How Did Edgar Allan Poe Impact Society

Seen as one of the most famous figures in American literary history, Edgar Allan Poe created the first modern detective story, “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” (1841). Poe worked as an editor and contributor to magazines in cities, such as Richmond, Virginia; New York City; and Philadelphia. Edgar Allan Poe, a mysterious poet from the mid 1800’s, made a large impact on American society through his short stories and poems, his work ethic, and his contributions to American literature. Poe’s childhood felt the absence of his father and death of his mother, which left him scarred and mentally disturbed, as seen through his later writing.

Edgar Allan Poe was born on “January 19th, 1809 in Boston Massachusetts” (Ljungquist). Son of David and Elizabeth Poe, Edgar Poe had two siblings, William and Rosalie Poe. His parents were “travelling actors” who left him at a young age (Kennedy). His father abandoned his family almost immediately after his birth, and his “mom died in 1811” (Ljungquist) from pneumonia when Edgar was just two years old (Kennedy). The Poe children became orphans, and Edgar soon moved

in with John Allan and his family, who were wealthy merchants. The Allan family moved to England for a short while, and Edgar Allan Poe completed elementary school there. Once Poe was old enough, he went off by himself to try to start a life of his own.
After Poe came back from England, he wanted to enroll at the University of Virginia in 1826. Here, he “excelled in classical and modern languages” ("Edgar Allan Poe") and incurred gambling debts. Edgar Poe enlisted in the military in 1827, and while he waited to be accepted into the academy, he published his second volume of poems, “Al Aaraaf,” “Tamerlane,” and “Minor Poems” (1829). This collection shows English poet Lord Byron’s influence on Poe (Ljungquist). Another influence in Poe’s life was Mrs. Jane Stith Stanard. She was “a beautiful and sympathetic women who aroused in the young Poe a youthful and romantic worship” (Kennedy). Mrs. Stanard influenced Poe to write “To Helen,” and in this poem, his most famous line addressed to her is: “Helen, thy beauty is to me” (Kennedy). Meanwhile, Edgar Allan Poe’s life continued to be an unplanned and confusing journey.
Edgar Allan Poe led his adult life as an editor and lecturer.

He worked for Southern Literary Messenger in 1836 and Graham’s Magazine in 1841. “For the Messenger, Poe contributed reviews, original or revised poems and stories and two installments of The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym” (Ljungquist). As an editor of Graham’s Magazine, he contributed “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” (Ljungquist). In 1836, Poe married his 13-year-old cousin, Virginia Clemm ("Edgar Allan Poe"). Unfortunately, Virginia died in 1847 after five years of illness from Tuberculosis, and in the time of their marriage, Edgar and Virginia did not have any children (Ljungquist). Two years after Virginia’s death, Poe became involved with the widow, Sarah Elmira Royster Shelton, who he planned on marrying (Ljungquist). More importantly, soon after he married Virginia, his literary career began to take

off.
Edgar Poe began writing poems and short stories in college, but his career did not take off until he started his job as an editor. Being an editor allowed him to gradually bring his writings into the literary world (Ljungquist). His poems and stories were always dark and mysterious, which really portrayed how Poe saw the world. In 1843, “Poe won [great] recognition with “The Gold Bug,” A prize-winning tale that appeared in Philadelphia’s Dollar Newspaper (Ljungquist). “The Raven” was published in 1845, and “the success of this poem was enormous and may be said to have first really rendered him famous” (Kennedy). The downfall of his career started with the fact that he was a drunk. “At a public appearance in Boston… Poe admitted to being drunk, which further alienated the public” (Ljungquist). Another contribution to his downfall was the death of his wife, Virginia. After her death, Poe sank into poor health and his literary productivity declined (Ljungquist). Eventually, his fading condition got the best of him, and the collection of morbidly fascinating stories the author created came to an end.
Poe’s death occurred on October 7, 1849, and his body resides in the churchyard of the Westminster Presbyterian Church in Baltimore. He rests peacefully next to Virginia and her mother, Maria Clemm (Kennedy). Edgar Allan Poe’s “genius was so peculiar and his legend so dark, his effect upon American Literature has been less than that of many other writers who bid fair to be forgotten sooner” (Kennedy). Poe’s poems and short stories impacted European Literature more than American Literature, but he will always be remembered for his strange and unique way of writing (Kennedy).