The Fascinating Edgar Allan Poe

Edgar Allan Poe, an often misinterpreted literary mastermind, known predominantly by his extraordinary tales of horror, forbidden love, madness, and mystery, is more than meets the eye. Though his genres of expertise may indicate otherwise, Poe was a very social person, a gentleman by trade, and he possessed more hands-on military experience than any other major American author in history. As a writer, Poe gained a great deal of his inspiration from his surroundings. His enlistment in the army contributed significantly to his repertoire, and inspired some of his greatest works, including “’The Gold Bug;’ ’The Man Who Was Used Up,’ a satire of southern frontier politics; ‘The Balloon Hoax,’ set along the mid-Atlantic Carolinas coast; ‘The Oblong Box,’ involving a voyage out of Charleston harbor; [and] ‘The Cask of Amontillado,’ possibly based on a Fort Independence/Castle Island Legend”(Beidler, Soldier 342). The death of his mother and his unfortunate love life played another major role in his authoring, giving him the ability to write about “. . . the intense symbiosis between love and hatred . . . [illustrating that] love is seldom as simple or as happy as popularly hoped” (Hoffman 81). Poe’s chilling tales remain popular today, and have a long history of providing inspiration for major books and other cultural staples of entertainment.

On January 19, 1809, Edgar Poe was born in Boston, Massachusetts. His mother, Elizabeth Arnold Poe, a beautiful English actress, died on December 8, 1811, in Richmond, Virginia. Poe believed he inherited his talent for reciting verse primarily from his mother. He perceived her in a nearly angelic light, and his many attempts to find a woman that could equate to her memory are etched into his poet...

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...d disdain for democracy in some of his most notable work, such as “The Man That Was Used Up”(1839) and “The System of Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether”(1842). After more than 150 years, the bizarre death of Edgar Allan Poe and the days leading up to it remain under speculation. The events prior to his final breath stage a dark and unfortunate mystery, worthy of Poe himself.

Poe’s frightening stories acts as helpful inspiration for entertainment in the present, and for many years to come. The timeless relevance of his work, and its merciless scrutiny of the human condition, solidifies its place in history and its position of high admiration. In conclusion, the extraordinary-fleeting-tragic life of Edgar Allan Poe will forever remain on record as the tale of an orphan, a gentleman, a soldier, and one of the most prominent literary figures in American history.