Edgar Allan Poe

Use the following websites to answer the questions about the life and times of Edgar Allan Poe:

Website #1:

Poe Museum

1)When was Poe born?

2)What did his mother do for a living?

3)What tragedy occurs when Poe was less than three years old?

4)Who adopts Poe? Describe what his relationship was like with his foster father?

January 18, 1809-

October 7, 1849

Edgar Allan Poe (January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor and literary critic, considered part of the American Romantic Movement. Best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre, Poe was one of the earliest American practitioners of the short story and is considered the inventor of the detective-fiction genre. He is further credited with contributing to the emerging genre of science fiction. He was the first well-known American writer to try to earn a living through writing alone, resulting in a financially difficult life and career.

Web Scavenger hunt

Website #2:

Chronology of the Life of Edgar Allan Poe

1)In 1826, why didn’t things work out with Poe and his childhood sweetheart, Elmira Royster?

2)What city do Poe and his family move to in 1838?

3)What happened in Fordam, New York in 1847?

4)Where does Poe die on October 7, 1849?

Website #3:

Poe Stories

1) In what country besides the United States did Poe receive schooling? How long did Poe go to school there?

2) What university did Poe attend? Why did he have to drop out?

3) Poe worked as an editor for several newspapers and magazines, but always quit for the same reason. What was that reason?

4) What are the three myths or urban legends surrounding Poe’s death?

a) First Myth/Urban Legend

b) Second Myth/Urban Legend

c) Third Myth/Urban Legend

Website #4: Bonus

Knowing Poe

1) Why was Baltimore’s professional football team, the Baltimore Ravens, named after Edgar Allan Poe’s poem, “The Raven?”