Edgar Allan Poe

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Poe was overcome by sadness after the death of his beloved Virginia in 1847. Even though he continued to work, he suffered from bad health and struggled financially. His final days to this day still remain somewhat of a mystery. He left Richmond on September 27, 1849, and was supposedly on his way to Philadelphia. To meet a women he was considering marrying. On October 3, Poe was found in Baltimore in great sorrow. He was taken to Washington College Hospital where he died on October 7. His last words were "Lord, help my poor soul." (Poets) At the time, it was said that Poe died of "congestion of the brain (Poets)." But his actual cause of death has been the subject of endless speculation. Some experts believe that alcoholism led to his demise while others offer up alternative theories. Rabies, epilepsy, carbon monoxide poisoning are just some of the conditions thought to have led to the great writer's death. Shortly after his passing, Poe's reputation was badly damaged by his literary adversary Rufus Griswold. Griswold, who had been sharply criticized by Poe, took his revenge in his obituary of Poe, portraying the gifted yet troubled writer as a mentally deranged drunkard and womanizer. He also penned the first biography of Poe, which helped strengthen some of these misconceptions in the public's minds. But to popular belief, alcoholism was his real problem, which he was not able to overcome or deal with during his life. Due to all the hardships Edgar faced from his early and late life for example his wife’s death.

While he never had financial success in his lifetime, Poe has become one of America's most amazing writers. His works are as powerful today as there were more than a century ago. “A bright, imaginative thinker, Poe crafted stories and poems that still shock, surprise and move modern readers (A&E).”

Works Cited

A&E. Biography.com. 2001.

Barnes, Nigel. The life of Edgar Allan Poe. London: Peter Owen Publisher, 2009.

Collins, Paul. Edgar Allan Poe The Fever Called Living. New York: Icons, 2014.

Hutchisson, James M. Poe. Mississippi: University Press of Mississippi, 2005.

Meltzer, Milton. Edgar Allan Poe. Connecticut: Twenty-First Century Books, 2003.

Meyers, Jeffrey. Edgar Allan Poe His life & legacy. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1992.

Musem, Poe. Edgar Allan Poe. Virginia, 2014.

Poets, Acadamey of American. Edgar Allan Poe. New York, n.d.