The Edgar A. Poe Calendar

I offer this Book of Truths

2009-12-31T11:31:00.001-05:00

In 1848, Poe published the book that he thought would serve as his major posthumous legacy. He was ultimately wrong, but Eureka still interests both scholars and mainstream Poe fans. In his introduction, Poe addressed his audience:To the few who love me and whom I love — to those who feel rather than to those who think — to the dreamers and those who put faith in dreams as in the only realities —

I have made up my mind not to die

2009-12-30T10:11:00.002-05:00

Edgar Poe watched his wife slowly die over about five years. Virginia Eliza Clemm Poe was no longer the "child-bride" incessantly referred to by Poe biographers and middle school teachers. She was twenty years old when she had her first major tuberculosis-induced coughing fit. She had been married to Poe for over six years. She and Poe were quite in love... And Poe watched her deteriorate at what

Absolute idiosyncrasy

2009-12-28T12:39:00.002-05:00

Poe's works published in December are very representative of his overall bibliography. They include his mournful, sound-focused poem "Ulalume" (December 1847 issue of the American Whig Review), for example, as well as several tales: • "Bon-Bon," featuring a devil who eats philosophers' souls like chocolates (December 1, 1832 issue of the Philadelphia Saturday Courier) • "The Conversation of

The Richmond Theatre Fire

2009-12-26T10:14:00.001-05:00

72 people died on December 26, 1811, when the Broad Street Theatre in Richmond, Virginia burned down. Eliza Poe was not one of them.Though Eliza Poe, mother of Edgar Poe, had performed there and, in fact, gave her last performance there, she was already dead when the building caught fire. Years later, Poe would claim his mother was one of the many victims of that tragedy.In fact, Eliza Poe had

A Christmas wedding... almost

2009-12-25T09:45:00.005-05:00

Edgar Allan Poe and Sarah Helen Whitman had planned a Christmas wedding on December 25, 1848. Whitman (no relation to Walt, though the two corresponded frequently) was an accomplished and well-known poet from Providence, Rhode Island. A widow, she was six years older than Poe. She was also an ancillary member of the Transcendentalists, a friend of Margaret Fuller, and an admitted disciple of

Birth of the Broadway Journal

2009-12-23T09:33:00.005-05:00

Charles Frederick Briggs and John Bisco signed a contract on December 23, 1844 to begin a new publication in New York. Only a couple weeks earlier, Briggs was struggling over what to name the new periodical. He settled on "The Broadway Journal."Bisco was the brains that handled the business operations while Briggs utilized his established literary reputation to attract both contributors and

Poe drops out

2009-12-21T09:43:00.008-05:00

His stint at the University of Virginia over, a 17-year old Edgar Poe left Charlottesville, Virginia on December 21, 1826 and returned to Richmond.Poe's short run at "Thomas Jefferson's University" was bittersweet. Jefferson envisioned a school which would "develop the reasoning faculties of our youth, enlarge their minds, cultivate their morals, and instill into them the precepts of virtue and

The mystery of Rosalie Poe

2009-12-20T08:57:00.004-05:00

Rosalie Poe, the youngest of the three children of David Poe and Eliza Arnold, was born on December 20, 1811.* Her birth was in Norfolk, Virginia — the same town where her parents met. Well, presumably. Ultimately, Rosalie Mackenzie Poe's story is one of rumors and more rumors.The date, of course, is questionable (see the note below). Even Edgar Poe made things more confusing when he once claimed

In Memoriam: Thomas Holley Chivers

2009-12-18T09:11:00.002-05:00

On December 18, 1858, the doctor/poet Thomas Holley Chivers died at the age of 49. Both Edgar Poe and Dr. Chivers were born in 1809 (though it seems little attention has been paid to Chivers's bicentennial, outside his home state of Georgia). Later in Poe's life, Chivers became one of his closest confidantes and an almost-partner for The Stylus. After Poe's death, he became one of his staunchest

I was not his friend, nor he mine

2009-12-17T08:57:00.004-05:00

Rufus Wilmot Griswold was the first major figure to express Poe's personality after the author's death in 1849. He took great liberties, embellishing Poe's bad habits or character flaws and even making a few up. It is not entirely clear what inspired Griswold, nicknamed "the Grand Turk," in what is now labeled a "character assassination." Conjecture says that his jealousy for the attention of

Return good for evil

2009-12-15T09:03:00.002-05:00

Psychoanalytic critics often suggest that Poe was obsessed with sick, dying women — that he was personally attracted only to women who were closely aligned with death (rather than it being a literary theory for how to draw in the largest audience with the most poetical topic in the world). Others say that Poe was a pedophile, looking particularly at his relationship with his wife Virginia (I've

Osgood's happy refinement

2009-12-13T08:29:00.005-05:00

On December 13, 1845, the Broadway Journal printed a review of Poems, a collection of poetry by Frances Sargent Osgood. Poe praises her work for its "happy refinement" and noted that its author "gives a charm inexpressible to everything which flows from her pen." Poe's opinion of Osgood, however, may be partially tainted by their personal relationship. Earlier that year, the two had engaged in a

The mystery of David Poe, Jr.

2009-12-11T09:16:00.004-05:00

Having already dedicated a post to Poe's mother, it is only fitting to follow it up with one about his father. Perhaps appropriate to the inventor of the modern detective story, however, Edgar Poe's father is a bit of a mystery.David Poe, Jr. was born in Baltimore in 1784. His father, the original David Poe, was known for his patriotic self-sacrifice during the American Revolution. He was such a

In Memoriam: Eliza Poe

2009-12-08T09:52:00.011-05:00

Elizabeth Arnold Hopkins Poe, known today mostly as "Eliza Poe," died on December 8, 1811 in Richmond, VA. She was 24 years old and left behind three children.Eliza Arnold was born in London, England in 1787. After her father's death, she sailed with her mother, an actress, to Boston in 1795. There, a nine-year-old Eliza debuted on stage, playing a character named Biddy Blair. That year, her

Or Broadway Something...

2009-12-07T08:32:00.002-05:00

Charles Frederick Briggs was mostly known as a writer of satiric novels, particularly the then-famous The Adventures of Harry Franco. To his dismay, his title character also became his nickname (much like Poe was later referred to as "The Raven"). Wanting to do more, Briggs intended to start his own journal. He was struggling, however, with choosing a name.On December 7, 1844, Briggs wrote his

Poe vs. The Crazyites

2009-12-06T10:34:00.010-05:00

Poe was already a household name when The Raven and Other Poems was published in 1845, mostly due to the title poem in that collection. On December 6, 1845, one very different periodical reviewed the book.The Harbinger was the official publication of the experimental community at Brook Farm at West Roxbury, Massachusetts. Formed in 1841 by George Ripley and his wife Sophia, the working farm meant

Terror is of the soul

2009-12-04T09:28:00.004-05:00

Poe's collection of short stories Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque was issued circa December 4, 1839. His publishers Lea & Blanchard limited its production run, despite protest from the author. It was his first collection of prose, though he had previously published a novel and, well, a controversial textbook on seashells in addition to a couple books of poetry.Poe's early works were somewhat

The fatal resemblance

2009-12-03T08:32:00.003-05:00

On December 3, 1844, the Paris, France-based newspaper La Quotidienne began publishing installments of "James Dixon, ou la funeste resemblance" (which translates to "James Dixon, or the fatal resemblance"). Though it included a byline of Gustave Brunet, the story was, in fact, an adaptation of Poe's doppelganger story "William Wilson." This was two years before Charles Beaudelaire began his

In Memoriam: Washington Irving

2009-12-01T15:20:00.002-05:00

I almost missed an important anniversary today but, in fairness, the event in question happened ten years after Poe's death.In fact, it's somewhat ironic that Washington Irving was laid to rest this day in 1859 in the now-famous Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in New York. By rights, Poe should have outlived him. Irving was the very first true American man of letters — the original, if you will. He was

Birth of Mark Twain

2009-11-30T11:10:00.003-05:00

What a curious thing a "detective" story is. And was there ever one that the author needn't be ashamed of, except the "Murders in the Rue Morgue"?So says Mark Twain (the pen name of Samuel L. Clemens). Twain was born on November 30, 1835. He never knew Poe (he was 13 when Poe died) but both writers were pursuing a national identity in American literature. Twain, however, thought Poe had failed

An appeal to the humane heart

2009-11-29T09:44:00.004-05:00

TO THE HUMANE HEARTOn this night, Mrs. Poe, lingering on the bed of disease and surrounded by her children, asks your assistance, and asks it perhaps for the last time. — The generosity of a Richmond Audience can need no other appeal.This appeal, printed in the Richmond Inquirer on November 29, 1811, advertised that evening's benefit performance for Mrs. Elizabeth Arnold Hopkins Poe. She was an

Three Sundays in a Week

2009-11-27T10:03:00.007-05:00

"A Succession of Sundays" was first printed in the November 27, 1841 issue of the Saturday Evening Post. The story, now known as "Three Sundays in a Week," depicts a grumpy Uncle Rumgudgeon who refuses to grant his nephew Bobby permission to marry his daughter and, therefore, inherit a portion of Rumgudgeon's estate. The uncle, being sly, says he would only offer his blessing when "three Sundays

Thank your editor today

2009-11-26T11:00:00.002-05:00

Being from Massachusetts, I'm aware of some of the controversies surrounding the myths of the Pilgrims and Thanksgiving. For one, I know how much of a disappointment it is to actually see Plymouth Rock and realize it is, after all, just a rock... and one which likely has no connection to that fateful day in the year 1620. It's also broken in half. Oops. I also know that the Pilgrims didn't even

Like a procession of moonlight clouds

2009-11-25T07:58:00.002-05:00

By the time The Raven and Other Poems had been published in 1845, Poe was a well-known figure in American writing. Though his earliest fame (infamy?) was more for his criticism, publishing a certain poem about a black bird with limited vocabulary established him as one of the most talked about poets in the United States. It was because of that instant fame that The Raven and Other Poems was

Ellis partners with Allan

2009-11-23T07:15:00.006-05:00

John Allan, who would become Poe's foster-father, joined into a partnership with Charles Ellis on November 23, 1800. It was nearly nine years before Poe's birth in Boston. Their mercantile business, which would take the name "Ellis & Allan," was started with a contribution of £1,000 sterling from each.The Richmond-based company mainly focused on tobacco, though they also dealt in cloths and

In not the most gentle manner

2009-11-21T08:16:00.005-05:00

Poe began a lecture tour on November 21, 1843 in Philadelphia. The broad topic was "The Poetry of America." This was an era of oratory and many writers knew that lectures and public readings would greatly boost their income. Other writers turned lecturers included James Russell Lowell, Oliver Wendell Holmes, and, of course, Ralph Waldo Emerson, who was so successful as a lecturer it qualifies as

Grotesque and Arabesque

2009-11-20T08:50:00.003-05:00

Perhaps in ironic contrast to yesterday's post, publishers Lea and Blanchard wrote to Poe on November 20, 1839, declining to print more copies of a book of his writings.The publishing history of Poe's prose collection Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque was a horror story unto itself. The collection was two volumes, packaging a hefty 25 stories (including "The Fall of the House of Usher," "The

Not a purpose, but a passion

2009-11-19T11:07:00.000-05:00

The popularity of "The Raven" led to the publication of a collection of poetry titled The Raven and Other Poems, released on November 19, 1845. Wiley & Putnam issued the small volume of 100 pages with a cover price of 31 cents. In his introduction, Poe referred to the poems within as "trifles." He adds: "It is incumbent upon me to say, that I think nothing in this

Poe arrives in South Carolina

2009-11-18T10:20:00.001-05:00

Under the pseudonym Edgar A. Perry, an 18-year old Poe was ordered, along with the rest of his regiment, to Sullivan's Island near Charleston, South Carolina. After an eleven-day journey on a boat named Waltham, they arrived on November 18, 1827.During his time on Sullivan's Island, Poe/Perry distinguished himself as an enlisted soldier. Six months after his arrival, Poe was promoted to "

Fate that once denied him

2009-11-17T09:16:00.004-05:00

After over two decades buried in an unmarked corner of the cemetery at Baltimore's Westminster Church, Poe’s body was re-buried where people could see it from the street. A new memorial marker was dedicated on November 17, 1875.The monument was substantial. Money for it was raised by several parties, including a Baltimore schoolteacher named Sara Sigourney Rice. Rice kicked off a "pennies for Poe

Poe gets arrested... maybe

2009-11-16T12:02:00.003-05:00

In a letter dated November 16, 1831, Poe wrote to his foster-father John Allan in need of assistance. Earlier in the year, he had gotten himself kicked out of West Point Military Academy. About three months earlier, his older brother (the sailor) died of tuberculosis. Lost and alone in the world, Poe was getting desperate, which led him back to John Allan, the foster-father who had lost all

Moran writes to Muddy

2009-11-15T09:40:00.001-05:00

On November 15, 1849, five weeks after Poe's death, the 26-year old doctor who tended to him in his final days wrote to Maria Clemm. Dr. John Joseph Moran, the resident physician at Washington College Hospital, had earned his medical degree only four years prior and, it seems, not only worked at the hospital but lived there as well. Considering the sheer number of patients he would have "treated,

For the love of God, Montresor!

2009-11-13T08:59:00.004-05:00

What, another Friday the 13th? Well, in that case, here's a story about bad luck."The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could, but when he ventured upon insult I vowed revenge." Thus begins Poe's November 1846 tale "The Cask of Amontillado." These "insults" are never specified, nor are the "thousand injuries." Poe makes us focus not on the reasons for revenge, but on the

Poe's role in World War II

2009-11-12T07:23:00.008-05:00

What does World War II have to do with Edgar Allan Poe? Well, that's easy: Poe helped win the war.Even if you're a big Poe fan, you might not have heard of William F. Friedman, who died on November 12, 1969 (his headstone at Arlington National Cemetery reads "knowledge is power"). Friedman was one of Poe's many admirers. Born in 1891, Friedman was very young when introduced to Poe's short story "

Poe preserved by the National Park Service

2009-11-10T09:36:00.001-05:00

Though Poe lived in many parts of the United States (born in Boston; raised in Richmond, schooled in England and Charlottesville, VA; stationed in South Carolina; lived and worked in Baltimore, New York City, Philadelphia, The Bronx, etc.) there is only one federally-recognized, federally-funded site dedicated to his memory, and it is in Philadelphia.The Edgar Allan Poe National Historic Site was

Ultima Thule

2009-11-09T08:47:00.003-05:00

On November 9, 1848, Sarah Helen Whitman convinced Edgar Poe to have his daguerreotype taken in Providence, Rhode Island. It was a few days after Poe's alleged suicide attempt. Whether a true attempt at killing himself or not, Poe was quite ill that day. This image, which has become one of the most iconic images of any American writer (though at least one of Walt Whitman could compete for it) has

The Kentucky Tragedy

2009-11-07T11:44:00.006-05:00

On November 7, 1825, in Frankfort, Kentucky, an attorney named Jereboam O. Beauchamp fatally stabbed politician Solomon P. Sharp. Beauchamp had been an admirer of Sharp until he heard that the focus of his admiration had allegedly fathered an illegitimate child with Anna Cooke, though Sharp denied paternity of the stillborn child. Beauchamp and Cooke became engaged, but Cooke convinced him to

A football interlude

2009-11-06T09:39:00.005-05:00

Way back in 1995, the ill-fated NFL franchise the Cleveland Browns was struggling (what else is new?). The controversial owner, Art Modell, was frequently criticized for his leadership. But, Cleveland is a football town, and the city discussed the possibility of spending a substantial amount of money to upgrade their stadium, all for the benefit of the Browns (and their fans).Amid discussions of

The fever called "Living"

2009-11-05T07:23:00.008-05:00

In late 1848, Poe was struggling between two women. One was single and available but, most unfortunately, a Transcendentalist. The other was flirtatious but very married (with children). One was a poet in Providence, Rhode Island, but Sarah Helen Whitman had doubts that Poe was on the right track and urged him to take a temperance pledge (he would take another pledge a year later). The other was

Birth of William Cullen Bryant

2009-11-03T07:52:00.001-05:00

Born on November 3, 1794, William Cullen Bryant became one of the most well-known poets of his generation. His earliest poems, including "Thanatopsis" and "To a Waterfowl" remain his most enduring works. Like Poe, Bryant took full-time jobs with the press to make ends meet. His longest run was with the Saturday Evening Post; his affiliation with that publication lasted 50 years.Poe first

The Boston Lyceum incident, cont'd

2009-11-01T10:28:00.001-05:00

In October 1845, Poe made his triumphant return to Boston, the city of his birth, but that return was marred by what Poe termed a hoax. For his appearance at the Boston Lyceum, he was asked to present a new, original poem. Instead he presented "Al Aaaraf," one of his earliest poems, under the temporary title "The Messenger Star."After the reading, Poe was invited to dinner with a gathering of

A Very Poe Halloween

2009-10-31T07:52:00.011-04:00

Looking for ways to celebrate this Halloween the Poe way? Here are my top five* recommendations (I'm hoping it's a good mix of "the classics" with a couple lesser-known ones sprinkled in)."Metzengerstein" (1832) — Poe's first published tale features a long-standing family rivalry. When the patriarch of one family dies, a young man becomes the rightful heir to his estate. However, the mischievous

Autographs, cont'd

2009-10-29T15:40:00.007-04:00

Continued from a very, very early post in Poe Calendar Blog history. The October 29, 1841 issue of the Philadelphia Inquirer reviewed Poe's recent chapter on "Autography" — an unusual work in which Poe analyzed the signatures of well-known literary figures and described the authors' personality based on them. The review called the chapter, "The most singular, and at the same time, the most

Young Poe and Lafayette

2009-10-28T09:10:00.007-04:00

Here's another story of Poe's teen years. At the age of 15, a young Edgar Poe served as a lieutenant (in fact, second-in-command) for the Richmond Junior Volunteers, a group of teenaged riflemen-in-training. This role put him in the direct path of the Marquis de La Fayette, one of the most celebrated generals of the American Revolution.La Fayette, on his tour of the United States nearly a

Poe's brother, The Pirate

2009-10-27T08:43:00.012-04:00

The Baltimore North American Review published a short story titled “The Pirate” by William Henry Leonard Poe, Edgar’s older brother, on October 27, 1827. The story was based on Edgar’s young, tragic romance with Sarah Elmira Royster. Henry, as he called himself, published several poems in his short life and even occasionally submitted the poetry of his younger brother — though they were often

Poe buys The Broadway Journal

2009-10-24T11:24:00.002-04:00

The New York-based Broadway Journal was founded by Charles Frederick Briggs, who partnered with John Bisco. Both were Massachusetts natives by birth — Briggs from Nantucket, and Bisco from Worcester. Briggs was a relatively well-known writer, particularly for his novel The Adventures of Harry Franco; Bisco was most recently a school teacher in New Jersey, but Briggs referredt o him as "a shrewd

Hirst and Poe: Rollicking companions

2009-10-23T07:44:00.001-04:00

After Poe's death, Maria Clemm believed much of the negative things written about Poe by Rufus Wilmot Griswold, partly because Griswold had evidence to prove it. It turns out, however, that Griswold forged many of the documents that served as back-up for his concerted character assassination on Poe. Reading Griswold's lies, Maria Clemm lamented: "To think of that villain Griswold dragging before

Defense of Poe

2009-10-20T16:42:00.008-04:00

Friends of Poe came to Poe's defense almost immediately after Rufus Griswold began maligning the dead author's character. Even before his full-length memoir of Poe in 1850, Griswold was being criticized for his short obituary of Poe in October 1849.One of the first to respond was George Lippard, a novelist who had gained attention with his The Quaker City, Or, the Monks of Monk-Hall in 1845. On

$50 found in a bottle

2009-10-19T07:58:00.002-04:00

On October 19, 1833, Baltimore's Saturday Visiter published Poe's tale "MS. Found in a Bottle." The tale is considered one of Poe's first major success. The newspaper was sponsoring a writing contest, as announced in their June 15, 1833 issue: "The proprietors of the Baltimore Saturday Visiter feeling desirous of encouraging literature, and at the same time serving their readers with the best

Bicentennial of Thomas Holley Chivers

2009-10-18T07:39:00.008-04:00

Thomas Holley Chivers was born in Georgia on October 18, 1809 — about eight months after Poe. Chivers went on to become a poet in his own right, though it has become quite impossible to talk about Chivers without mentioning Poe.The two spent several years corresponding (probably about nine years, according to John Ward Ostrom) and met face-to-face only once (in 1845 in New York). Most of their

The Boston Lyceum incident

2009-10-16T08:20:00.006-04:00

Years before his death, Poe made his final trip to Boston. On October 16, 1845, dovetailing off the success of "The Raven," Poe presented a lecture at the Boston Lyceum. The fiasco that ensued has invited several interpretations in modern times, most recently by Philip Phillips of Middle Tennessee State University. What was Poe thinking?Poe had been asked to present an original poem; James

Poe in St. Louis

2009-10-15T06:40:00.000-04:00

It's fun to see how many cities have a connection to Poe. St. Louis is on that list too.Edward Horton Norton Patterson, 19 years Poe's junior, was an editor at the Oquawka Spector, a weekly newspaper in Illinois owned by his father. Apparently a man of wealth, Patterson was one of many potential financiers of Poe's dream project The Stylus. Because both men were already in the publishing world,

Death of Poe: The Mystery Continues

2009-10-12T07:47:00.006-04:00

This is the second of a two-part guest blog by mystery novelist Matthew Pearl (The Dante Club, The Poe Shadow, and The Last Dickens).The Real Investigators of Poe's deathPart II: The Mysterious Mr. Bensonby Matthew PearlThere may have been another man snooping around Baltimore to find out more about Poe's death in the fall of 1849—or it may be another fiction in the Poe death narrative.Before

Death of Poe: The Mystery Begins

2009-10-11T07:55:00.006-04:00

On October 7, 1849, after several days at the hospital, Edgar Allan Poe died. His death is still a mystery, and speculation has raged ever since. In honor of the mystery, I am pleased to introduce mystery novelist Matthew Pearl (author of The Dante Club, The Poe Shadow, and The Last Dickens) , who has written today's guest blog (part one of two).The Real Investigators of Poe's deathPart I:

Edgar Allan Poe is dead

2009-10-09T08:24:00.004-04:00

Edgar Allan Poe is dead. He died in Baltimore the day before yesterday.This announcement will startle many, but few will be grieved by it. The poet waswell known personally or by reputation, in all this country. He had readers inEngland and in several states of Continental Europe. But he had few or nofriends. The regrets for his death will be suggested principally by theconsideration that in him

Death of Poe: The funeral

2009-10-08T07:47:00.002-04:00

On Monday, October 8, 1849, Edgar Poe was laid to rest in his family's burial plot in Baltimore, Maryland after a short funeral. The funeral, held in a light rain beginning at 4:00 that afternoon, was attended by six people: Dr. Joseph Evans Snodgrass, cousin Neilson Poe, University of Virginia classmate Z. Collins Lee, cousin Elizabeth Herring and her husband, and former schoolmaster Joseph

Death of Poe

2009-10-07T07:59:00.004-04:00

On October 7, 1849, Edgar Poe died. He was 40 years old. Thus ended his struggle for financial success, his foibles (whatever they were), and his genius. Thus begins his greatest mystery.Perhaps it is fitting (or ironic, depending on your point of view) that the man who invented the modern detective story left such a strange question unanswered: What killed Edgar Poe?Rising to the challenge,

Reynolds, help my poor soul

2009-10-05T07:50:00.003-04:00

At Washington College Hospital at Broadway and Fayette Street in Baltimore, Edgar Poe was dying. His room has been described as "prison-like," with barred windows, in a section of the hospital normally reserved for drunks. He was denied visitors.Poe's had suddenly appeared in Baltimore "rather the worse for wear" after disappearing for six days. His stay at the hospital would provide no answers.

Rather the worse for wear

2009-10-03T08:23:00.005-04:00

Baltimore City, Oct 3d 1849Dear Sir, —There is a gentleman, rather the worse for wear, at Ryan's Fourth ward polls, who goes under the cognomen of Edgar A. Poe, and who appears in great distress, & he says he is acquainted with you, and I assure you, he is in need of immediate assistance.Yours in haste,Jos. W. WalkerThis was the letter which Joseph W. Walker sent to his former employer Joseph

Thou hast murdered thyself

2009-10-01T17:40:00.005-04:00

October 1, 1849 — Poe's whereabouts are still unaccounted for. Though I don't mean to keep the story in suspense, I'd like to offer a quick interlude in honor of the first day of October. If 2009 hasn't pulled you into Poe yet, the amazing line-up of Poe events around the world throughout October just might. What better month to celebrate the macabre side of America's greatest imaginative genius?

A theory to fill the gap

2009-09-29T09:00:00.010-04:00

Next to nothing is known about what happened to Poe after September 27, 1849, until six days later (that story will be later this week). It is even unclear where Poe was going when he left Richmond (Richmond's newspaper the Semi-Weekly Examiner reported he was on his way to New York, even though he had an appointment in Philadelphia, but the ship he presumably took was headed to Baltimore). That

Poe takes his last trip

2009-09-27T08:01:00.007-04:00

On September 27, 1849, Edgar A. Poe fell off the radar. He will not be seen or heard from again for another six days.The night before his disappearance, there are several stories about what he was doing; how true they are is debated. He apparently visited the office of the Southern Literary Messenger (his former employer) to meet with John R. Thompson. He told Thompson he was leaving for New York

The Last Lecture

2009-09-24T08:00:00.003-04:00

At 8:00 p.m. on September 24, 1849, Edgar Poe presented his last lecture on "The Poetic Principle." Held at the Exchange Hotel in Richmond, Poe's lecture discussed his poetic theory, particularly that a poem should be written merely for the sake of being a poem, not as instruction. Poetry is art, he implies, and therefore should focus on pure beauty and aesthetics. He also says that a poem should

Poe's proposal in a cemetery

2009-09-23T07:55:00.004-04:00

Before I get back to Poe's engagement to Sarah Elmira Royster Shelton, let's go back to exactly one year earlier. It is believed that on September 23, 1848, Poe proposed to the poet Sarah Helen Whitman in Providence, Rhode Island at the Swan Point Cemetery.The romance between Poe and Whitman, who shared the same January 19 birthday (though she was six years older), was a strange one. She was

Dearest object on earth

2009-09-22T08:28:00.008-04:00

A letter was written to Maria Clemm, mother-in-law of Edgar Poe, on September 22, 1849. The letter-writer was a woman who had never met Maria, yet she wrote: "I feel as if I were writing to one whom I love very devotedly." Sarah Elmira Shelton (nee Royster) was encouraged to write this letter by her new fiancee, Edgar Poe.Poe had first met Elmira when they were both teenagers in Richmond, but

Bicentennial of Sophia Peabody Hawthorne

2009-09-21T08:59:00.002-04:00

2009 is celebrating more than just Edgar Poe. Another figure who celebrates a bicentennial this year is Sophia Amelia Peabody, later Mrs. Nathaniel Hawthorne. I have no evidence that Sophia (pronounced with a hard i as So-fy-uh) interacted with Poe. But, it's interesting to consider what's happening in Hawthorne's home life while he interacts with Poe.The April 1842 issue of Graham's Magazine

This shape was peculiar

2009-09-20T07:35:00.001-04:00

Continuing the series of Poe works published in September issues, I realized I almost neglected one of the most interesting and spirited of Poe's tales. "The Oblong Box" was first published in the September 1844 issue of Godey's Lady's Book (and, part of a trend of concurrent publications, similar to "The Raven," it was also published in the August 28, 1844 issue of the Philadelphia Dollar

Poe and politics

2009-09-17T08:08:00.009-04:00

Frederick William Thomas came to visit Poe at his house (then on Coates Street in Philadelphia) on September 17, 1842. Years later, he described Poe's home life in the so-called Quaker City:He lived in a rural home on the outskirts of the city. His house was small, but comfortable inside for one of the kind. The rooms looked neat and orderly, but everything about the place wore an air of

Birth of James Fenimore Cooper

2009-09-15T07:32:00.006-04:00

Novelist James Fenimore Cooper was born September 15, 1789.* By rights, he should be considered among the first man of letters in the United States, alongside Washington Irving, Charles Brockden Brown and others. Of course, few of these names are recognized today and, when they are, they're not always considered major players. Irving may still be read but many literary scholars show disdain for

I don't care who the devil he is

2009-09-13T08:10:00.002-04:00

My last post was about one of Poe's most famous horror stories published in September. To balance it out, I have to write about one of my absolute favorite Poe works. "Never Bet the Devil Your Head" was first published in the September 1841 issue of Graham's Magazine. The story is a comedy, and possibly one of Poe's most successful in that genre.The narrator/author responds to critics who note

The clouds hung oppressively low

2009-09-11T08:04:00.006-04:00

September is a busy month for Poeists. Some heavy-hitters from Poe's collected works were first published in September or September issues of periodicals. The earliest was a mostly-forgotten poem published on September 15, 1827, when Poe was 18 years old, referred to as "The Happiest Day, The Happiest Hour."His prose works which first see circulation in September include "King Pest" (1835), "

Poe's honorary membership

2009-09-09T08:10:00.004-04:00

Poe has received various accolades over the years, but most of them have been after his death. Conversely, during their lifetimes, other writers like James Russell Lowell, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Oliver Wendell Holmes, and Washington Irving were getting thrown honorary degrees left and right while they were still living (many from institutions across the pond, like Oxford and Cambridge). Poe

Poe reviews Griswold

2009-09-07T07:59:00.004-04:00

Rufus Griswold vs. Edgar Poe is probably the greatest, and most confusing, literary battle in the history of the written word in any language. It's unclear what was really going on, who was the instigator and, most importantly, why Griswold was so harsh to Poe when Poe was dead and unable to fight back. Many scholars trace all the animosity back to one little critical review in 1842.While

The libel suit, cont'd

2009-09-05T07:50:00.007-04:00

Frequent readers of this blog may recall that Poe had brought a libel suit against Hiram Fuller, editor of the New York Mirror and the Evening Mirror. The trial was originally scheduled for September 7, 1846, though it would be postponed. Poe's lawsuit was in response to Fuller publishing a letter from Thomas Dunn English, though English himself was not named in the suit (likely because English

Rosalie Mackenzie Poe

2009-09-03T08:54:00.005-04:00

Poe's younger sister was christened "Rosalie Mackenzie Poe" in Richmond on September 3, 1812. I've discussed Poe's older brother here before, but this is the first (and, likely, the only) post on his sister.Rosalie is a bit of an enigma; even her birth is unknown (believed to be about December 20, 1810). Rumors persist that she was mentally deficient in some way, though it's unclear if these

A Poe romance

2009-09-01T08:30:00.000-04:00

September 1, 1827 saw the third and final installment of Merlin, a play in verse by Maryland writer Lambert A. Wilmer. Published in the North American, the three-act play followed a heroine named Elmira and her despondent pursuer Alphonse. The drama was based on the true story of a young Edgar Poe — the first in what would be a long series of fictionalized stories about Poe over several decades.

Bicentennial of Dr. Holmes

2009-08-29T07:15:00.004-04:00

Also celebrating his bicentennial in 2009 is Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes, the doctor-writer who was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts on August 29, 1809.Through Holmes's lengthy life and career (he was alive in every decade of the 19th century), he would be a doctor, professor, medical reformer, poet, author, essayist, lecturer... a true Renaissance Man. However, many of his major works were not

Poe stays sober

2009-08-27T07:59:00.013-04:00

Perhaps the biggest event in Poe's life which inspired this blog, what occurred on August 27, 1849 continues to surprise casual readers of Poe who thought they already knew all about the man...On August 27, 1849, Edgar A. Poe pledged to abstain from alcohol and stay sober indefinitely. It was a Monday evening when he was initiated into the Shockoe Hill Division (no. 54) of the Sons of Temperance,

Great Astronomical Discoveries

2009-08-25T07:43:00.007-04:00

GREAT ASTRONOMICAL DISCOVERIESLately MadeBY SIR JOHN HERSCHEL, L.L.D, F.R.S, &c.At The Cape of Good Hope.So read the headline in the August 25, 1835 issue of the New York Sun, supposedly a reprint from the Edinburgh Journal of Science. The article proudly reported that Sir John Herschel, the son of an astronomer who followed his father's footsteps, had built the most powerful telescope in the

Birth of Aubrey Beardsley

2009-08-21T18:08:00.001-04:00

English illustrator Aubrey Beardsley was born on August 21, 1872. I don't know much about him, but I know his illustrations of the works of Poe are brilliant. These black and white images uniquely capture Poe's vision: strangely dark, yet slightly exotic, each is simple, yet hauntingly beautiful. The examples below date to 1901, so far as I can tell."The Murders in the Rue Morgue""The Black Cat""

Lovecraft and Poe

2009-08-20T11:19:00.005-04:00

Howard Phillips Lovecraft was born August 20, 1890. He went on to become an important writer of horror and science fiction. His name is rarely mentioned without immediately mentioning one of his important inspirations: Edgar Poe. Lovecraft invented in an entire world for his work and Poe's influence on him is unmistakable. In fact, Lovercraft even wrote a poem inspired by Poe:“In a Sequester’d

The Black Cat: probable events with improbable circumstances

2009-08-19T08:10:00.008-04:00

August 19, 1843 saw the first publication of one of Poe's most famous works. The Saturday Evening Post published "The Black Cat" in its issue with that date. In fact, the story was featured right on the front page. The editors noted:"The Black Cat," by Mr. Poe, is written in that vein of his which no other American writer can imitate, or has, successfully. The accompaniment of probable events

The Poetic Principle: A rich intellectual treat

2009-08-17T07:45:00.002-04:00

Edgar Poe presented an evening lecture on August 17, 1849 in Richmond titled "The Poetic Principle." The lecture, which adapted a similar one presented in Providence, Rhode Island in December 1848, was held at the Exchange Hotel. It began at 8:00 p.m. and admission was 25 cents. Poe spoke to a room filled to capacity.Poe's appearance was a highly-anticipated event in the city which embraced him

Birth of Virginia Clemm

2009-08-15T08:26:00.006-04:00

Happy birthday to Virginia Eliza Clemm, who was born August 15, 1822.* She would have been 187 today.What more can be said about Virginia that hasn't been said here already? I've wrote about the only surviving letter from Poe to his wife, their unusual marriage (and uncertain anniversary date), and the Valentine's poem she wrote to her husband — just to name a few. Today, I'd like to introduce

Poe's place in literary history

2009-08-14T08:30:00.005-04:00

Poe's place in literary history is occasionally questioned. Should he be considered a master of American literature? Does he deserve a place in the canon? Is he really important? I might be biased so take my opinion with a grain of salt (this post will shift away from my more academic tone and may, in fact, turn into starry-eyed gushing over my favorite author). Here's my argument: even if you

In memoriam: James Russell Lowell

2009-08-12T08:39:00.008-04:00

I have written about James Russell Lowell many times on this blog. He weaves in and out of the story of Poe so much, it's hard to separate the two. It's even harder, however, to distinctly categorize their relationship.The December 1841 issue of Graham's Magazine printed Poe's first acknowledgment of Lowell, ten years his junior. In this edition of Poe's "Chapter on Autography," he wrote: "Mr. J.

Bitten by "The Gold-Bug," cont'd

2009-08-08T07:58:00.007-04:00

It's hard for some to believe that the single most successful of Poe's prose works during his lifetime was not a horror story. In fact, the most-read story and the one which earned him the most money was an adventure tale called "The Gold-Bug." In the story, which is set in South Carolina, a seemingly mad loner named Legrand discovers a gold scarab which he believes is the key to buried treasure.

Bicentennial of Tennyson

2009-08-06T09:13:00.002-04:00

Speaking of bicentennials, today marks the 200th birthday of Alfred, Lord Tennyson. Born August 6, 1809, Tennyson went on to become an important canonical poet not only in his native England, which granted him the title of Poet Laureate, but also worldwide. Among his most well-known works are "The Charge of the Light Brigade," "Ulysses," the lengthy In Memoriam A.H.H., and Idylls of the King.Poe

The libel suit, cont'd

2009-08-04T14:46:00.006-04:00

Edgar Poe sued editors of the Weekly Mirror and its supplemental Evening Mirror, alleging libel. Poe had been accused of forgery and borrowing money under false pretenses. The defendants, editor Hiram Fuller and assistant editor Augustus W. Clason Jr., put in a plea of "not guilty" at the preliminary hearing, held August 4, 1846 at New York City Hall. The judge ordered a trial, scheduled for the

A mesmeric republication

2009-08-03T19:01:00.010-04:00

Poe often revised and reprinted his works to purposefully improve them and expand his audience. Other times, his works were reprinted without his permission, thanks to the piracy-laden culture of reprinting in American publishing (in some cases, publishers would sell the works to other publishers, without checking with the writer). One example of this is the August 3, 1844 issue of the New World

A tale of two sailors

2009-08-01T10:10:00.006-04:00

Herman Melville was born August 1, 1819 in New York City, just over ten years after Poe's birth. The two would never cross paths but they certainly have connections. Both were under-appreciated during their lifetime, especially for works they were particularly proud of (Moby-Dick for Melville, Eureka: A Prose Poem for Poe, for example). Both made substantial enemies, both literary and personal,

Silence like a sea that overwhelms

2009-07-31T12:18:00.007-04:00

Perhaps the quintessential Poe short story that few have read, "The Premature Burial" was published for the first time in the July 31, 1844 issue of Philadelphia's Dollar Newspaper. Only a few of Poe's works feature the concept of being buried alive, yet, for some reason, I often read that Poe was obsessed that he would be buried prematurely. It's hard to say if this is true but I have yet to

The perfect whiteness of the snow

2009-07-30T08:19:00.005-04:00

The New York publishers Harper & Brothers published a short, two-volume work on July 30, 1838. Presented as an apparent true story with the help of a "Mr. Poe, lately editor of the Southern Literary Messenger," its title, in full, was:THE NARRATIVE OF ARTHUR GORDON PYM OF NANTUCKET: Comprising the Details of Mutiny and Atrocious Butchery on Board the American Brig Grampus, on Her Way to the South

The Beautiful Cigar Girl

2009-07-28T08:17:00.006-04:00

A shocking discovery was made in Hoboken, New Jersey on July 28, 1841: the body of Miss Mary Cecilia Rogers was found floating in the Hudson River. Rogers, a cigar salesgirl in Manhattan, had only gone missing a couple days prior. The discovery of her body confirmed suspicions that she was murdered.Known for her good looks, she was nicknamed "The Beautiful Cigar Girl." Her boss, John Anderson,

Poe sues for libel

2009-07-23T07:53:00.006-04:00

Editor Hiram Fuller and his associates at the Evening Mirror had a bit of back and forth on Poe, accusing him of being "a poor creature... in a condition of sad, wretched imbecility" (July 20, 1846) as well as having a "habit of misrepresentation... and malignity is so much a part of his nature, that he continually goes out of his way to do ill-natured things" (July 23, 1846). Finally, Poe had

The Martha arrives in the United States

2009-07-21T08:30:00.004-04:00

After 36 days at sea, an 11-year old Edgar A. Poe returned to the United States on July 21, 1820. The ship, named Martha, left Liverpool on June 16; it docked in New York City just over a month later and, as the local newspaper reported, passengers included "J & F Allan, E A Poe," and others. "J & F Allan," of course, are John and Frances Allan — Poe's foster-parents.John Allan brought the family

The Red Death returns

2009-07-19T08:09:00.008-04:00

Poe often republished his works, particularly when he was editor/owner of the Broadway Journal. My guess is that, always looking to fill space, he constantly had new versions of his previously-published works on hand. One example is the July 19, 1845 issue of the Broadway Journal, when Poe published a work formerly known as "The Mask of the Red Death: A Fantasy." This new version was renamed "The

Poe, puffs, and North Carolina

2009-07-15T18:50:00.014-04:00

Poe's first job as a critic was in August 1835 when he was hired by the Southern Literary Messenger. Poe brought to the SLM a new style of criticism which distinctly broke away from the "puffs" that plagued American periodicals. In those days, critics were bribed or paid off to provide positive reviews by publishers or authors — or, in some cases, the system of puffing was so ingrained, no

A wedding and a death

2009-07-13T10:06:00.011-04:00

At a ceremony held at St. John's Protestant Episcopal Church in Baltimore, presided over by "Rev. Mr. Wyatt," William Clemm Jr. married Maria Poe on July 13, 1817.Maria Poe was the younger sister of David Poe, Jr. — other siblings were John Hancock Poe, William Poe, George Washington Poe, Samuel Poe, and Elizabeth Poe. She was William Clemm's second wife and their marriage would produce three

Mrs. Shelton is widowed

2009-07-12T07:51:00.010-04:00

Alexander Barrett Shelton died of pneumonia at the age of 37 on July 12, 1844 in Richmond, Virginia. He left behind his widow, Sarah Elmira Shelton, and two children — as well as an estate valued at $100,000 (in 1844 dollars, equal to about $2.2 million today). He made his fortune in the transportation industry as the co-owner of a substantial boat route along the James River.Poe met the widow