Edgar Allan Poe
By Jarron Larson
Childhood
Edgar Allan Poe was born on January 19, 1809. He had a tough childhood. His mother died when he was five years old and he was adopted by Mr. Allan. He was separated from his siblings because they went to live elsewhere.
Mid-life
His first published work was Tamerlane and Other Poems. Poe went to college in 1826, but it caused him great debt. When Mr. Allan died, he was not included in his will. He served as an editor for multiple magazines. His greatest achievement was a poem titled "The Raven." Most of his works are under the horror and detective genre and were about death and loss, similar to his own life. His popularity decreased afterwards because he accused the famous Longfellow of plagiarism. He married his cousin, and to add to his troubles, she died, supposedly of tuberculosis.
End of Life
He went to Baltimore and was found passing in and out of consciousness, and taken to the hospital. He died on October 3, 1849. The cause of Edgar's death is still questionable today. The official cause was "congestion of the brain." There are other theories about the cause of his death, including rabies.
Conclusions
Poe probably wrote the scary stories because his life was full of sickness and death. His mother and his wife died. He had to be separated from his siblings. He was also in debt for basically his whole life. Today, Edgar Allan Poe is known for the basic layout of a short story and literary style and structure.