Edgar Allan Poe Flashcards
Where was Poe born?
Boston
How long was Edgar Allan Poe alive?
1809-1849
What were his parent’s occupations?
Theatre actors; Poe was orphaned by age 2
Where did Poe go to college?
University of Virginia, but dropped out do to gambling debts
What other school did Poe go to? (not university)
West Point Academy when he joined the army, until hewas dismissed for defiance of regulations
Who did Poe marry?
Virginia Clemm, his 13 year old cousin, who died of tuberculosis
Readers believe that Virginia Clemm was a prototype for…
Anabelle Lee
What happened after Poe left school because of gambling debts?
His stepfather disniherited him
What were some interpersonal conflicts and difficulties Poe experienced?
Hampered by depression and eventually turned to alchohol
At what age did Poe die?
40
What were Poe’s occupations when he began his writing career?
Magazine and newspaper editor
What genre of work is Poe known for?
Short stories
What was his first volume of short stories entitled?
Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque
How did Poe use the term “Arabesque‘‘ in his first volume of short stories?
Applied to his stories in which material was selected for its strangeness and its appeal to the faculty of wonder
How did Poe use the term “Grotesque‘‘ in his first volume of short stories?
Applied to stories which had an element of horror
What were Poe’s guidelines for writing the short story?
1) Short enough to be read in one sitting
2) Produce a single emotional effet
3) Compact - no unnecessary words
What type of story did Poe introduce?
Modern detective story
What is a recurring theme in Poe’s poetry?
The death of a beautiful woman
Poe was considered to be a master of the ________ horror tale
Gothic
What were some of the distinctive themes that Poe would use?
Guilt
The human psyche
Grief and memory
The macabre (strange) and mystical (other-worldly)
What are his most famous short stories?
The Tell-Tale Heart, The Fall of the House of Usher, The Murders in the Rue Morgue, The Pit and the Pendulum, The Gold Bug, The Purloined Letter, The Masque of the Red Death, The Black Cat
What qualities did Poe add to poetry?
Eerie quality
Distinct rhythms
Calculated musical qualities
Name Poe’s famous poems.
The Raven, Annabel Lee, Lenore, The Bells, To Hellen, Alone
What was his first volume of poetry entitled?
Tamarlane and Other Poems
What were Poe’s contributions to the American short story?
Point of view
Creation of suspense
The exploration of the human mind
Unique tone
Poe is respected as what 3 things?
Critic, writer, and editor
His work is considered a refutation of what belief? Why?
Transcendentalism, because he was preoccupied with the dark, morbid, evil side of man’s nature
Define Gothicism
The use in fiction of grotesque, gloomy settings (often castles) and mysterious, violent, and supernatural occurrences to creat suspense and awe
Define allusion
Figure of speech, making casual reference to a famous historical, biblical, or literary figure or event
Define tone
a writer’s attitude toward his subject, characters, and readers in a literary work
Define internal rhyme
Rhyme that occurs within a line of poetry
Define alliteration
The repetition of consonant sounds usually at the beginning of words
Define repetition
Repeating a word, phrase, sound, or idea in a poem for emphasis
Define assonance
The repetition of similar vowel sounds in a line of poetry
Define point of view:
The method of presenting the reader with the materials of the story, the perspective of the story
Name the three points of view
1) Omniscient point of view
2) Limited point of view
3) Objective point of view
