Research Report

It was an early morning on October 7, 1849, the sun had not even risen into the endless sky, and Edgar Allan Poe was pronounced dead in a Baltimore Hospital. The doctor and his cousin stood over his body in a state of confusion. They had no idea what could have killed him, although a very obvious answer was his alchoholism, but it couldn't be proven. Poe lived creating horror stories about death and madness, and like his stories, his death was--and will remain a mystery! The perfect eding to his painful life.

Forty years prior on a bleak January morning he was born into a life of poverty. Snow fell in quiet flakes upon a traveling theatre troop.His parents, David and Eliza Poe were both actors. Even though actors weren’t greatly respected by society, Eliza was adored by many for her talent, charm and ability to take on various types of roles. It was said that David fell in love with her while watching her perform onstage. It seemed like a perfect fairytake story: He married her, became an actor, and traveled around with his new bride. However unlike Eliza the critics did not share their admiration for David’s performances. For everything he did, David would get harsh reviews, and it began to slowly take a toll on him; Edgar's birth also strained their marriage because they barely had enough money to begin with without having a newborn baby to feed. October 1809 was the date of David’s last performance and also the day he vanished forever leaving his family behind. Speculation aroused but one could only assume it was because of his jealousy over his wife’s success. David’s traits, however would follow his son “From his father Edgar inherited ramily pride, incongruous gentility, histrionic habits, a violatile temperment, sensitive to critism, self—pity, instability, a perverse self—destructive tendency and an Irish weakness for drink.” (Meyers, 6) Then Eliza was struck off guard by a lethal illness: tuberculosis. Poverty only added to her pain, so many contibuions were held to try to help and support the ailing mother. Eliza had been visited by many people or “ladies of the most respectable families” (Ackroyd, 14). One of the families which pitied the young Eliza was Frances Allan, the wife of a successful businessman John Allan. She found Eliza lying on a straw mattress in the final days of her life, Frances, who had no children of her own, but had a bleeding heart for the infant Poe, convinced her husband to take the orphaned baby into their care once Eliza died. Shortly after the visit Eliza's health spiraled downward and she died at the age of 24.

            So John and Frances Allan became Poe’s foster parents; on January 1812 he became Edgar Allan Poe. For awhile life seemed at its best for Poe, he was loved and doted upon by Mrs. Allan. She instantly became a mother figure to him. The Allan’s made sure Poe got the best education he could get, he was enrolled in a boarding school sometime around April 1816, but transferred to Manor House School. Poe was described by his teacher Reverend John Bransby, “intelligent, wayward and willful” (Ackroyd, 19). Although for sometime John also admired Poe’s academic ability, it was Frances who spoiled Poe.  The Allans had to relocate from London to Richmond due to rising debts. Poe’s love for poetry started since he was a schoolboy, in fact teachers and other students began to take notice of Poe’s genius and was greatly admired among other students. However, some of his peers saw him as conceded and unfriendly, and once they figured out that Poe was “adopted” by the Allans his peers rejected him. This created a fierce resentment in Poe that would carry on later in his adult life. He resorted to a self induced solitude “when he left the school grounds, his departure marked ‘the end of his sociability’ for that day” (Ackroyd, 23)

            John Allan continued to fund Poe’s education, but as time went on their relationship was slowly deteriorating. However, another tragedy would soon strike Poe, Frances Allan showed symptoms of tuberculosis. By now, a young man, Poe was enrolled in the University of Virginia, but Poe’s gambling losses sunk him deep into debt. John Allan was so furious that he refused to bail him out and Poe was forced to drop out and join the army under the fake name: Edgar A. Perry. Poe enrolled in the United States Military Academy at West Point after being discharged from the army. Another issue that strained John and Edgar's relationship was while Frances lay dying, John would have affairs with other women which resulted in two illegitamate children. This angered Poe becasue he thought women should be treated with the highest respect, and also because he hoped that Allan would give him money in his will; with the two new children that hope was lost. After Frances' death John cut Poe out completely financially and from all contact “the death of Frances Allan reflected the death of his mother; the rejection by John Allan mirrored the desertion of his father; and the adopted orphan…was orphaned once again.” (Meyers, 55)

           After long, grueling months of trying to earn money, Poe finally grasped his first moment of success, Poe’s short story “M.S Found in a Bottle” for the Philadelphia Saturday Courirer won cash prize as best story, but Poe still struggled to live on his own throughout his life Poe, he “suffered from extreme poverty, overwork, tension, and disappointment.” (Reiff, 21) In 1835 he became editor of the Southern Literary Messenger. While in Richmond he stayed with his Aunt Maria Clemm and cousin Virginia who he hoped to support, Poe became extremely close to his aunt and Virginia more than anybody he would ever meet. Poe fell in deep state of ardent, passionate love  for his young cousin and intended to marry Virginia once he could. To his dismay Maria Clemm planned to marry her off to his cousin Neilson Poe, who had much more money than Poe. Poe was horrified of losing his aunt and Virginia to his cousin, once he heard about his aunt’s plans he sent her a distraught letter.

            “…I love, you know I love Virginia passionately, devotedly. I cannot express in words the fervent devotion I feels towards my dear little cousin—my own darling…[I would take pride] in making you both comfortable & in calling her my wife, but my dream is over. O God have mercy on me…What have I to live for? Among strangers with not one soul to love me….” (Meyers, 72)

            Maria Clemm disregaurded her plan to marry her daughter off to Neilson Poe. Poe got  a marriage liscense to marry Virginia, but they weren’t married until 1836. Poe remained devoted to her throughout her life and was “an affectionate husband and son-in-law” (“Poe”, 1)

            Poe continued to move about, he was fired from editor of the Southern Literary Messenger supposedly for drinking, “driking was in fact the bane of his life” (“Poe”, 1)  Poe tried desperately to save his family from destituition, they traveled from city to city, Poe taking up jobs as editor occasionally lashing out harsh reviews that would cause people to dislike him. He continued to write many stories for the magazines he was working at, but none of them gained him any fame or fortune. Poe teamed up with William Burton as editor of the Burton’s Gentleman’s Magazine. There he published some of his more popular works such as “The Fall of the House of Usher” and “William Wilson” 

            Although, at the time, Poe hardly drank he somehow ended up in the public’s eye when he did. This circulated rumors about his behaviours along the lines of him being a drug addict, but in reality he had a brain lesion, after being proven by medical testimony.

            Poe made a reputation as a ruthless editor; he created a lot of controversy for himself when he accused Henry Wadsworth Longfellow of plagerism. Throughout his carear as an editor he frequently called out other authors for plgersim which naturally turned people against him, even after his death insulted authors continued to bash Poe in hopes of ruining his name, but it only stirred curiosity and people ended up reading Poe's work anyway. Despite Poe's frequent accusations of poetry and libelous statements when The Literati of New York City wrote gossipy articles about him, Poe sued them for libel—and won!

            In April 1841 Poe published “The Murders in the Rue Morgue”. It is credited of being the first detective story, but Poe never called it that, he called it a tale of “ratiocination” which translates to: a tale of logical reasoning. Although Poe published a lot of his short stories at the magazines he worked for he never lost his love for poetry. Poe had a rule for himself when writing poetry: “one must arouse the reader’s sense of beauty. An ideal that Poe closely associated with sadness, strangeness, and loss” (“Edgar”, 5). Poe would feel this sense of loss deeper than any human could conceive possible….

            Virginia had taken on her husbands love for poetry and became quite a talented poet and musician. One day she was singing at the piano while Maria Clemm and Poe watched her and suddenly the young Virginia began coughing up blood. Poe rushed to her side—he’d seen this before and knew that Virginia’s life was close to an end. Tuberculosis had once again returned to rob Poe of a woman he loved. Word of Virgina’s illness wandered about town, Poe did his best to quell the talk saying it was nothing, but his wife was really suffering and Poe could do nothing. Poverty rendered him helpless and the guilt tore him to pieces.

            The ailing Virginia inspired two stories “Life in Death” and “Masque of the Red Death”. As Virginia’s illness grew worse so did Poe’s mental health. He succumbed to his drinking demons and would drink to wash away his pain and anxiety. Poe explained what he felt years later “Herlife was despaired of. I took leave of her forever & underwent all agonies of her death. She recovered partially and I again hoped. At the end of the year the vessel broke again—I went through precisely the same scene. Again in about a year afterward. Then again—again—again & even once again after varying intervals.” (Reiff, 31)

            While Virginia lay dying in another room, Poe sat before parchment and ink, quill in his hand and set down words that would bring him the last wanted taste of fame. Even after he scribbled down the last word he knew he created a work of art, “The Raven” brought him overnight sensation, he became a celebrity. People now noticed him on the streets and literary parties requested him to come and speak for them. Except fortune didn’t follow with his success; and if he read for people all they wanted to hear was “The Raven” anything else was rejected. He became known as The Raven Man.

            Virginia knew her life was close to an end, and she began to fear for Edgar. She wanted to make sure he was happy and encouraged poet, Fanny Osgood to pursue Poe. Osgood greatly admired Poe and her good influence helped him stay away from drinking during Virginia’s illness, but not for long....

            Virginia died in November 1846. It devastated Poe so much that some nights he would go and stay by her grave. Poe hit rock bottom, after the grueling task of watching his wife slowly die in a figurative sense Poe died with her.

            Poe ensued in a long string of female pursuits convinced that he needed a female companion. It was his way of trying to find stability. Poe was extremely depressed and tried to commit sucicide by drinking an ounce of laudanum—a mixture of opium and ethanol. The type of opium was commonly used to cure headaches, his body rejected the laudanum and he threw it up. His life was saved.

            On the eve of Poe’s death he left Richmond for Baltimore. Nobody was sure what happened to him, or where he went.  He was found pale and muttering delirously. He died four days later. People are unsure of what killed Poe mostly of his apparent drinking issues, but also his brain lesion, some thought he was used in a type of political-rigging since he was found wearing someone else's clothes. He was buried in Westminsiter Presbyterian churchyard in Baltimore. Only four people attended. After 40 years of loss and death the brilliant and pained poet was finally at rest.