The Life of Edgar Allan Poe

Edgar Allan Poe known as the master of macabre was born on January 19th, 1809 in Boston, Massachusetts. His life was one of tragedy and loss, a plague that seemed to follow him around and inadvertently inspire some of his greatest works. From an early age, Poe had experienced loss.

His birth mother Elizabeth Arnold Hopkins Poe, or “Eliza” was a well known actress who was well respected by many people; however,

the Poe family was very poor due heavily to Edgar’s father, David Poe Jr., abandoning the family when Edgar was one. This was only the beginning of Poe’s tragic life. Not even a year later his mother fell ill with Tuberculosis, better know as “consumption” at the time. It was in 1811 in Richmond, Virginia when Eliza died at the age of 24, his estranged father dying days later of the same disease, leaving two year old Poe to the Allan family. His brother Henry and younger sister Rosalie were split from him and taken to separate homes; Henry went off to live with his paternal grandparents while Rosalie was adopted by the Mackenzie family of Richmond.

Mrs. Frances Allan was very fond of Eliza and was eager to take Poe in. Being unable to bare a child of her own, she welcomed him in

with happy arms and spoiled him with wealth. The Allan family was considerably well off because of Mr. John Allan’s job as a merchant. From 1815 to 1820, the family lived in England, where young Edgar got a good education at a school outside of London. This formed him into a southern gentleman at the detest of Mr. Allan, who was never fond of Poe, viewing him as ungrateful for all the Allan’s had done for him. This hatred would soon turn the two into bitter enemies throughout the rest of Poe’s life.  

A fun fact about Poe is that he was quite a cheerful, sensitive and brilliant youth. He was skilled in sports and kind to women, even going so far as to call them “angelic”. All these qualities seem like the far cry from the Edgar Allan Poe most people think of. We see him as this dark, gothic figure surrounded by decay and depression, when on the contrary he was very articulate. It was not until his later years when the countless misfortunes that seemed to revolve around him like vultures had unlocked the monsters that lurked inside.

At the age of 15, Poe and the Allan’s had moved back to Richmond, unfortunately it was around that time when Mrs. Allan grew ill with the same disease that had taken the rest of Poe’s loved ones. The tuberculosis that wracked Mrs. Allan’s body only caused a further rift between Mr. Allan and Poe. Mr. Allan, clashing with the young Edgar, sent him away to the University of Virginia in 1826, giving him just enough money to get there and nothing more. The university was newly formed about two years prior and ran rampant with crime, the murder of a professor being reported along with various other misbehaviors from students. Although he was swamped with financial problems, Poe became quite popular at school for his at and stories he’d share with fellow students; however, Poe soon fell into a great amount of debt. Having no money for food or clothes, Poe took up gambling. He developed an addiction that soon landed him 2,000 dollars deep in debt, a sum which Mr. Allan refused to pay. With the fear of debt collectors chasing his tail, Poe fled Virginia to join the army. His fear was all too real because back in 1826, someone could go to prison for unpaid debts; this wouldn't occur in our day and age. Today, you cannot go to prison for failing to pay for a “civil debt” like a credit card, loan, or hospital bill.

In 1827, Poe cut off all ties with John Allan and left Virginia to join the army. Altering his age, he enlisted under the false name of “Edgar A. Perry.” Poe vowed to rise up in the ranks and make something of himself in order to spite John Allan, quickly becoming a sergeant major. During this time, Poe kept his passion for writing and continued to create poetry while under enlistment, publishing his first book called Tamerlane and Other Poems under the name “A Bostonian.” Poe spoke fondly about being able to embody the ideas that floated around in his imagination, trying to leave his position in the army 3 years earlier. Unfortunately, Poe would have needed to gain the acceptance of his adoptive father John Allan, who at that point he scorned. Poe wrote many letter to Mr. Allan asking for his consent, receiving no reply until 1829.

“I have been in the American army as long as suits my ends or my inclination, and it is now time that I should leave it — To this effect I made known my circumstances to Lieut Howard who promised me my discharge solely upon a re-conciliation with yourself — In vain I told him that your wishes for me (as your letters assured me) were, and had always been those of a father & that you were ready to forgive even the worst offences-He insisted upon my writing you & that if a re-conciliation could be effected he would grant me my wish — This was advised in the goodness of his heart & with a view of serving me in a double sense — He has always been kind to me, and, in many respects, reminds me forcibly of yourself —

The period of an Enlistment is five years — the prime of my life would be wasted — I shall be driven to more decided measures if you refuse to assist me.”

- Letter to John Allan , December 1rst 1828.

In 1829, Poe was allowed to leave the military under the condition that he’d enroll into West Point Military Academy. It was during his stay at the academy when Poe published his second book of Poetry Al Aaraaf, Tamerlane and Minor Poems. Quickly though, Poe realized the academy wasn't for him, going against his agreement

with John Allan and refusing to attend classes. Soon after, Poe was court martialed and kicked out of school, diving into the world of literature and publishing several anonymous short stories and another book of poems. Sadly, at this same time Poe’s brother Henry died of tuberculosis. His foster mother Frances Allan finally succumbed to the illness as well in the same year, her death affecting the already strenuous ties between Poe and John Allan even more to point of disownment in 1831.

With his ties permanently severed from John Allan, Poe made his way to Baltimore to live with his cousin and aunt, Virginia and Maria Clemm. Virginia was eight at the time. Poe loved her and Maria very much. With the Clemm’s, Poe was able to find the loving and

          The Clemm House

supportive home he so dreamed of; however, the family was extremely poor. Poe was left with nothing after being disowned by John Allan who, after the death of his wife Frances Allan, got remarried to a wealthy woman. John refused to give Poe even a dime of his fortune. When he died in 1834, he completely left Poe out of his will, leaving the starving writer with nothing. In the last letter Poe sent to John Allan, his desperation is apparent, pleading with his foster father for assistance only to be ignored.   

"It has now been more than two years since you have assisted me, and more than three since you have spoken to me. If you will only consider in what a situation I am placed you will surely pity me — without friends, without any means, consequently of obtaining employment, I am perishing — absolutely perishing for want of aid. . . . For God's sake pity me, and save me from destruction."

- Letter to John Allan, April 12th 1833.

Poor and left to support the Clemm family, Poe was at the mercy of his publishers. Publicists had no problem with publishing Poe’s short stories; however, when it came time for payment, many places wouldn't pay up. There were no copyright laws back then, so the firms could claim Poe’s works as their own. Another one of his works, “The Tell Tale Heart,” a beloved classic today, was criticized by publishers who claimed the work as “too loud.” Poe barely made any money off of his greatest creations, leaving him in a battle of poverty that he would have to face for the rest of his life.

It wasn't until 1835 that things began to shift into Poe’s favor. Temporarily leaving the Clemm house, Poe became an editor of the newly created Southern Literary Messenger, making a name for himself there as “The Tomahawk Man” for his biting and criticising reviews. During his time there, he wrote many short stories and became a very combative figure in the literary world, accusing other writers of plagiarism. Poe was an excellent editor who was very headstrong with his bosses. Because of this, Poe took up drinking, going on binges to sooth his growing depression,  a vise that would continue to follow him for the rest of his life, resulting in the loss of his job.

It was in this same year when Poe fell deeply in love with the young Virginia Clemm, his cousin of only 12 years old. Virginia was going to be sent away from the Clemm household to live with other relatives, the thought of which sent Poe into panic. Feeling he had lost everything, Poe begging Maria Clemm in a letter not to send Virginia away.

“I am blinded with tears while writing this letter — I have no wish to live another hour. Amid sorrow, and the deepest anxiety your letter reached — and you well know how little I am able to bear up under the pressure of grief. My bitterest enemy would pity me could he now read my heart. My last my last my only hold on life is cruelly torn away — I have no desire to live and will not . But let my duty be done. I love, you know I love Virginia passionately devotedly. I cannot express in words the fervent devotion I feel towards my dear little cousin — my own darling.”

- Letter to Maria Clemm, August 29th 1835.

In the letter Poe seems destitute, almost paranoid in his writings. He claims to no longer want to live if it is not with Virginia, stating she would have a much better life with him- a poor man, than with the much more financially secure Neilson Poe. Poe even claimed to have saved up money to get them a house, spending the minimum of 50 cents for cleaning. Poe’s pleading seemed to have worked and the next month, him and Virginia were married. He was 26 and she was 12. To avoid scandal, they changed Virginia's age to 21 on the marriage certificate.

Over the next few years, things began to look up for Poe. In 1837 Poe moved with Virginia and Maria Clemm to Philadelphia; the poor writer creating works such as “Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque,” a collection of short stories that included macabre classics like “The Tell Tale Heart” and “Berenice,” along with  “The Fall of the House of Usher”- A book that established Poe as the master of short stories. Short stories were a very popular form of entertainment during the 1800’s. They appeared regularly in newspapers, landing Poe a job at Graham's Magazine, publishing short stories like  “The Murders in the Rue Morgue,” The first ever detective story pre debuting and inspiring the creation of the famous Sherlock Holmes series.

Unfortunately, that seemed to be the end of Poe’s good fortune. In January 1842 during a signing performance, Virginia suddenly coughed up blood. Coughing up blood is a common symptom of tuberculosis. The dread and realization of this sent Poe into a downward spiral, leaving his job at Graham’s Magazine to wallow in his suffering. Consumed in alcohol and depression, Poe attempted to get a position in the customs house, getting a meeting with the US president at the time John Tyler, only to be intercepted by his son Robert Tyler who told the intoxicated Poe to come back sober. The next day, Poe came back to the president only to try and sell him magazine subscriptions. It seemed Poe, like his characters, was caught in the struggle between rationality and irrationality- order and chaos. The monster within himself slowly manifested itself into the works we know today, driving by the sickness of his wife and crumbling financial status.

Many of Poe’s works involved a character driven by guilt, confessing his crimes like in “The Tell Tale Heart.” Poe seemed to be endowing his characters and stories with his own guilt, Whether it was not being able to support and care for the sick Virginia properly or never living up to his foster father's expectations. Whatever the case, over the 5 long years of Virginia’s battle with tuberculosis, Poe delved deeper and deeper into the afterlife. His life was constantly surrounded by the grim realities of death, leading him to yearn for a connection with the afterlife. “The Premature Burial,” a short story written by Poe in 1944 with themes of being buried alive, really captures Poe’s ponderings about human mortality and death.

“The boundaries which divide Life from Death are at best shadowy and vague. Who shall say where the one ends, and where the other begins?”

- Edgar Allan Poe, The Premature Burial

It is during this time of grief that Poe created his most famous work today, “The Raven.” it was written in 1945 and appeared in The New York Evening Mirror, receiving immense popularity. Poe was nicknamed “The Raven,” and he performed many readings of the tale depicting a poet's longing for his lost love, the raven declaring “never more.” Unfortunately, The Raven brought Poe fame but no fortune, the poor writer only earning 14 dollars for his story and nothing more.

By this time Poe was extremely poor, only owning one coat and not even a shirt. Seeing the fruit of his labor add up to nothing was increasingly frustrating, as he could do nothing but watch his sickly wife Virginia fall closer and closer to death. Poe was wracked with terrible spasms of helpless rage and guilt which would continue until 1847.

It was on January 30th, 1847 when Virginia Clemm died to tuberculosis, an event that would scar Poe for the rest of his life. Being thrown into a spiraling pit of insanity and depression, Poe’s drinking only increased. Near the last years of his life, Poe became a womanizer, constantly seeking a female companion to end his life with.

In 1848, Poe became enamored with Sarah Helen Whitman, a wealthy society figure who Poe pursued relentlessly. Proposing to Helen in a cemetery, it was clear Poe only desired her as a

companion to die with and not a soulmate like he once did Virginia.

“ As you entered the room, pale, timid, hesitating, and evidently oppressed at heart; as your eyes rested appealingly, for one brief moment, upon mine  — I saw that you were Helen — my Helen — the Helen of a thousand dreams — If you died, then I would clasp your dear hand in death and willingly, joyfully, joyfully go down with you into the night of the grave.”

- Letter to Sarah H. Whitman, October 1st 1848.

In this letter to Helen, Poe speaks about going into the grave with her. The letter seems almost pleading in nature, a manic desire for Helen to accept his courtship and marry him. The thought of dying alone without a loved one by his side was far too great for Poe to handle.

Eventually, Helen agreed to Poe’s advances on the condition that he’d stop drinking. Unable to quit his vice, the engagement was soon broken between the two when Helen’s mother wrote a document for him to sign, stating he had no claim to Helen’s estate. Poe was deeply offended for being judged by his financial status and took the action as an insult.

Continuing on his never ending quest for a bride to die with; Poe made his way to Richmond in 1849 in order to connect with an old childhood sweetheart of his who he was engaged to when he was 17. Elmira Royster Shelton was a widow, and she quickly accepted Poe’s proposal. However, it was in September of 1849 that Poe traveled from Richmond to New York in order to raise money for a new magazine. He stopped in Baltimore along the way to visit Maria Clemm, the mother of his deceased wife Virginia to tell her about his engagement to Elmira. Unfortunately, Poe never arrived to see her.   

Upon entering Baltimore on September 28th, 1849 Poe went mysteriously missing for a few days only to turn up on October 3rd lying semi-conscious and in a state of delirium on the streets of Baltimore. He was rushed to Washington College Hospital where he spent four days in constant delirium, talking to phantoms on the wall in a feverish state. On October 7th, 1849, he died.

There are many theories as to how Poe actually died, the most common being that he was a victim of a political kidnapping. A political kidnapping was when thugs were hired by up and coming

          Washington College Hospital

politicians to go out and drug and kidnap people, forcing them to vote again and again as different voters. It was election day in Baltimore and this theory could explain why Poe was found in different and smaller clothing than his own.

Whatever the case, It was only in death when Poe’s popularity rose, the constructs of a world of uncertainty and the curiosities of an afterlife bewitching us readers as it once did Poe. He lived in a world confronted by death and cruelty, delving deeper than any writer into the monsters that lurked inside himself, his yearning and desire to be with his passed love ones creating the gothic tales we so love.