Edgar Allan Poe Influences

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During the 1800’s-1840, the United States of America was a rapidly growing nation. The states of Kentucky, Tennenessee, and Vermont were admitted to the Union, and President Thomas Jefferson doubled the nation with the Louisiana Purchase (Babusci 162). Due to improvements with transportation, people were connected more than ever and many were moving out west. Besides technological advances, America was beginning to also develop their own literary style. Edgar Allan Poe was one writer that emerged during this time known as the “flowering of New England” (Babusci 169). Responsible for the emergence of the short story and the detective fiction genre, Poe is considered to be one of the most influential and widely read American writers of his…show more content…
Poe’s style of analysis in his work also anticipated the work of Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes and the novels of Wilkie Collins. Other writers influenced by Poe were Dostoyevsky, Jorge Luis Borge, Agatha Christie as well as many others. Filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock was also influenced by Poe’s work. Poe’s invention of the detective tale and contributions are so important that the Mystery Writers of America named their achievement award “The Edgar”…show more content…
Even though Poe was a very popular writer during his time, he never achieved financial success. In 1847, his beloved wife Virginia died and his career began to quickly subside (“Edgar Allan Poe”). Virginia was his one true love and only family that Poe had. After her death, he was overcome with grief. He struggled to continue to work, but he was in poor health and struggling financially (“Edgar Allan Poe”). There is still much controversy and mystery surrounding Poe’s death. It is rumored that he was scheduled to leave Richmond and travel to Philadelphia on September 27, 1849. However, Poe was found lying on the street in Baltimore in great distress. He was found unconscious and appeared to be badly beaten. Poe was taken to Washington College Hospital, where he later died on October 7, 1849 (“Edgar Allan

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