The Master of Suspense The romantic period spanned from 1800 to 1850. Many great authors earned their fame during this period. Edgar Allan Poe made his mark in the world of American literature during this time and is still known today as the master of suspense.
Edgar Allan Poe is most well-known for his sense of the macabre. Poe’s life was tumultuous one from the beginning. According to Poe’s Museum Poe was orphaned at the age of three after his parents died of tuberculosis. He was then put in the care of tobacco merchant, John Allan and his wife Frances. Poe attended both the University of Virginia and West Point Academy, after serving time in the Army, but was expelled from both due to lack of funds and poor behavior. When Poe returned home from West Point, he found his adopted mother had died of tuberculosis. After this heartbreak, Poe then headed to Baltimore in search of blood relatives. There he lived with …show more content…
Wikipedia lists the international copyright law and the Panic of 1837 as some of the main reasons Poe remained poor (“Edgar Allan Poe”). These events fueled his misery, which in turn fueled his writing. According to Wikipedia, Poe was “influenced by Lord Byron” from an early age. His epic poem Tamerlane, published in 1827, is similar to Manfred in “both manner and style” (“Tamerlane”). Romanticism is characterized by emotion and Poe brings ample of that to his literature. The Raven is poem that tells the story of a man mourning his lost love when a raven suddenly appears at his window. The rave speaks only one word: nevermore. The narrator slowly descends into madness as he begins yelling at this bird. A line that communicates the imagination and emotion that was relevant during romanticism is “Thrilled me – filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before;” (688). The emotion present here is fear, which is common in many of Poe’s works. He spins tales complete with fear and
Edgar Allan Poe is most well-known for his sense of the macabre. Poe’s life was tumultuous one from the beginning. According to Poe’s Museum Poe was orphaned at the age of three after his parents died of tuberculosis. He was then put in the care of tobacco merchant, John Allan and his wife Frances. Poe attended both the University of Virginia and West Point Academy, after serving time in the Army, but was expelled from both due to lack of funds and poor behavior. When Poe returned home from West Point, he found his adopted mother had died of tuberculosis. After this heartbreak, Poe then headed to Baltimore in search of blood relatives. There he lived with …show more content…
Wikipedia lists the international copyright law and the Panic of 1837 as some of the main reasons Poe remained poor (“Edgar Allan Poe”). These events fueled his misery, which in turn fueled his writing. According to Wikipedia, Poe was “influenced by Lord Byron” from an early age. His epic poem Tamerlane, published in 1827, is similar to Manfred in “both manner and style” (“Tamerlane”). Romanticism is characterized by emotion and Poe brings ample of that to his literature. The Raven is poem that tells the story of a man mourning his lost love when a raven suddenly appears at his window. The rave speaks only one word: nevermore. The narrator slowly descends into madness as he begins yelling at this bird. A line that communicates the imagination and emotion that was relevant during romanticism is “Thrilled me – filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before;” (688). The emotion present here is fear, which is common in many of Poe’s works. He spins tales complete with fear and