Question

What did you know about Edgar Allan Poe before you read his background information? Have you read any of his works? How does knowing about Poe’s background help you when you read his work?

Answer 1

Your answer should include the following points:

Mention what you knew about Poe before you read his background information. You might have noted Poe's difficult childhood or his personal tragedies, for example.

Mention the names of any of Poe’s stories and poems that you have read. Examples include the short stories “The Tell-Tale Heart” and “The Black Cat” and the poem “The Bells.”

Mention the name of movies or TV shows where you might have heard about him. For example, there is an episode of The Simpsons based on “The Raven.”

Explain how having prior information about Poe’s tragic life will help you understand his dark poem “The Raven.” The loss of his mother and adoptive mother early in his life, for example, may provide insight to how Poe writes about death.

Answer 2

Edgar Allan Poe (January 19, 1809 to October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, critic and editor best known for evocative short stories and poems that captured the imagination and interest of readers around the world. His imaginative storytelling and tales of mystery and horror gave birth to the modern detective story. Many of Poe’s works, including “The Tell-Tale Heart” and “The Fall of the House of Usher,” became literary classics. Some aspects of Poe’s life, like his literature, is shrouded in mystery, and the lines between fact and fiction have been blurred substantially since his death.