The eNotes Blog Edgar Allan Poe Un-Masqued 10 Things You Didnt Know About the GothicWriter

Edgar Allan Poe Un-Masqued 10 Things You Didnt Know About the GothicWriter Youd be hard-pressed to find a student that doesnt enjoy (or, at the very least, find interesting) one of Edgar Allan Poes short stories- even if you polled  the most literature-hating students, theyd  still be able to quoth the raven everslightly. Poes stories and poems  have  a unique staying power with many readers, whether theyre  keen on  his Dark Romantic writing or  hungry to latch  onto anything taught in class to  fuel angst-ridden high school  years (*cough* totally was me *cough*).  If the  questions we get on are any indication  of  readers endless fascinations of Poeit holds  completely true. Our Homework Help content library is chock full of interesting questions that delve into Poes  writing style, explain his important influences, and reveal some  quirky bits of trivia. They are asked by students seeking  essay help  and by  casual readers looking to expand their  knowledge alike. Did you know that Poe had his own Sherlock-esque character, or  that gifts mysteriously appear on his tombstone? If not, read on. Here are ten fascinating Homework Help questions to help you learn  a little bit more about the man behind the masque. 1. What inspired Edgar Allan Poe to write? Poe probably considered himself primarily a poet, and he wrote poetry to express his feelings. There never has been much money in poetry, and Poe was alwayscontinue  reading  Ã¢â€ â€™ 2.  Is it true that Edgar Allan Poe did not suffer from mental illness or drug addiction? According to Poe’s bitter enemy Dr. Thomas Dunn English, Poe did not have a drug addictioncontinue reading  Ã¢â€ â€™ 3.  In Poes literary works, how does he generally create mood? The mood in a story is the atmosphere that pervades the work with the intention of evoking a certain emotion or feeling from the reader. Edgar Allan Poe evokes specific moods in his short stories in several ways.   Most of his stories are gloomy, horrific, and eeriecontinue reading  Ã¢â€ â€™ 4.  How did Edgar Allan Poes work reflect white American culture? Part of the point of this question is to make you apply some version of what critics call critical race theory or whiteness theory to Poecontinue reading  Ã¢â€ â€™ 5.  What was Edgar Allan Poes signature writing style? Edgar Allan Poe wrote short stories and poems. His stories are of two types: horror stories, which are his most distinctive, and detective storiescontinue reading  Ã¢â€ â€™ 6.  Do Edgar Allan Poes stories provide any information about his personal life? While it is tempting to want to read many of Poes works as being about his own personal life, or even to assume they are autobiographical, generally this is known to be untruecontinue reading  Ã¢â€ â€™ 7.  Did Transcendentalism affect Edgar Allan Poes writing? Transcendentalism affected Edgar Allan Poe’s literature because he abhorred it. Poe’s writing, considered part of the American Romantic period, was Dark Romanticcontinue reading  Ã¢â€ â€™ 8.  Someone has left a bottle of cognac and roses on Edgar Allan Poe’s grave since 1949. Has anyone ever discovered who it is and why? Any ideas? As the 207th anniversary of the birth of Edgar Allan Poe falls on the 19th of January, 2016, speculation again revolves around the identity of the individual or individuals responsible for a decades-long tradition of placing three roses and half-empty bottle of cognac on the late poet and author’s gravecontinue reading  Ã¢â€ â€™ 9.  What are the similarities and differences between Edgar Allan Poe and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle when it comes to their writing styles, themes, and their  method of â€Å"crime-solving† Arthur Conan Doyle did not shy away from acknowledging the influences upon his own writings- notably his American predecessor Edgar Allan Poecontinue reading  Ã¢â€ â€™ 10.  Was Edgar Allan Poe insane? Is Stephen King insane? Or any other author of horror and/or gothic fiction? Despite the dark nature of his poems and short stories, we dont have the evidence to say whether he was mentally illcontinue reading (multiple answers!)→ Homework Help is a great way to get homework help (its in the name!) or to simply learn something new. Read  more of our answered Poe questions and his bio and works, and, as always,  remember to ask your own questions to our team on any subject matter. Happy learning!