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How Did Edgar Allan Poe Craft

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The Terror of Imagination: E. A. Poe and his Craft

Modern society thrives on the adrenaline rush from the being scar. Not just scares, but terrified to the point that fear takes on new meaning, invoking thoughts that were never deemed possible. Despite the popularity of facing these fears, it is not a new pastime as many would believe. Horror and Gothic tradition had its beginnings in the early medieval period that dominated Europe in the late fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, but it was American author Edgar Allen Poe of the nineteenth century that made Gothic tradition. A popular literary genre. Poe's troubled, short life had great influence on his writing, which is distinguished by specific, unique characteristics, and has in turn …show more content…

Both of his parents were actors and died when he was two years old. Poe was then adopted by a man named John Allen and there relationship was very problematic. While he was in Grammar School his teacher would take him into the graveyard as a punishment. Dean Castle, located near Kilmarnock, was an inspiration for the "The Fall of the House of Usher" because the castle was destroyed by fire just like in the book. Poe's aunt was also a traditional storyteller in Scotland. Poe joined the United States Army for two years. When he returned drinking and drugs took over his life (McBeth).

Poe has many unique characteristic to his writings. Having early experiences led to his stories having a Gothic writing style (McBeth). He uses realistic scientific details to make his stories more believable. Being buried alive and people being bricked up and left to die are also strong themes of his work (Poe's Lit...). The influence on imagination like graveyards, gravestones, and "bodies rising from the grave" (McBeth). Even when Poe set his horror tale in a distant land he focused less on the location than on the psychology of his characters (Poe's

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