Edgar Allen Poe…

is considered one of the most significant authors of gothic horror from 19th century America. Whilst writing his pieces, he had an impressive ability to make you feel exactly the emotion he wished to evoke. – Loneliness, frightened, nervous or disturbed; his writing also gives you a feel of the dark and disconnected man he was.

His face, distinctive and memorable, was crooked with a head of thick black hair and he had a distant, yet intelligent look in his heavy eyes. This distinguishing look fits well with his reputation for writing dark and intense work. 

It is not difficult to assume that Poe’s brooding past had an impact on his gothic and eerie writing. His life was filled with poverty and grief; including the loss of his wife. In later life, he was known to struggle greatly with alcohol and was found intoxicated before his death; however, the actual cause of death remains uncertain.

Despite being best known for his poetry and horror-filled short stories…

Edgar was an adaptable and well-rounded writer. Published amongst other work were detective stories, an adventure novel and a large number of book reviews. As Edgar was also a literacy critic himself, he took extra attention in his form and writing-style. The aim to demand the reader’s attention as he writes in great depth about love, life, and grief; the events we relate to with real emotion, in a chilling and addictively catching way. 

“The Tell-Tale Heart” in The Pioneer: A Literary and Critical Magazine, page 29

His style of writing and his brilliant use of words made Edgar stand out amongst other writers of his time. His tone danced with clever use of punctuation, using short and snappy sentences to create suspense in his writing.

Examples of this are found in one of his best-known stories, The Tell-Tale Hearts. A story of the guilt a man feels after planning and murdering an old man and hiding the body under the floorboards. This story takes you through the feeling of guilt as the unnamed author, considered insane, tells his wicked, yet almost remorseful, story.  Good choice of words is one of the greatest skills Edgar had and picked every one carefully.

 

For another insightful article into the life of another writer of mystery of ghost stories please see – A death veiled in mystery ambrose bierce