...dread, and depression in a reader as successfully as Edgar Allan Poe. Born in Boston in 1809 to impoverished actors David and Elizabeth Poe (Allen), Edgar’s entire existence seems to have been destined for struggle and loss. He was orphaned by age three, losing his mother to tuberculosis and his father by desertion (Allen). He was taken in by the Allan family, but during Edgar’s year-long stint at West Point in 1830—and subsequent expulsion—his relationship with his foster father suffered irreparable damage (“Biography”). His life soon became a mélange of depression, alcoholism, unemployment, and financial hardship (“Biography”). He died in 1949 while on a trip to Baltimore, under mysterious circumstances: theories of “congestion of the brain,” alcoholism, rabies, epilepsy, and carbon monoxide poisoning continue to swarm today (“Biography”). Having lived a life of constant struggle and turmoil, it is not surprising that his works are imbued with brooding and despondency, and that the common themes in his writings revolve around derangement and death. His short story “The Tell-Tale Heart” provides a perfect example of his fixation with madness, murder, and melancholy. It is this very fascination with all things grotesque, combined with his uncanny ability to weave multiple literary elements together to create a bizarre tapestry that appeals to readers, and what makes Edgar Allan Poe such a great writer. In “The Tell-Tale Heart,” an unknown narrator recounts the events leading up...
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...Summary and Analysis of Selected poems by: Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe: An American poet, short story writer, critic and editor he was best known for “The Raven”, “The Fall of the House of Usher” and “The Tell Tale Heart”. Edgar Allan Poe was given the nickname “Father of the Detective Story” due to his distinctive writing form. The tone, imagery and language in “Alone” and “A Dream within a Dream” allows Edgar Allan Poe to create poems based on his dark, disturbing and dysfunctional upbringing. Edgar was born January 19, 1809, he was the middle child. Edgar parents died when he was three, and he moved in with a successful business man, John. John wanted Edgar to follow in his footsteps, but Edgar mind was set on becoming a writer. Edgar attended University of Virginia at 17 where he made good grades. Edgar dropped out of college and at 18 he published his first book Tamerlane (1827). Edgar enlisted in the United States Army and was accepted into West Point Academy. With the help from John, Edgar was expelled after being in the Academy for eight months. Edgar published another book around the time he was expelled. He began publishing some of his short stories which he was offered an editorial position at Southern Literary Messenger in Richmond. Edgar at 27 married Virginia who was only 14 and enjoyed the time he shared with his wife, but he was unhappy with the pay at Southern Literary Messenger. He moved to New York during the time of Panic of...
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...To begin this paper I started with a short biography about poet Edgar Allan Poe and how he came to write poetry. After that I wrote about The Romantic Movement, how it affected poetry, and how to spot Romantic characteristics in poetry. Finally I explicated the poem Eldorado by Edgar Allan Poe. Edgar Allan Poe was an American writer and poet born to Elizabeth Arnold Poe, and David Poe on January 19, 1809 (“Edgar Allan Poe Biography” 1). He was born in Boston, Massachusetts (1). After his father left and mother died of tuberculosis, Poe went to live with a tobacco merchant and his wife, their names were John and Frances Allan (3). He soon discovered his talent for poetry, but John wanted him to continue the merchant business instead of writing (“Poet Edgar Allan Poe” 1). Poe went to the University of Virginia...
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...are built through the main character, Settings, Plot and word Choice. Both text Have been written by Edgar Allan Poe a famous American literary poet and critic, His most famous pieces were famous for their mysterious storylines and word usage. One reason Edgar Allan Poe's stories were so popular were due to the explicit themes each text Conveyed. The ¨Cask of Amontillado¨ Theme ¨ Do not insult those that are easily wounded for through pride cometh revenge¨. The Narrator states ¨ he ventured upon insult I vowed revenge… . I continued, as was my in to smile in his face, and he did not perceive that my smile now was at the thought of his immolation.¨ The Narrator is offended by Fortunato's words...
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...Edgar Allan Poe was an American Poet and short story writer who is best known for his dark and gothic writing style. Despite his stories have a mysteriously dark tone and often involving violence and death, Poe was able to write stories which keep the reader’s attention from start to finish. Great examples of this can been seen in two of his short stories: “The Black Cat” and “The Tell-Tale Heart”. At first glance they seem to have very little in common however, after reading and looking more closely, you will notice that they share some striking similarities. In this paper I will illustrate how Poe’s stories “The Tell-Tale Heat” and “The Black Cat” share striking similarities in both meaning, content and ultimately justice. As stated above, both stories share elements of murder and insanity. Both stories are also told by first person narrators who are in prison after being caught for the murders they committed. In “The Black Cat” when the narrator kills his wife and conceals her body in the wall. Similarly, in “The Tell-Tale Heart” the narrator kills the old man and conceals his body under the floor boards. The question is, what was Poe’s preoccupation with hiding bodies within the structure of a house? Was Poe a former carpenter/brick layer, thus making him imagine concealing the bodies in this manner? Did Poe have delusions of his own about someone hiding a body within the home? Was he himself guilty of a heinous crime and used his writing as an admission of guilt? Another...
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...Literature Creation Methods of Poe’s Gothic Tales ——Review of The Fall of the House of Usher 英81 高云君 2008012742 As one of the most famous works by Edgar Allan Poe, The Fall of the House of Usher is the a masterpiece in American gothic literature. The prose is full with of elements and details which are unsettling and macabre. It was slightly revised in 1840 for the collection Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque. Poe’s gothic novels have always been my readings before bed since I was younga child. In my childhood, following the unnamed narrator and walking towards that old and creepy house, I was immersed in the horrible storyline and experience the fantastic feeling of nightmare. Today when I look back on this literature work, I get some deeper understanding and . Ⅰ. Hellish environment setting ：Use of double space The whole environment and different scenes in the story are so hellish that the reader feels a kind of inexplicable asphyxia. I summarize some typical elements Poe uses to build a gothic atmosphere. Day: a dull, dark, and soundless day in the autumn. Location: a singularly dreary tract of country. House and surrounding: upon the mere house, and the simple landscape features of the domain - upon the bleak walls - upon the vacant eye-like windows - upon a few rank sedges - and upon a few white trunks of decayed trees. The precipitous brink of a black and lurid tarn. If that can be called the exterior space, then the internal...
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...Conflicts between families have fueled many a feud or violent campaign, and insult is never left to injury; action must be taken. In Edgar Allan Poe’s short story “The Cask of Amontillado,” the narrator, Montresor, does not appear explicitly insane, as many would argue, but rather to be acting on a motive against his victim, Fortunato. This premeditated intent to take revenge can be seen in Fortunato’s consistent disrespect for Montresor’s family, Montresor’s lack of guilt, which is exhibited during the act and also in the final phrase of the story, and finally through Poe’s method of singular effect. Montresor’s extreme distaste for Fortunato is immediately evident. He opens his murderous, half a century year old tale by stating, “The thousands of injuries of Fortunato I had borne as best I could; but when he ventured upon insult, I vowed revenge,” (Poe 152). Not only does this statement establish a motive for the murder he had commit, it also contributes to the idea that Montresor...
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...PREFACE This major project examines the indispensable desiderata of Transcendentalism in comparison to the Dark Romantics background and how these technicalities prepare this work of art as an influential synthesis of human imagination incorporated with mystic facts. Transcendentalism and Dark Romanticism were two literary movements that occurred in America during roughly the same time period (1840—1860). Although the two had surface similarities, such as their reverence for Nature, their founding beliefs were quite different, enough to make one seem almost the antithesis of each other. Moreover one’s genesis is ventured out from other; i.e. Dark Romanticism from the roots of Transcendentalism or precisely the lacunae are best determined for raising up the term called Dark Romanticism. Contents S. No. Page no. Chapter 1.........................................................................................................4-14 Chapter 2.........................................................................................................15-23. Chapter 3..........................................................................................................24-27 Resolution.........................................................................................................28-29 Work Cited................................................................
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...He is one of the most well known short story actor of all time. Edgar Allan Poe is a man who, not only, fascinated us with his talent, but intrigued us with his own character. With short stories such as Tell Tale Heart, Fall of the House of Usher, and The Raven he displays his twisted views. Poe is depicted in literature books as a mysterious man who was haunted by his misfortunes and self pity. Similarly to Van Gogh, Poe was constantly movie around trying to find work where he felt he was adequately appreciated. As he moved from place to place his family members were becoming ill and dying off. Running out of places to go where he had family Poe ended up with his and young cousin. He moved in with them because he had no money left and needed someone to support him financially. He ended up marrying his younger cousin. Soon after, though, she died and so did his aunt. After these deaths Poe had no family left. He was left searching for a companion until he died.His real story is not what draws us to him. We are drawn to Poe because of the image he created through his stories. The image of Poe as an eerie figure of death and self destruction; the beating heart under the footboards from the Tell Tale Heart. That image intrigues us and leaves us hungry to know more about...
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...The Pit and The Pendulum is arguably one of Edgar Allan Poe's greatest works. The Pit and The Pendulum spins a web of insanity over the main character during the Spanish Inquisition. The setting of the story helps shroud it in the theme of fear, torture, and madness. The pit, i believe symbolizes humanity's fear of the unknown, it can also represent the gate to hell, seeing how this story is set during the Spanish Inquisition this theory is highly plausible. Also the psych of Poe himself can be used as an example of an effective horror tone and atmosphere. But this story isnt just horror is it? No this goes much deeper than that by addressing the malleability of the human mind. In the text it states that the narrator witnesses a trio of white candles turn into angels and then shift to his tormentors. What sets this story apart is that it instills a feeling of terror into the reader with its heavy emphasis on the senses of the narrator, unlike poes other works such as the Tell-Tale Heart and The Raven which rely on the supernatural element typical of horror stories. The pendulum which filleted anyone unlucky enough to be caught in it’s wake, symbolizes the fallibility of humans as a whole and the march of time till death. As the narrator describes it as swinging by every one second. This helps create an extremely tense atmosphere during the scene in which the narrator is tied down with the pendulum swinging by every one second, Poe masterfully executed this in a way that you...
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...History April 22, 2011 Edgar Allan Poe To most people, Edgar Allan Poe was a troubled soul that had many psychological issues. Some people think that his works mimicked his own mental torment and torture; others thought that he was an American writer romantically doomed to failure by events and emotions too great for him to handle. His writings reflect each theory, and his style was very unique and unusual for the time period in which they were written. The artistic liberties and risks that Poe took in his works sparked the beginning of what we call the Romanticism Period. The hardships and tragedies which Edgar Allan Poe faced throughout his life played a big part in influencing his writing, how his writing influenced the period, and how it affected his mental stability (Life 240). Poe was born on January 19, 1809, in Boston, Massachusetts, to David and Elizabeth Poe. He had two siblings, a younger sister named Rosalie and an older brother named Henry. When Poe was just one, his father abandoned his wife and children. At two his mother died of tuberculosis and the children were split up into different homes (Tragedies 240). Poe was taken in by John Allan and his childless wife Frances, giving him his middle name. Having experienced many tragedies at an early age, he, starting at the age of six, developed a great fear of death and this influenced how and what he would later write (Jordan np). The Allan couple lived in Richmond, Virginia, and Poe was moved to their home...
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...The mental state of Poe affects his writing, and it appears in all of his literary work. The first is lost loves, the second is alcoholism. Edgar A. Poe has many lost loves in his life. He lost his mother at almost age three, his foster mother while he was in his teens, his friend's mother, whom he loved like his own mother. Poe also has a problem with alcoholism, he is allergic to alcohol and knows that if he drinks, he will become very sick, and sometimes even put himself in a coma state. The fear of being in a coma springs from the fear of being buried a live; some people at the time are buried a live because they are in comas, but everyone think they are already dead. Both the title and the plot of his 1844 story"The Premature Burial" illustrate this fear of his, alcohol destroys his life and his mind but eventhough he continues to drink. Although these direct ties can alone prove that Poe's life is reflected in his works, more evidence is provided about his life in his stories. He thoroughly incorporates psychology into many of his stories, which he knows a great deal of. He uses personal fears in his stories, along with characteristics of his surroundings. Even though there are many a correlation more than are stated here, the connections provide here suggest that Poe's writing are an outlet and an extension for his life. Poe's mother died of consumption when he was three and Bonaparte's mother died of a pulmonary embolism when she was only two months old. This similarity...
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...to know its definition. According to the Merriam-Webster, literature is defined by “the body of written works produced in a particular language, country, or age; the body of writings on a particular subject: printed matter.” Literature has to do with letters, but some people often think that literature is only one thing, not knowing that it is composed by several elements that we use every day. These important elements include poems, prose, sonnets, drama, plays, short stories and novels. Poetry is created from the soul. It comes from your emotions and it needs every piece of creativity inside you. It has been called the art of “saying the unsayable” because trough this you can express your feelings with no limit, and nobody can tell you that is wrong. If you make a poem and you think it is not good enough, well it is no good. You as the author or the reader, can only judge if it is good or but for you but maybe for some one else it is the opposite as it is for you. A good place to start when looking back at how poetry has evolved during time is the epic poetry. Most of the first poems where from the epic poems, some of them starting when human haven’t started to write their stories. One of the earliest epic poems was the Epic of Gilgamesh, dated back around 2000 B.C. Researchers think that this text supported the idea that poetry helped the storytellers to memorize their stories more easily and to express...
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...Skanderborg Gymnasium SKRIFTLIG ENGELSK Lille Aflevering, 2f #1 Date of submission – see Lectio. Answer these four tasks: 1. These sentences contain one mistake each. Find them and write the correct sentence. Then use your grammar book to try to explain in Danish what the mistake is. a. She was so sorry that she had already throwed it away. – She was so sorry that she had already threw it away (Fordi det i er 1 pers. sg. datid.) b. Hemingway’s famous novel The Sun Also Rises is telling the story about Americans in Europe. - Hemingway's famous novel The Sun Also Rises tells a story about Americans i Europe. Ingen udvidet tid. c. Unless someone shows up, has she to do it herself. – Unless someone shows up, she has to do it herself. (Ordstilling) d. This test is extremely hardly. – This test is extremely hard. (extremely lægger sig til udsagnsordet + kun et ord i en sætning kan ende på +ly) e. She saw not the horse before it hit her, sending her head first into the lake. – She didn’t see the horse before it hit her, sending her head first into the lake. (do omskrivning) f. Everyone in the class always participate in the activities. – Everyone in the class always participates in the activities. (flertals S) 2. Explain the difference in meaning between these two sentences – and use grammatical terms to describe the difference between them. Write your answer in Danish. a. He says so many interesting things...
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...not bother our heads with the mysteries of sadomasochistic attraction” Angela Carter; Foreword to Perrault’s Short Stories. In much of today’s feminist writings, the Gothic era is frequently defined as a period in which the oppression of females was at its most intense. In response to fin de siècle anxieties of a social revolution in which gender stereotypes could be overhauled, gothic writers, it is claimed, sought to reassert cultural and gender norms – a reassertion which inevitably resulted in the oppression of women. In view of such contemporary analysis, it is thus all too tempting to offer a sweeping judgement of gothic literature as victimising, oppressive and misogynistic; Dracula’s “victims” are all “unambiguously women[1]”, Poe victimises through an “idealised and dehumanising image of women[2]”, while Carter is a “pseudo feminist” who merely “reinforces patriarchal views” with her “pornographic” writing[3]. Yet such views are largely artificial, and are primarily based on potted summaries of the above works, rather than a closer textual analysis. If one takes the definition of a victim as a being who is subject to the successful predatory actions of another, and who is resultantly devoid of power[4], then such primitive analysis in blindly labelling “all women as victims of the beastly male[5]” becomes flawed. Read in the context of Carter’s ironic foreword[6] to Perrault’s Short Stories, a deeper exploration reveals women as being willingly complicit in adopting...
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