by Sarah Huth

Created on: July 08, 2008

Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849) is best known for being both melancholy and macabre; he was the original master of horrific mysteries and suspenseful tales of terror. An American poet, short-story author, editor, and literary critic, his own life was filled with despair and misery. Both of his parents died when he was very young, leading him to be raised by an aunt and uncle. In 1835, Poe married his thirteen year old cousin, who died two years later through complications involving tuberculosis. He was extremely poor for the majority of his life, and suffered from suicidal thoughts and urges. Even Poe's own death is shrouded in both mystery and suspicion; the actual cause is still technically unknown, though it has been said to have been due to everything from alcohol, brain congestion, cholera, drugs, heart disease, rabies, suicide, and tuberculosis over the years. Poe's work lives on, however, as a chilling reflection of the hardships he endured. It has been cited and used in everything from film to music, with "The Raven" being one of the most popular and recognizable American poems to date.

Even those that aren't great fans of Poe or haven't even read the entire poem are able to recognize the first few lines of "The Raven", or recall the Raven's cryptic uttering of, "Nevermore". The poem follows the story of a man wallowing in sorrow after the death of his precious Lenore. It's midnight and the middle of December, and the man is "weak and weary" as he dozes off after reading a large book of "forgotten lore". He is woken up, however, by some tapping at the door. Somewhat startled, he assures himself that it is only a visitor and "nothing more". His fire is almost burnt out, with "each separate dying ember's ghost upon the floor", and he reveals that he's been trying to find relief in his books all night; trying hard to ease the sorrow that the loss of Lenore has caused. He's somewhat frightened, so that even the "rustling of each purple curtain" makes him jump and fill with terror, and now this knocking his him even more unnerved. He continues to tell himself that it is only "some late visitor...nothing more."

He finally becomes brave enough to check the door, calling out to whoever is there and apologizing for not answering sooner, saying that he had been asleep. Upon opening the door, however, he is startled to find "darkness there and nothing more". Even more frightened than ever now, the man stares into the darkness, "dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to

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