Edgar Allan Poe

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Nice to meet you, $name <<timed 2s>> Do you know who this is? <</timed>> <div class="centered-image"> <<timed 3s>> [img[https://cdn.britannica.com/52/76652-050-F4A6B093/Edgar-Allan-Poe.jpg]] <</timed>> </div> <<timed 4s>> Please Answer 'yes' or 'no': <<textbox "$answer" "">> <</timed>> <<timed 5s>> [[Click Here]] <</timed>>

<<if $answer is "no">> Well, let me introduce him to you. <<timed 2s>> You may recognize his name and not his face. <</timed>>. <<timed 3s>> This is the one and only Edgar Allan Poe <</timed>><</if>> <<if $answer is "yes">> As you know, this is the one and only Edgar Allan Poe. <</if>> <div class="centered-image"> [img[https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/97/Edgar_Allan_Poe%2C_circa_1849%2C_restored%2C_squared_off.jpg]]</div><<timed 2s>>[[continue]] <</timed>>

If you don't know his face... <<timed 1s>> I'm sure you will know his name <</timed>> <<timed 2s>> That is a photograph of the one and only Edgar Allan Poe <</timed>> [[continue]]

Edgar Allan Poe is one of America's most well known Gothic Authors. <<timed 2s>> His work has been studied for generations because of it's complex portrayal of Mental Health Issues, homosexuality, prejudices, and, well... <</timed>> <<timed 5s>><span style="color:darkred"> <<type 80ms>> Death.<</type>> </span> <</timed>> <<timed 7s>> [[Continue]]<</timed>>

Poe's work continues to change humanity long after his<span style="color:darkred"> death</span>. <<timed 2s>> Now, I have a question for you... <</timed>> <<timed 4s>> Do you wish to delve into the life that produced the mind so well loved...<</timed>> <<timed 5s>><span style="color:darkred"> <<type 80ms>> (and feared) <</type>> </span> <</timed>> <<timed 7s>> Or do you wish to submerge yourself in the throws of one of his most beloved stories . <</timed>> <<timed 8s>><span style="color:darkred"> <<type 80ms>> (in all its twisted details and underlying terror) <</type>> </span> <</timed>> <<timed 13s>> choose at your own risk. <</timed>> <<timed 14s>>[["The Tell-Tale Heart"]]<</timed>> <<timed 14s>> [[The Gothic Life of a Gothic Author]]<</timed>>

Welcome to the tale of Edgar Allen Poe. <div class="centered-image"> [img[http://blog.paperblanks.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/edgar-allan-poe.jpg]]</div> <<timed 2s>> Let's take a trip back in time to 1806. <</timed>> <<timed 3s>> [[Click Here: Boston, MA]] <</timed>>

David Poe came from a respectible home and was expected to work in a law office, but his infatuation with the stage (and his future wife, actress Elizabeth Arnold) tore him away from his expected profession. <<timed 4s>> The young couple was married in 1806, both approximently 19 years of age. <</timed>> <<timed 4s>> [[Click Here: His Birth]] <</timed>>

In early 1811, David Poe is said to have died of consumption. <<timed 2s>> Sadly, on December 8th, 1811, Edgar's mother followed suit.<</timed>> <<timed 4s>> David and Elizabeth were only 24 years old when they<span style="color:darkred"> died </span> . <</timed>> <<timed 6s>> Edgar was only 2. <</timed>> <<timed 8s>> Edgar and his two siblings (William and Rosalie) were all seperated and sent to live with people they barely knew. <</timed>> <<timed 10s>> [[click here: adoption]] <</timed>>

After his death, the young Edgar Poe went to live with Mr. John Allan and his wife, Frances Keeling Valentine. <div class="centered-image"> <<timed 1s>> [img[http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kiAk8jEBqGs/UK1TacFMuMI/AAAAAAAAB6U/R-_g5swSCfA/s1600/John+Allan.jpg]]<</timed>> <div class="centered-image"> <<timed 1s>>[img[http://aruffo.com/poe/quinn/graphics/chap_02_02.jpg]]<</timed>></div> <<timed 2s>> For years after, Edgar Poe went by the name Edgar Allan. <</timed>> <<timed 3s>> [[Click here: growing up beautifully brilliant]] <</timed>>

Edgar gained the love and affection of his adoptive mother, who had no children of her own. <<timed 3s>> "Edgar won the admiration, even if he did not gain the affection, of Mr. Allan, who became extremely proud of his youthful protégé, and treated him in many respects as his own son" (Ingram, 9) <</timed>> <<timed 5s>> Edgar is thought to have had a wonderful memory and might have had the gift of 'perfect pitch' (the ability to identify and even play a musical melody immediately). <</timed>> <<timed 7s>>[[Click Here: His education]] <</timed>>

In 1821, around the age of 12, Edgar Allan Poe returned to The United States. <<timed 1s>> <span style="color:darkred"> (Some of his first works was written during this time.) </span> <</timed>> <<timed 3s>> Edgar (who had resumed using the surname of 'Poe') was enrolled in a school in Richmond Virginia where he completed his education and continued to write. <</timed>> <<timed 4s>> [[click here: Wedding Bells]] <</timed>>

In 1836, at of 27, Edgar Allan Poe married his cousin Virginia Clemm (age 14). <div class="centered-image"> [img[https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/25/VirginiaPoe.jpg]]</div> <<timed 3s>> Virginia Clemm Poe <span style="color:darkred">died</span> in 1847. <</timed>> <<timed 4s>> In 1848, one year after Virginia's passing, Edgar was engaged to the widow, Sarah Whitman. Their engagement was called off within the year. <</timed>> <<timed 6s>> [[click here: the timeline of his writing]] <</timed>>

Below is a condensed list of Poe's publications and jobs that occured between his wedding and his<span style="color:darkred"> death </span> :<<timed 2s>> <<type 80ms>><span style="color:darkred">Around 1829</span>: "Al Aaraaf, Tamerlane, and Minor Poems,"<</type>> <<type 80ms>><span style="color:darkred">Around 1831</span>:"Poems"<</type>> <<type 80ms>><span style="color:darkred">1838</span>: "Arthur Gordon Pym"<</type>> <<type 80ms>><span style="color:darkred">1839</span>: he became the editor for 'Gentleman's Magazine' </span><</type>> <<type 80ms>><span style="color:darkred">1840</span>:"Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque", "The Conchologist's First Book"<</type>> <<type 80ms>><span style="color:darkred">Around 1841</span>: he resigned from'Gentleman's Magazine' and took a position as editor at 'Graham's Magazine'. He resigned from that position in 1842. <</type>> <<type 80ms>>1843: [["The Tell-Tale Heart"]]<</type>> <<type 80ms>><span style="color:darkred">1844</span>: he became the sub-editor of 'The Evening Mirror'. </span><</type>> <<type 80ms>><span style="color:darkred">1845</span>: "The Raven"<</type>> <<type 80ms>><span style="color:darkred">1845</span>: he became the joint-editor of 'Broadway Journal'. He was then premoted to sole-editor before being fired later in the year. <</type>> <<type 80ms>><span style="color:darkred">1845 </span>: "The Raven and Other Poems"<</type>> <<type 80ms>><span style="color:darkred">1846 </span>:"The Literati"<</type>> <<type 80ms>><span style="color:darkred">1848</span>: "Eureka"<</type>> <</timed>> <<timed 2s>> [[Click Here: His death]] <</timed>>

<div class="centered-image"> [img[https://cdn.britannica.com/99/196899-050-3AF6D778/Portrait-Edgar-Allan-Poe-Frederick-T-Stuart-1845.jpg]] </div> The great Edgar Allan Poe <span style="color:darkred"> died </span> on October 7, 1849 at the age of 40. <<timed 3s>> There is no confirmed record of how he<span style="color:darkred"> died</span>. Some believe that, he was in a state of Mania before his passing. Some research has been done as to what mental health conditions he may have suffered from and, with no 100% certainty, some have come to the conclusion that he suffered from some form of Bipolar. <</timed>> <<timed 5s>> While in this manic state, he is said to have been attacked and beaten by a gang. <</timed>> <<timed 7s>> Doctors did what they could for the poet, but he arrived at their facilities too late. <</timed>> <<timed 9s>> "When his consciousness returned, the horror and misery of his condition, combined with the effects of exposure, produced such a shock to the nervous system that he never recovered, and about midnight, on the 7th of October 1849, his poor tortured spirit passed away." (Ingram, 428) <</timed>> <<timed 10s>> after a short career of around 10 years, the world lost a brilliant mind too soon. <</timed>> <<timed 12s>> in 1875, the Edgar Allan Poe memorial Monument was inaguarated in Baltimore. <</timed>> <<timed 14s>> [[Now that you know the man...]] <</timed>>

Let me paint the picture. <<timed 2s>>An old man, kind, caring, and innocent. <</timed>> <<timed 3s>> <span style= "color:darkred"> Or at least, on the surface </span> <</timed>> <<timed 5s>> A younger man, full of causeless murderous intentions, and unstable mind. <</timed>> <<timed 6s>> <span style= "color:darkred"> Or at least, seemingly causeless </span> <</timed>> <<timed 8s>> a terrible idea that wormed its way into the younger man's mind. <</timed>> <<timed 9s>> Once the idea was planted, there was no escaping it. <</timed>> <<timed 11s>> The old man must <span style="color: darkred">die</span>. <</timed>> <<timed 12s>> [[Click here: Synopsis and History]] <</timed>>

Would you like to learn more about one of his most famous works? <<timed 1s>> Please Answer 'yes' or 'no': <<textbox "$continue" "">> <</timed>> <<timed 3s>> [[Submit]] <</timed>>

(In the order they appeared) Black and White Portrait of Edgar Allan Poe. https://cdn.britannica.com/52/76652-050-F4A6B093/Edgar-Allan-Poe.jpg. Photograph of Edgar Allan Poe. Https://Upload.wikimedia.org/Wikipedia/Commons/9/97/Edgar_Allan_Poe%2C_circa_1849%2C_restored%2C_squared_off.Jpg. Black and White Photograph of Edgar Allan Poe. Http://Blog.paperblanks.com/Wp-Content/Uploads/2012/01/Edgar-Allan-Poe.jpg. Black and White Photograph of John Allan. Http://2.Bp.blogspot.com/-kiAk8jEBqGs/UK1TacFMuMI/AAAAAAAAB6U/R-_g5swSCfA/s1600/John+Allan.jpg. Black and White Portrait of Frances Keeling Valentine. Http://Aruffo.com/Poe/Quinn/Graphics/chap_02_02.Jpg. Portrait of Virginia Clemms. Https://Upload.wikimedia.org/Wikipedia/Commons/2/25/VirginiaPoe.jpg. Sketch of Edgar Allan Poe. https://cdn.britannica.com/99/196899-050-3AF6D778/Portrait-Edgar-Allan-Poe-Frederick-T-Stuart-1845.jpg. ([[contents]]) ([[List of mentioned triggers]])

In January 19, 1809, Edgar Allan Poe entered the world. <<timed 2s>> [[Click Here: the orphaned creative]] <</timed>>

Edgar Allan Poe began his education in Richmond, VA. <<timed 1s>>When he was around 7 years old, his adoptive parents took him and moved to London, England. <</timed>> <<timed 4s>> He was then enrolled in a school located in Stoke Newington <</timed>> <<timed 6s>> Edgar "Allan" was seen as having a peculiar way of conducting his studies, "not having had any regular instruction" (Ingram, 10). <</timed>> <<timed 8s>> Regardless of his unconventional learning methods, Edgar excelled. <</timed>> <<timed 10s>> When he left the Stoke Newington school, he was able to speak French, studied easy Latin, and had a better understanding of Historical and Literary topics than any other boy his age. <</timed>> <<timed 12s>> [[Click Here: Returning to Native Lands]] <</timed>>

<<if $continue is "no">> Thank you for taking the time to learn more about this brilliant mind. [[Start]] [[Photo credits]] <</if>> <<if $continue is "yes">> Be warned, sensitive topics that may be triggering and disturbing will be mentioned (some at length). [["The Tell-Tale Heart"]] [[List of mentioned triggers]]<</if>>

"The Tell-Tale Heart" was published in 1843. <<timed 1s>> It tells the story of a man (the narrator) who is trying to convince his audience that he is the furthest thing from insanity. <</timed>> <<timed 3s>> Throughout the story, he details how he obsessed over, stalked, and then killed an old man. <</timed>> <<timed 5s>> The relationship between the young and old man has never been confirmed but there are some theories (If you would like to skip ahead,[[the relationship between the old man and the narrator]]) <</timed>> <<timed 7s>> The narrators goal was to prove that he wasn't insane, but all he ended up doing was proving the exact opposite. <</timed>> <<timed 9s>> [[contents]] <</timed>>

The cause of the narrator's psychosis is a topic much debated. <<timed 2s>> Some believe that he was merely insane, nothing more, nothing less. <</timed>> <<timed 4s>> Other believe that there must have been a cause. <</timed>> <<timed 6s>> So, what ARE those possible causes? <</timed>> <<timed 7s>> Well, click the following links to discover more: <</timed>> <<timed 8s>> [[causes in "The Tell-Tale Heart"]] <</timed>> <<timed 9s>> ([[contents]]) ([[the relationship between the old man and the narrator]]) <</timed>>

An author often (sometimes without meaning to) puts themselves into their work. <<timed 2s>> Edgar Allan Poe is no different. <</timed>> <<timed 4s>> While there is no confirmation of WHAT Poe suffered from, it is clear that he struggled with his mental health. <</timed>> <<timed 6s>> One of the most common diagnosis given to Poe is Bipolar disorder, because of the manic-depressive antics he exhibited while alive. <</timed>> <<timed 8s>> These antics can actually be found throughout his works. though he presents them in characters who suffer from different disorders than he did, they often share similar symptoms (Trauma, paranoia, depression, etc.). <</timed>> <<timed 9s>><span style= "color:darkred"> Poe can be quoted saying,</span> "Men have called me mad...but the question is not yet settled, whether madness is or is not the loftiest intelligence-whether much that is glorious— whether all that is profound—does not spring from disease of thought—from moods of mind exalted at the expense of the general intellect." <</timed>> <<timed 11s>> So, yes. We can see the 'madness' of Edgar Allan Poe reflected in his work... but is that really a bad thing? <</timed>> <<timed 12s>> If creativity and madness go hand in hand, would we really sacrifice one to rid the world of the other? <</timed>> <<timed 13s>>What kind of world would we live in if we didn't have creativity, including the ensuing insanity? <</timed>> <<timed 11s>> Back to [[contents]] Or [[The Gothic Life of a Gothic Author]] or [[What can we learn from Poe's writing?]] <</timed>>

Insanity is not term easily defined. <<timed 1s>> Just because someone has mental health issues/disorder, does not mean they are crazy or insane.<</timed>> <<timed 2s>> The most beautiful minds, the most world renowned minds, like that of Edgar Allan Poe, were imperfect. <</timed>> <<timed 4s>> As evident in his writings, Edgar Allan Poe was depressed and misunderstood, something still experienced by the mentally abnormal people of today's day and age. <</timed>> <<timed 6s>> Trauma is not easily categorized or quantified: no person's trauma is worse than anothers, all trauma's are unique to the person suffering. <</timed>> ([[contents]]) ([[Is what we learn from the writing applicable to modern day, if so, how?]])

"The Tell-Tale Heart" is just one example of mental disorders found in the works of Poe, but it is a popular topic amongst scholars. <<timed 2s>> The many potential causes of the narrator's psychosis just proves that mental health is, as stated previously, not easily categorized. <</timed>> <<timed 4s>> Two people could experience the same trauma and come out of it completely differently, and that is something often overlooked. <</timed>> <<timed 6s>> The works of Edgar Allan Poe can be, and should be, used in modern day as a way for people to connect. The stories Poe writes are tales that, while deeply disturbing at times, can be related to by many people in modern day, despite the centuries seperation. <</timed>> <<timed 10s>> While some may believe that the only way to move forward is by looking forward, I strongly disagree. <</timed>> <<timed 12s>> Sure, forward thinking is forward moving, but if you were being chased by a bear, would you keep your eyes straight ahead or would you turn around to gage how close the bear is to catching up? <</timed>> <<timed 14s>> Much like the above example, we have to look to the mistakes of the past in order to better prepare ourselves for when we face them in the future. <</timed>> <<timed 16s>> The works of Edgar Allan Poe not only provide literary insight to the issues of mental health awareness and how mental health issues have been around since the dawn of time, his works also show us as a society what NOT to do. <</timed>> <<timed 18s>> What would our society be if not for people like Edgar Allan Poe paving the way for more open mindedness towards mental health issues? <</timed>> ([[contents]]) Back to [[Start]]

1. [[What are the possible underlying causes for the narrator's decisions?]] 2.[[the relationship between the old man and the narrator]] 3. [[Can we see Poe reflected in his own writing?]] 4: [[What can we learn from Poe's writing?]] 5. [[Is what we learn from the writing applicable to modern day, if so, how?]] 6. [[Photo credits]] 7. [[List of mentioned triggers]] [[Click here: Synopsis and History]]

A less common route of research has been conducted by Robert M. Kachur in his paper "Buried in the Bedroom: Bearing Witness to Incest in Poe’s ‘The Tell-Tale Heart'." . <<timed 2s>> Kachur analyzes the sexual subtext found between the lines in "The Tell-Tale Heart", identifying the often overlooked potential cause for the narrator slip from sanity. <</timed>> <<timed 4s>> Kachur describes the story as being both a literal depiction of a murder and the narrators attempt at using murder as a symbolic example of his father-son incestuous trauma. <</timed>> <<timed 6s>> A crucial example found in this paper is that the narrator used the old mans bed to kill him, which, when looked at from an incest perspective, was the narrators way of using the old mans weapon (the bed used to molest the narrator) against him. <</timed>> <<timed 8s>> [[click here for an indepth quote/example pulled from Kachur's paper]]<</timed>> <<timed 10s>> Kachur's essay begs the question, "is the narrator of 'The Tell-Tale Heart' truly insane, or is he simply a traumatized young man searching for retribution for the wrongs commited against him? <</timed>> <<timed 13s>> continue to [[Can we see Poe reflected in his own writing?]] or back to [[contents]] <</timed>>

Trigger warning: Incest Manic-depressive episodes Murder Child-bride ([[contents]]) ([[Photo credits]])

Important quotations pulled from Kuchur's research: "The narrator’s sexualized description of his stalking activity foreshadows and reinforces the murder’s sexual subtext: 'And every night, about mid- night, I turned the latch of his door and opened it—oh so gently! And then, when I had made an opening sufficient for my head, I put in a dark lantern, all closed, closed, so that no light shone out, and I thrust in my head. Oh, you would have laughed to see how cunningly I thrust it in! I moved it slowly—very, very slowly so that I might not disturb the old man’s sleep' (792–93). The narrator’s emphasis on the penetration of his head into the old man’s private space—and, specifically, thrusting his head in with an emphasis on keeping the illicit penetration as secret as possible, even to the victim himself—mirrors the intrafamilial incest perpetrator’s tactics, which are to simultaneously physically violate a vulnerable family member and to try to contain the violation at the same time." back to [[the relationship between the old man and the narrator]] or continue[[Can we see Poe reflected in his own writing?]] or back to [[contents]]

"The Tell-Tale Heart" is riddled with symptoms that have since been identified as signs of mental health disorders. <<timed 2s>> The speaker exhibits the following symptoms: <</timed>> <<timed 4s>><span style= "color:darkred"> Paranoia, seen here: "And now a new anxiety seized me — the sound would be heard by a neighbor!" </span><</timed>> <<timed 6s>> Here, the narrator is speaking of the old mans heart. But, logically, how would the neighbors hear the old mans heart? The answer is, they wouldn't. This is a perfect example of a paranoid mind. <</timed>> <<timed 9s>> <span style= "color:darkred">Delusion, seen here: "It grew louder — louder — louder! And still the men chatted pleasantly, and smiled. Was it possible they heard not? Almighty God! — no, no! They heard! — they suspected! — they knew! — they were making a mockery of my horror! — this I thought, and this I think." </span><</timed>> <<timed 12s>> At this point in the short story, the old man was already dead. So, how could the narrator, let alone the cops he was hosting, hear the beat of the old mans heart? This is a prime example of delusion. <</timed>> <<timed 15s>><span style= "color:darkred"> the above quotation is also an example of hallucination. </span> <</timed>> <<timed 17s>> All these details combined with modern day knowledge of mental health disorders, researchers have come to the conclusion that the narrator in "The Tell-Tale Heart" most likely suffered from a severe case of Schizophrenia. which, without proper treatement, led him to kill. <</timed>> <<timed 19s>> Back to [[What are the possible underlying causes for the narrator's decisions?]] Continue to [[the relationship between the old man and the narrator]] <</timed>>

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