The Characteristics Of Edgar Allan Poe - 1332 Words

Edgar Allan Poe is a well known American poet and writer. He was born on January 19, 1809, in Boston, Massachusetts but was raised as a foster child in Richmond, Virginia by John and Frances Allan. His first collection of poems were published in 1827, the same year he moved to Boston and enlisted in the United States Army. He was influenced by the Romantic literary era at the time but much of his work is considered as the gothic genre, combining fiction, horror and romance. Many credit him as the architect of the modern short story and with his focus on the dark side of human nature, he is also known as the inventor of both the detective story and the horror genre. This work The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket was published†¦show more content†¦The narrator describes near death experiences due to hunger and dehydration, the power of mother nature and how the sea destroyed their ship. Survival instincts forced the crew to resort to cannibalism for their survival b efore they finally landed on a tropical island where they were met by natives who were intimidated by the white skinned strangers. The meeting of the civilized sailors and the uncivilized natives described very different people who did not trust each other. When the natives killed most of the sailors, Poe illustrates the similarity and primitive side of all people as they kill for their own protection and survival. Pym managed to escape the island together with Peters and the novel ends as they near the South Pole, leaving the conclusion to the imagination of the reader. Edgar Allan Poe portrayed various themes throughout the novel. However, the main theme that stood out was that of survival. Arthur Gordon Pym describes in his writings how he managed to stay alive on board the Grampus after the mutiny that occurred and after the massive storm that nearly destroyed the ship, tearing the sails, breaking the mast, and flooding the hold. All four men managed to survive by lashing themselves to the hull. However, they get injured and bereft of food and water, going days and nights suffering from thirst and starvation wavering between hope and despair. They endure horrendous sights, such as a Dutch ship manned only by dead, rotting corpses, and theShow MoreRelatedEdgar Allan Poe Research Paper931 Words   |  4 PagesFebruary 2012 Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe was a sick man that went through a troubling life full of tragedies. For Poe to deal with this he drank and poured his feelings into his works. Honestly as horrible it is that he had to go through all of that we should be grateful because without his suffering these masterpieces wouldn’t have been fabricated. While intensifying his philosophy for short stories Edgar Allan Poe wrote â€Å"The Fall of the House of Usher† reflecting the characteristics of Dark RomanticRead MoreA Brief History of Edgar Allan Poe 958 Words   |  4 PagesIn Annabel Lee, Edgar Allan Poe states, â€Å"We loved with a love that was more than love.† This saying is used by thousands of people everyday to their soul mate. The American Renaissance, which began in 1828 through 1865. Poe was an Anti-Transcendentalist, he wrote mostly about self-destruction (sin). Edgar Allan Poe enjoyed writing about death, sinful acts, and how others felt towards sin. Edgar Allan Poe had married his fourteen year-old cousin, whom died ten years later at the age of twenty fourRead MoreThe Life and Work of Edgar Allan Poe Essay550 Words   |  3 PagesEdgar Allan Poes style of writing is typical of the styles of writing during the Age of Romanticism. His poems and short stories were heavily influenced by his life experiences from a young boy to a well renowned writer. He lived his life in poverty, moving from one job to the other and from city to city, yet he is still one of the most widely read American authors today. Edgar Allan Poe was born on January 19, 1809 in Boston, Massachusetts. Poes home life was very unstable. His father, DavidRead MoreAnalysis Of Edgar Allan Poe s The Cask Of Amontillado 1200 Words   |  5 Pages2015 Life of Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe has become America’s first literary star. His tales or short stories are popular all over the world! Poe lived an unhappy life, when people came in contact with this â€Å"saddest strangest figure in American literary history† they were aware of some of his qualities (Fagin 1). Edgar Allan’s has a complex personality. Poe excelled at creating Gothic and Horror stories. Poe works with realism in â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado† (Buranelli 19). Poe writes about himselfRead MoreEssay Poes Perspective Against the Upper Class1652 Words   |  7 PagesLiterary genius Edgar Allan Poe lived a troubled life. During his forty years of existence, Poe struggled with the deaths of countless family members, including his cousin-wife. These bruising events caused him to develop the mental illness depression. In his short story â€Å"Masque of the Red Death,† the views Poe developed during his tumultuous life are reflected in his writing. The them e of this short story emphasizes the inevitability of death in descriptive details because Edgar Allan Poe has encounteredRead MoreSetting in The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allen Poe881 Words   |  4 Pageshuman mind. One very famous Dark Romantic writer is Edgar Allen Poe. Poe is very well known for his many poems and short stories. He is also well known for the recurring theme of death in his stories and poems. In the short story â€Å"The Fall of the House of Usher† by Edgar Allan Poe, setting is used to create the mood of the story, foreshadow future events, and to portray the characteristics of characters and show who they really are. Edgar Allan Poe uses setting to create a melancholy and gloomy moodRead MoreThe Influence of Alcohol and Drugs in Edgar Allen Poe Life Essay991 Words   |  4 Pagesinfluence of alcohol and drugs in Edgar Allan Poe’s life â€Å"Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dreamed before† (Edgar Allan Poe). Darkness and sadness are strong characteristics of Edgar Allan Poe’s writing. The tragedies during his life, such as the death of his biological and adoptive moms, followed by the death of his young wife Virginia were important factors which formed his gothic style. Poe is known for his drinkingRead More A Critical Essay on Edgar Allan Poe’s The Fall of the House of Usher (1839)1221 Words   |  5 PagesAmerican author Edgar Allan Poe’s (1809-1849) macabre and Gothic fictional prose The Fall of the House of Usher (1839) (Poe. 1987: 1). I shall present and argue how the artistic effects deployed in the narrative structure create an atmosphere of tension and suspense, through the exploration of architectural space demonstrated in a close reading and analysis from key passages of the text. The Fall of the House of Usher was written by the American author and poet Edgar Allan Poe, it first featuredRead More Edgar Allen Poe Essay1637 Words   |  7 PagesEdgar Allen Poe Edgar Allen Poes life was bombarded with misery, financial problems, and death but he still managed to become a world-renowned writer. Although he attended the most prestigious of schools he was often looked over as a writer and poet during his career. His stories were odd and misunderstood during their time. However, now they are loved a read by millions. On January 19, 1809 Edgar Allan Poe was born in Boston, Massachusetts at a lodging house. His parents David and ElizabethRead MoreRomantic Literature Essay872 Words   |  4 PagesLiterature today. In the 1990 film Joe Vs. the Volcano, Gothicism is included throughout the movie. Edgar Allan Poe used Gothicism in many of his poems and short shorties, such as The Raven and The Fall of the House of Usher. The characteristics of Gothicism would be, dark, depressing, decay of mental or physical being, and death. All of these characteristics tie into Joe Vs. the Volcano and Edgar Allan Poe’s stories. In the beginning the words â€Å"Once upon a time† (Joe Vs. the Volcano 1990) can be