Biographical Sketch
A). Upbringing: Even though both of Poe’s parents were ambulant actors, he was brought up in a life of utter poverty, along with a brother and a sister. Poe’s childhood was quite unstable because since the family was constantly traveling. In 1811, after the death of his parents, Poe was taken into foster care by John and Frances Allan, a wealthy couple in Richmond. Poe’s life was quite comfortable thereafter, although he was not as close to his foster father as he was to his foster mother. Between 1815 and 1820 Poe studied at a school in the outskirts of London since was living in England then ("Neurotic poets: Edgar").
B). Work Life and Accomplishments: Poe started writing poetry when he was fifteen (Lepore, 2009) in 1824. In 1826, a year after the opening of the University of Virginia, Poe enrolled at the school. After studying merely a year in the University, Poe enlisted in the U.S. Army and then the U.S. Military, while he continued writing, and two books of his poetry, including , Al Aaraaf, Tamerlane and Minor Poems, were published during this time. Soon after being court-martialed from the military academy, Poe’s Poems was published in 1831. Poe is known for his trademark macabre and mysterious stories, which were first seen when his Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque was published in 1840. Before his life went downhill, the most famous poem that Poe wrote throughout his literary career was The Raven, which was published in 1845.
C). Personal life: Poe and his foster father already had a strained relationship, and the final straw was when his foster father refused to pay the significant gambling debts Poe had racked up as a result of his bad gambling problem ("Edgar Allan Poe"). After his dismissal from the military, Poe’s elder brother died of tuberculosis. At the age of twenty-six, Poe fell in love with his first cousin Virginia Clemm, and the two eventually got married. After almost 12 years of being married, his wife Virginia also died of tuberculosis. Poe became an alcoholic during the time of his wife’s illness. Many women came and went in Poe’s life, and he apparently, even married Elmira Royster Shelton, who was a widow. Poe’s childhood was lonely, he had never really been able to connect with people in his life, and those whom he cared about ultimately died.
Analyzing Edgar Allan Poe’s Behavior from a Neuropsychology Perspective
Edgar Allan Poe and his life and work were plagued with depression, tragedy, mystery, alcoholism and drugs. Although Poe was an intelligent man his life was very tragic. Poe had a vast imagination since he experimented with various forms of opium. Poe can be diagnosed with neurosis considered the chain of events that occurred throughout his life.
A year before his mother’s death, his father left the family. After his parents’ death, it was fortunate for Poe that he was adopted by a wealthy couple, lived a somewhat comfortable life and received good education. The onset of Poe’s neurosis started with depression when his foster father disowned him for the large gambling debt he fell into. That was when he started drinking alcohol. Poe would drink whenever he felt troubled and would find solace in alcohol. Poe became a complete alcoholic after the death of his wife, and his writing thereafter reflected further signs of his neurosis.
Poe’s life had been depressing and tragic. Yet, through his personal tragedies, Poe created a whole new literary genre. It is no surprise that he may have been neurotic since he was dependent on alcohol and drugs, and some of his most phenomenal poems and stories were really mysterious, were full of macabre, and revolved around some of the most bizarre themes from a socio-cultural perspective and neuroscience perspective.
References
Neurotic poets: Edgar allan poe. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.neuroticpoets.com/poe/
Edgar Allan Poe biography. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.biography.com/people/edgar-allan-poe-9443160
Quinn, A., & Rosenheim, S. (1997). Edgar Allan Poe: A critical biography. (1st ed., Vol. VOL 2). New York: The John Hopkins University Press.
Lepore, J. (2009, Apr 27). The humbug. Retrieved from http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/atlarge/2009/04/27/090427crat_atlarge_lepore
