Edgar Allan Poe Influences

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You hear the name Edgar Allan Poe and then think of an author known for his creepy writing style. Did you know that his work is inspired from his actual life? The events in his miserable life have helped inspire his gloomy stories. Edgar Allan Poe may not make his writing true to life, but there is no doubt that his life experiences are reflected in his work. Edgar Allan Poe’s unfortunate childhood has been a great influence. Both of Poe’s parents, Elizabeth and David Poe, were poor traveling actors. They both died from consumption (and now known as tuberculosis) before Edgar was even three years old. After, Edgar was split from his two other siblings. Henry, his elder brother, went to live with his paternal grandparents while Rosalie, his…show more content…
Poe loved his wife, Virginia, very much. When she too was taken by the red death, Poe was devastated. He wrote “Annabel Lee” for Virginia after her death. “Annabel Lee” expressed Poe’s own grief and disappointments. Poe also wrote a story called “The Raven” the same year as Virginia’s death. Poe reflected his feeling for women in his life and the mysteries of life and death in poems. Poe has lost many loves in his life. His mother died when he was two. Frances, his foster mother died when Poe was in his teens. He lost a former love, Sarah Royster, to her parents. He loved his friend’s mother with a puppy love and lost her to the insane asylum. Poe resorted to drinking and then became alcoholic. He would push his feelings of depression away with alcohol. Poe had written stories with an alcoholic character. This would include the story “The Cask of Amontillado” and “The Black Cat”. In the story “The Cask of Amontillado”, Fortunato’s intoxication is the reason why Montresor is able to chain him and trap him forever. According to https://sites.google.com/a/scasd.org/zoesmall/poe-essay, another reference in Poe’s stories to his life is alcohol. Towards the end of his days, Poe began to spiral into depression and madness. He drank more and more heavily. The stories he wrote in the last years of his life often included an alcoholic character. For instance, “The Back Cat” was published

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