The Life of Edgar Allan Poe
The biography portrays Poe's life as a tragic figure, marked by poverty and personal struggles. It highlights his early years, including his foster family and education at the University of Virginia. The work also explores his writing career, including his success with "The Raven" and his struggles with addiction. Lowell critiques Poe's character, labeling him as eccentric and unstable.
By James Russell Lowell · First published 1845 · Genre: Biography, Literary Criticism, Romanticism · 3,601 words
First lines
The situation of American literature is anomalous. It has no centre, or, if it have, it is like that of the sphere of Hermes. It is divided into many systems, each revolving round its several suns, and often presenting to the rest only the faint glimmer of a milk-and-water way. Our capital city, unlike London or Paris, is not a great central heart from which life and vigor radiate to the extremities, but resembles more an isolated umbilicus stuck down as near as may be to the centre of the land, and seeming rather to tell a legend of former usefulness than to serve any present need. Boston, New York, Philadelphia, each has its literature almost more distinct than those of the different dialects of Germany; and the Young Queen of the West has also one of her own, of which some articulate rumor barely has reached us dwellers by the Atlantic.
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The Life of Edgar Allan Poe is listed on Textopian as an essay by James Russell Lowell, dated 1845 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Essay
- Author: James Russell Lowell
- Date: 1845 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Biography, Literary Criticism, Romanticism, Gothic Fiction, Historical
- Length: 3,601 words
- Structure: 1 section, 25 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
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- Work identity for The Life of Edgar Allan Poe by James Russell Lowell
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Similar titles
- The Death Of Edgar Allan Poe by N. P. Willis
- Edgar Allan Poe by Hervey Allen
- Sir Walter Scott by James Mcintyre
- Edgar Allan Poe by W. H. R.
- The Poet And The Poem by Elizabeth Stuart Phelps Ward
- Poe by James Mcintyre
Genres
- Biography — The work provides a detailed account of the life and experiences of a significant literary figure.
- Literary Criticism — It includes analysis and critique of the subject's works and contributions to literature.
- Romanticism — The themes reflect the emotional depth and individualism characteristic of the Romantic movement.
- Gothic Fiction — Elements of mystery, horror, and the supernatural are present in the subject's literary style.
Tags
Biography · Literary Criticism · Poe's Life · American Literature · 19th Century · Poet · Writer · Mystery · Darkness · Gothic · Romanticism · Symbolism