Edgar Allan Poe Poe and the American

Edgar Allan Poe

Poe and the American Gothic ~1. Poe explores terror from within the mind of the madman, mental disorder, and mystery and the fantastic.

~2. Poe is credited with the invention of the macabre detective story. ~3. The gothic is concerned with integrity of the body and mind, primitive fear of being cut off from others, and fear transgressing our personal space.

~4. Another term used to describe the American Gothic is Dark Romantic. ~5. Six themes found in Poe’s writing are death, darkness, obsession, insanity, loss, and quiet.

Edgar Allan Poe

• Edgar Allan Poe - born on January 19, 1809 in Boston, Massachusetts. • Parents - traveling actors, died before he was three.

• Poe was taken into the home of a Richmond merchant, John Allan. • He was never legally adopted, but he did take Allan's name for his middle name.

• In 1826 entered the University of Virginia • Expelled because of large gambling debts that his father refused to pay • Allan made him break off his engagement to Sarah Elmira Royster.

• In 1827 he enlisted in the army • Already printed his first book, Tamerlane

• In 1830 was dishonorably discharged from army for intentional neglect of his duties • He later stayed in Baltimore with his widowed aunt and her daughter, Virginia Clemm • He the turned to fiction as a way to support himself

• Poe, his aunt, and Virginia all moved back to Richmond in 1835. • He became editor of the Southern Literary Messenger and married Virginia, who was only 13 years old. • Virginia - burst a blood vessel in 1842, remained in an almost catatonic state until her death from tuberculosis five years later

• After death of his wife, he began to lose his struggle with drinking and drugs. • His first collection, in 1840, contained one of his most famous works, "The Fall of the House of Usher. "

• The dark poem of lost love, "The Raven, " brought Poe national fame, when it appeared in 1845. • Poe was also one of the most creative literary journalists in American history.

Famous for almost all of his short stories and poems *“The Fall of the House of Usher” *“The Pit and the Pendulum” *“The Cask of Amontillado” *“Ligeia” *”The Black Cat” *”The Masque of the Red Death” *”The Murders in the Rue Morgue” *”The Purloined Letter” *”The Tell-Tale Heart” *”The Raven”

• He is also known to many as the master of horror, the father of the detective story, and the voice of “The Raven. ” • Wrote for the masses to reach out to the common people of his day, bringing out great emotion in them

• Suffered from great amounts of depression and madness. Also attempted suicide in 1848. • The following year, disappeared for three days and found in Baltimore in a gutter. • Was taken unconscious to a hospital and died on Sunday, October 7, 1849.

Poe’s “The Fall of the House of Usher” • Narrator – Roderick’s boyhood friend; imaginative, kind, and terror-stricken; worried about what will happen in the house • Roderick – invites friend to Usher mansion; has nervous disorder affecting senses; is a twin to sister, Madeline • Madeline – twin to Roderick; suffers from cataleptic states • House – a building that stands in spite of decay; seems antagonistic toward narrator in video

The Narrator • Who is he? • Why is he going to the House of Usher? • What does he add to the story? • What is your impression of him?

Roderick Usher • Who is he? • What is troubling him physically? • What is troubling him emotionally?

Madeline Usher • Who is she? • What is her physical condition? • Why is she so important to the story?

The House • Why is the House of Usher a character? • What characteristics does it have? • What does it symbolize?

“The Fall of the House of Usher” • House of Usher – building that stands in spite of decay; fungus covering the house represents an unidentified evil • Atmosphere – ending is abnormal and menacing

“The Fall of the House of Usher” • The House eventually falls and the family line dies • Usher family line represents evil, insanity, etc. and must end • Only narrator escapes

Differences in Text and Video Versions • Narrator is unnamed in text; narrator is Winthrop in video • Narrator is boyhood friend of Roderick Usher in text; narrator is fiancé of Madeline Usher, whom he met in Boston in video • Narrator is invited to Usher home to cheer friend Roderick in text; narrator is trying to get Madeline to leave Usher mansion and marry him in video

The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe Has something outside of you—an object in nature, an animal, a landscape—ever echoed your feelings so strongly that it seemed to “speak” to you?

The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe At midnight on a bleak December night, a weary student is studying in his room and mourning his dead love, Lenore. • Suddenly, he hears a tapping at his door. • He is filled with terror. • Is it only a visitor, or is it something more?

Poe’s “The Raven” • Speaker is reading old books • Speaker’s sorrow stems from loss of dead lover, Lenore, whom he compares to an angel • A raven appears repeating nevermore which echoes poet’s despair

Why does Edgar Allan Poe use a raven instead of another bird as the major symbol of this poem? Why not. . . ?

Poe’s “The Raven” • Color imagery – black and purple • Poem appeals to sound imagery; uses alliteration – gangly, ghastly and gaunt • Speaker’s mood: amusement— annoyance—rage

The Raven Literary Focus: Sound Effects Like a catchy song, “The Raven” has pleasing sound effects, such as evocative rhythms Once upon a midnight dreary “On the morrow he will leave me, as my Hopes have flown before. ” Then the bird said “Nevermore. ” clever rhymes While I nodded, nearly napping alliteration (repetition of consonant sounds)

Poe’s “The Raven” • “The Raven” was received almost immediately as an American classic • Poe composed this poem as if it were a mathematical equation

The Raven Background “The Raven” gave Poe his first and only taste of fame in his lifetime. Published in 1845 in a New York newspaper, it was such a hit that both the poem and Poe’s name seemed to be on everyone’s lips. Yet Poe received only about ten dollars for his work.