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Poe`s life is often described in his short stories and letters, especially the long beginnings of his stories are typical for the author. It sometimes seems like that Poe`s biography is a story written by himself. During his childhood many members of the family have died, these circumstances strongly influenced him and his style of writing.
His father was known as a drinker, also Poe suffered a little from alcohol. His mother and brother always stayed ill, both died of tuberculosis and his sister was mentally handicapped. But it would be wrong to say that Edgar was also mentally handicapped due to his genetic heritage. Poe was often considered to be crazy but this can be denied.
True is that he often suffered from sudden unconsciousness but the name of his illness today is unknown.
Here are more facts which influenced his style:
As the son of an actor he was defied, this status was considered as iferior, he lived in poor conditions. The rapid changes of his social staus during his life also have influenced his style. But it shouldn`t be forgotten that Poe
has had a very good school education while he was under the authority of the Allans. He spoke latin and french and was good in history and literature. Certainly, Poe`s abilities didn`t only come from his circumstances he had also much talent.
Edgar Allan Poe\'s short stories are \"Gothic\" literature. Although this term originally applied only to stories set in the Gothic (or medieval) period, it has been extended to include a certain type of writing. In order for literature to be \"Gothic,\" it must fulfill several requirements. First, it must set a tone that is gloomy, dark, and threatening. Then, the events that take place must be strange, melodramatic, or evil. Other examples of Gothic literature are Mary Shelley\'s Frankenstein and Emily Brontë\'s Wuthering Heights. Poe\'s short stories are considered Gothic Literature because of their eerie atmosphere and strange plot developments.
In the title of an 1840 edition of his collection Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque, Poe divided his short stories into those two categories, the grotesque and the arabesque, terms most often used in works of art (painting, etc.). Grotesque art often involves monsters and wilderness, whereas arabesque art usually involves a complex and geometric pattern. In relation to Poe\'s tales, then, the grotesque could refer to more realistic stories with human interaction. The arabesque are stories that involve very few people but many ideas, and are frequently set in abstract locations.
It`s the mixture of a hard childhood, intelligence and talent which make Poe so interesting to read.
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