Edgar Allan Poe's Contribution to American Gothic

Résumé ou Introduction

If we were to ask ourselves who Edgar Allan Poe was, what would we answer? The first answer that would enter our mind would probably be that he was an author of the very first horror books. It is also agreed that he was the father of the detective fiction novels. The second answer would perhaps refer to his complicated bibliographical aspects, where historians could only be supposing, guessing and claiming.

Some people search for the truth of Poe’s death. There are various sources claiming that he died of extensive intoxication; the others claim that he was sober and died due to some mysterious factors. Edgar Allan Poe did nothing to sharpen the blurred vision of his life, quite contrarily - he repeated the fictional stories to name but one - that he joined the Greek in their fight for liberty in 1828. Since no headstone was placed over Poe’s grave when he was buried, some have claimed it as to be right of his grandfather, others to the left. As for his burial, both October 8 and 9 have been recorder in various places. No thing can be stated with certainty. Some mysteries connected with Edgar Allan Poe will probably remain unsolved.

It is evident that Poe had been influenced by the richness of Gothic literary legacy which was available to him. When analyzing the subject of his writing, form, style and even occasional use of precise motifs as well as tone, Poe proves that his predecessors have had a sound effect on him. However, what is equally evident, is that Poe created the Gothic fiction of his own style and trend, and in fact the question which shall arise is in what ways Poe shaped the American Gothic as we perceive it nowadays.