Edgar Allan Poe

1809 - 1849

Boston, Massachusetts Early orphaned, sent to school in England Returned to the USA, little by little establishing himself as a writer

Mysterious death in 1849: epilepsy? Alcohol abuse? Opium abuse? Rabies?

-> Loved animals, especially cats (which can transmit rabies)

The poem The Raven brought him fame in his own time Gothic stories about murder, revenge, torture, the plague, being buried alive and insanity The black cat The tell tale heart

Gothic stories

~ End of 18th century Describes how people react in horrible circumstances Not horror, (not scare readers) instead deals with feelings gloominess, isolation and grief rather than fear

Often narrated in first person identification Moral decay do not be surprised if the main character collects body parts from dead people or kills without second thoughts

Some gothic stories insert true historic events in the plot in order to seem realistic, or assure the reader already in the introduction that the text is based on authentic material