A Historical Guide to Edgar Allan Poe

Displaying scant interest in native scenes or materials, Poe seems the most un-American of American writers during an era of literary nationalism; yet he was at the same time a pragmatic magazinist, fully engaged in popular culture and intensely concerned with the "republic of letters" in the United States. This volume contains an introduction that considers the tension between Poe's "otherwordly" settings and his historically marked representations of violence, as well as a capsule biography situating Poe in his historical context. The historical essays in this book cover such topics as Poe and the American Publishing Industry. Poe's Sensationalism, Poe's relationship to gender constructions, and Poe and American Privacy. the volume also includes a bibliographic essay, a chronology of Poe life, a bibliography, illustrations, and an index.