I just wanted to share a few facts about Poe that you might not know.
Fact 1: Poe's father, David, was an alcoholic and abandoned him and his family when Poe was only one (loser).
Fact 2: Poe's mother, Elizabeth Arnold Poe died just before Poe turned three.
Fact 3: John and Frances Allan unofficially adopted Edgar.
Fact 4: Edgar authored his writings Edgar Allan Poe using both surnames.Fact 5: He was obsessed with cats.
Fact 6: Poe gets credit for the term short story.Fact 7: The Raven was almost about a parrot but Poe decided a parrot would not convey the right tone for the story. Everyone knows this poem, I hope! Starts out, Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary....
Fact 8: The ladies loved Poe.
Fact 9: Tintinnabulation is a term Poe invented to describe the ringing of bells.
Fact 10: Poe married his 13-year-old cousin, Virginia when he was 27.
Fact 11: Virginia died 12 years later of tuberculosis. The Masque of the Red Death was written about Virginia's illness.
Fact 12: The exact cause of Poe's death is still unknown since all of his medical records were lost. Potential causes were rabies, cholera, meningeal inflammation, syphilis, epilepsy, or heart disease. His death certificate lists phrenitis (inflammation of the brain) as the cause of death. Murder is also on the list of possibilities. Seems Poe was engaged to a wealthy lady (Elmira Shelton), and her brothers did not like him. It has been suggested that they did away with Poe.
Fact 13: Poe was buried in an unmarked grave in Westminster Burying Grounds in Baltimore in his grandfather's plot. On a side note to this burial grounds, you can take a Halloween Tour if you are in the area. Find out more here. That would be a pretty cool way to spend Halloween night!
Keep reading:
History Today
Poetry Foundation
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