The Tortured Poet Edgar Allan Poe - 1312 Words

The Tortured Poet: Edgar Allan Poe â€Å"Beauty is the sole legitimate province of the poem† Poe, Edgar Allan. The Philosophy of Composition. 1846. The name Poe often brings to mind tales of horror and mystery, but this Poe was also a writer of sophisticated poems, capable of extreme poetic beauty within a dark genre of writing. Poe never lived the happiest of lives, but his writing is extraordinary, both for its execution, and for the sheer elegance of the words which he found to write upon the page. Death is among one of the recurring themes which Poe explored. Dark and stormy compositions focussed around such ideas serve only to illustrate Poe’s writing style. One can see that such a horrid subject is clearly derived from the writer’s distraught life which would almost appear to create a trail of death in the writer’s footsteps. That being, Poe discovered the secret to writing. Edgar Allan Poe chose to write in an incredibly dark area of literature, but the mastery with which he explores such subjects is applicable to writing in the whole of literature. The story of Poe’s life is one marked with suffering, suffering so great that the painful scars of the poet’s life have been left deeply embedded in many of his greatest compositions. But as this stands, his life did not begin as so. On January the 19th, 1809, Poe was born the son of travelling actors in Boston, Massachusetts. By the time of Poe’s third birthday, however, both his parents had died, and their three childrenShow MoreRelatedEdgar Allan Poe s Writing Style1303 Words   |  6 Pagesprovince of the poem† Poe, Edgar Allan. The Philosophy of Composition. 1846. The name Poe often brings to mind tales of horror and mystery, but this Poe was also a writer of sophisticated poems, capable of extreme poetic beauty within a dark genre of writing. Poe never lived the happiest of lives, but his writing is extraordinary, both for its execution, and for the sheer elegance of the words which he found to write upon the page. Death is among one of the recurring themes which Poe explored. Dark andRead MoreEdgar Allan Poe and Emily Dickinson Compare and Contrast Essay1596 Words   |  7 PagesEdgar Allan Poe and Emily Dickinson, Compare and Contrast Emily Elizabeth Dickinson and Edgar Allan Poe are two of the biggest poets in American Literature from the 1800s. They had many things in common from their writings about death and sadness, because of their unfortunate losses in life, to the fact that they were both born in Massachusetts. They were also different in many ways. They were different in the way they looked at life and wrote about their experiences from it. While it is obviousRead MoreEdgar Allan Poe Research Paper1393 Words   |  6 PagesA famous writer, a renowned poet, and a American hero, Edgar Allan Poe has helped shaped modern day literature. Taught in schools as being a tortured soul, Poe’s dark writing has shaped American English for the better. Edgar Allen Poe’s early demise came as a shock to many during the time. Poe left this world in a mystery, much like some of his most famous works. The way in which Poe died, is never as simple as it seems. The limited details of his demise has left a hole in American literature andRead MoreThe Raven By Edgar Allan Poe964 Words   |  4 Pages Essay 1 In the poem â€Å"The Raven†, Edgar Allan Poe expresses a current state of drunkenness, drug use, and depression as existing in a dark and dreary prison like setting, tormented by the memories of a lost love. Poe’s literary career was undoubtedly influenced by the many tragedies he suffered in his life. These misfortunes are evident in the correlation between his characters in his writings and real life events. It is clear that Poe had a problematic life from a young age; he struggled with mentalRead MoreInfluences And Life Of A Tortured Soul1994 Words   |  8 PagesInfluences and Life of a Tortured Soul â€Å"Although dissolute in his personal life, when Poe touched pen to paper, he became a disciplined craftsman.† (Carnes 300). Edgar Allan Poe cemented his place in American literature by publishing countless poems and short stories, including â€Å"The Raven† and â€Å"Masque of the Red Death.† Poe effectively invented the detective fiction genre and perfected the horror story. His style, visionary as it was, was not with its influences. A life filled with tragedy, disappointmentRead MoreAn American Legacy : Edgar Allan Poe1362 Words   |  6 PagesAmerican Legacy: Edgar Allan Poe As the United States became a flourishing nation in the 1800’s, American entertainment such as poetry and short stories began to unfold by up-and-coming writers. Among these artists of text, Edgar Allan Poe is without a doubt an incredibly prominent figure when discussing American literature. A celebrity after his critically acclaimed poem, â€Å"The Raven,† he was one of the earliest American authors to craft and perfect the short story. Furthermore, Poe is credited toRead MoreThe Father Of American Detective1923 Words   |  8 PagesThe Father of American Detective Short Story-Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe is far more than a poet and short story writer of the early 19th century. Poe is, in many ways, the most crucial writer of the period. The inventor of the detective story, and the creator of Gothic horror stories. He continues to capture the imagination and inspire literature more than one hundred and fifty years after his death. In examining his life, the critical reaction to his work, and his short story masterpieceRead MorePoe Essay1855 Words   |  8 PagesEdgar 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, whichRead MoreEdgar Allen Poe: Romanticism’s All-Star Poet Essay1987 Words   |  8 Pagesremedy that can help young Americans to help cope with these questions would be the reference of to the poetry written by Edgar Allan Poe. If EAP was a doctor he would recommend the patient to â€Å"Take this kiss upon the brow!† and call me in the morning (Thompson 52). The real-life hardships that this author endured have given substantial evidence that his pen was much more than ink (Poe 162-163). Authors like Hawthorne and Melville challenged Poe’s repertoire in this era, but did not have the same effectRead MoreEssay Edgar Allan Poe3220 Words   |  13 PagesEdgar Allan Poe The boundaries which divide Life and Death are at best shadowy and vague. Who shall say where one ends, and where the other begins? Edgar Allan Poe, The Premature Burial (Bartlett, 642). To venture into the world of Edgar Allan Poe is to embark on a journey to a land filled with perversities of the mind, soul, and body. The joyless existence carved out by his writings is one of lost love, mental anguish, and the premature withering of his subjects. Poe wrote in a style that