Poe

Edgar Allan Poe was born in Boston, Massachusetts on January 19, 1809 to Actors David and Elizabeth Arnold Poe. David and Eliza had three children together, William Henry, Edgar and a sister named Rosalie Poe (Hutchisson, 5). Edgar Allan’s parents died when he was young and he was taken in by John and Frances Allan, of Richmond, Virginia, even though they never formally adopted him. His other two brothers went on to live with other family members. John Allan was a very successful merchant, which aloud Edgar to be able to grow up in good surroundings and be able to attend good schools. (Hutchisson, 7)

When Edgar Allan was 5 years old, he attended class with his first teacher who was Clotilda Fisher and then he was taught by William Ewing. During these school years he lived at home (Binns, 11). In June 1815, the Allans travelled to London for business. At the age of seven, Poe attended a boarding school which was only about three miles from his home in London. He then attended the Manor House School in Stoke, Newington at the age of nine. This was a better and more expensive school where Poe learned French, Latin, History and Literature. He later rejoined his family and they left for the United States together again. Poe lived at home with his family in the United States, and attended a few different schools during this time (Binns, 12). In February 1826, at the age of 17, Edgar Allan registered at the one year old University of Virginia to study ancient and modern languages. After a while at the University, Poe became estranged from his adoptive father after having accumulated some gambling debt and a drinking problem. Poe was unable to pay his debt or support himself, so within the year he dropped out of school (Binns, 2...

... middle of paper ...

...in his writings and Poe used the macabre in his works in a truly masterful way (Wikipedia). By reading this essay you can see that one of the aspects Poe struggled with in his life was social isolation. You can clearly see how he used this as a theme in many of his poems and short stories.

Edgar Allan Poe was an American short story writer, a poet, a novelist, an essayist, an editor, and a critic. He left a big impression on American and international literature, he left behind a legacy. Many people think Poe began the genre of science fiction (Binns, 114). In his works, he has shown that he has an original imagination, as well as a brilliant command of language and techniques. While most of his works were not much-admired during his lifetime, Poe had come to be viewed as one of the most important American authors in the Gothic tradition (Streissguth, 104).