Edgar Poe

Edgar Allan Poe is born in on January the 19^th 1809 in Boston. He's the son of Elisabeth and David Poe who are both actors. The father often drinks alcohol because his wife is more popular with the people and he's very disappointed about that. Edgar is the second child. His brother William is two years older than Edgar. 1810 the family goes with the theatre group to New York where the father leaves the family. Now the mother has to earn the money for the family and as it's very hard they have to live in very poor conditions.

1811 Edgar's mother dies after a long time of illness. So Edgar comes to the family of John Allan whose wife has been a friend of Elisabeth.

At the age of five Edgar is sent to the "Dame School" of Mrs Clothilda Fisher. With 6 years he comes to a school in Scotland where the treatment is very strict and so Edgar goes to London where he's taught at the school of Miss Dubourg.

Edgar has always had a good relation to his foster-mother (Stiefmutter) Frances Keeling Allan. She has probably influenced the way how Edgar describes women in his stories.

But John Allan has never really loved Edgar very much and so in 1817 he goes to the boarding-school "Manor House" in Stoke Newington after conflicts with John Allan. Edgar is good at French, Latin, history and Literature. He's very intelligent but also stubborn. In this boarding-school he lives very isolated and makes up a world of his own. And this stimulates his fantasy.

1820 he goes back to the USA and 1822 he writes his first poems which are influenced by Lord Byron a Percy Bysshe Shelly, two English romantic writers.

His first love is Sarah Elmira Royster but both fathers don't allow the relationship.

1826 Edgar comes to the University of Virginia. But J. Allan doesn't give him enough money, so Edgar begins to play and as he has more and more debts, he starts to drink alcohol. Because of this he has to leave the university.

1827 He has an bad argument with John Allan after which he joins the army.

1829 his foster-mother dies

1831 he quits the army and he goes to his aunt Maria Clemm who lives in Baltimore

-1834 John Allan dies

-Edgar works as an editor at several magazines; but: problems with alcohol and debts

-1836 Edgar marries his cousin Virginia Clemm

-1847 Virginia dies

-7.10.1849 Edgar Allan Poe dies in Baltimore

-Ms found in a Bottle(1833)

-The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym (1838):the longest one of his stories

-The Fall of the House of Usher (1839)

-The Murders in the Rue Morgue (1841)

-The Tell-Tale Heart (1843)

-The Raven (1845):most famous poem

Questions:

Why does Edgar leave the school in Scotland?

Which conflicts Edgar has with his foster-father?

Why does Edgar start to drink alcohol?

Why Edgar has to leave the university?

Fill in the words which are missing:

His brother _____ is two years older. 1810 the family goes with the __________to New York where the father leaves the family. Now the mother has to earn the money for the family and as it's very ____they have to live in very poor________.

1811 Edgar's mother ____after a long time of_______. So Edgar comes to the family of _______whose wife has been a friend of__________.

At the age of ______Edgar is sent to the "Dame School" of ____________. With 6 years he comes to a school in Scotland where the treatment is very _____and so Edgar goes to London where he's taught at the school of ___________.

Right or wrong?

-The name of Edgar`s sister was Elisabeth.

-Edgar went to a school in scotland for a short time.

-The relation to his foster-father has always been  

very friendly.

-The name of the girl who had been Edgar`s first love, has been Sarah.

-Edgar married Maria Clemm.