Edgar Allan Poe

 

How are Poe’s stories rooted in the grim reality of his own life?

            From the beginning of his life Poe was exposed to death, disease and loss.  As a young child he suffered through the death of his mother due to tuberculosis. Abandoned by their father, the Poe children were sent to various foster homes. Edgar lived with the Allan family. After a while, Poe learned that his foster mother had tuberculosis. Then there were two innocent young women who had died in Poe’s life from the “red death” (TB). Poe often writes about death, especially the death of women. Poe also reflects on his life as an alcoholic by giving the male characters drunken qualities. Like Poe’s many works his life is a tragic story. Many of his stories are essentially autobiographies using fictional characters to get his point across in an entertaining and grim way. Poe’s works are full of truth, something people of his time weren’t accustomed to. The unfamiliarity and real content was frightening to them, but for Poe his writing was all too familiar and very real.

Poe is considered the “father of the detective story” why is this so?

            Poe’s stories were the first attempt at writing a mystery novel. His works have inspired many authors to write mysteries. The first mystery Poe ever wrote was about a violent orangutan that goes on a killing streak. It wasn’t genius but it was a start, a start of something big. Poe was the sole inspiration for the ever popular “Sure Luck Holmes” series, and for the Stephen King novels. He is the father of the detective story, and although he is dead, his genius lives on in the work of the inspired.