The Philosophy of Composition

Edgar Allan Poe was an American poet, short story writer, and essayist. He was born in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1809 and died in 1849 in Baltimore, Maryland. He is famous for his interest in the macabre and the horrific and is considered an example of American Romanticism and, specifically, of Dark or Gothic Romanticism. Poe is credited with inventing the detective story, and he is recognized for his contribution to the development of the short story and the horror genre. After his death, his fame extended beyond the United States to Europe and Latin America. He was celebrated and admired by key European writers such as Charles Baudelaire, Stéphane Mallarmé, and Franz Kafka, and by the Latin Americans Jorge Luis Borges and Carlos Fuentes, among others.

Poe was the son of traveling actors Elizabeth Arnold and David Poe. He was orphaned as a young child, both of his parents having died of tuberculosis, and he was sent to live with the family of John Allan, a tobacco merchant from Richmond, Virginia. With the Allan family, he lived in England and Scotland before returning to the United States. He studied briefly at the University of Virginia but had to leave because of the gambling debt he accrued. He joined the US Army and later attended West Point, but he was expelled and severed ties with his adoptive father.

Although he struggled financially and often lived in poverty, Poe belongs to the first generation of American writers who made a living from their profession. At different times, Poe lived in Baltimore, Richmond, Philadelphia, and New York City, where he worked as an editor and critic at various magazines such as the Southern Literary Messenger, Burton's Gentleman's Magazine, Graham's Magazine, and The Broadway Journal. He suffered from alcohol addiction, was said to have a difficult personality, and often changed jobs.

Poe self-published his first two books of poetry, Tamerlane in 1827 and Al Aaraaf in 1829, but he did not gain critical success. Later, he sold his poems, short stories, and reviews to periodicals including those where he worked. In 1838, he published the short story “Ligeia,” and in 1839 “The Fall of the House of Usher” and “William Wilson.” In 1840, he published Tales of the Grotesque and the Arabesque, but it had a mixed reception and the editor declined to print a second edition. His short story “The Murders in the Rue Morgue,” considered the first detective story, was published in 1841. In 1845, Poe achieved critical success when his narrative poem, “The Raven,” was published in The American Review. The poem was reprinted in several periodicals and anthologies, and Poe became a celebrity throughout the United States and a well-known figure in New York’s literary circles. Thanks to this success, he was able to publish the collection of short stories entitled Tales and the book The Raven and Other Poems. Poe published “The Philosophy of Composition” in 1846, near the end of his life. After the success of “The Raven,” Poe made a living by lecturing across the eastern United States. He became involved in society scandals with Frances Sargent Osgood and Elizabeth F. Ellet.

In 1836, Poe, who was 27, married his 13-year-old cousin Virginia Clemm. Virginia was diagnosed with tuberculosis in 1842, and Poe took care of her until her death. In 1846, at the request of his wife, the couple moved to a cottage in what is now the Bronx, where she died in 1847. After her death, Poe continued to drink and left New York City. He was briefly engaged with Sarah Helen Whitman, and later with Elmira Royster. He died in 1849 in Baltimore of unknown causes.