DARK FANTASY STORIES

Why should you read Edgar Allan Poe? - Scott Peeples "The Life and Work of Edgar Allan Poe: A Legacy of Darkness"

Poe was one of the most original and influential writers of his time. His dark and tragic life was cut short by an untimely death, but his literary legacy has endured He is also credited with popularizing the use of symbolism and allegory in literature.. Poe was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1809. His parents were both actors. Poe was orphaned at a young age and was taken in by John and Frances Allan, a wealthy merchant family in Richmond, Virginia. Poe was then raised by his foster parents, John and Frances Allan. Poe's literary legacy is evident in the works of many writers who came after him. His use of symbolism and allegory has been emulated by such authors as Nathaniel Hawthorne and Herman Melville. Poe's influence can also be seen in the works of Edgar Rice Burroughs, H.P. Lovecraft, and Stephen King. Poe attended the best schools and was later admitted to the University of Virginia, but he was forced to leave after only one semester due to gambling debts. Poe then joined the United States Army and later the United States Army Corps of Engineers. Poe returned to Richmond, Virginia and began working for the Southern Literary Messenger. It was during this period that Poe wrote some of his most famous stories, including "The Gold Bug" and "The Murders in the Rue Morgue." Poe's personal life was marked by tragedy. His young wife, Virginia, died of tuberculosis in 1847. Poe was devastated by her death and struggled with alcoholism and depression. Poe continued to write and publish stories throughout the 1840s. In 1849, he was found delirious and incoherent in a Baltimore gutter. He died a few days later at the age of 40. The cause of his death is still a mystery.