. Poe’s brother Henry, whom he was very close with, died after complications with alcoholism around this time. This was the turning point in Poe’s writing