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1、EdgarAllanPoe:DeathinHisLifeandWorksChapterⅠIntroductionThepopularityofanewliteraryinthelateeighteenthcentury,theGothicstory,wasowinggreatlytoEdgarAllanPoe,whose"horror"talesconjureupthedarksideofhumanbeing.EdgarAllanPoe’swritingissynonymouswithterror,
2、death,andGothichorror.Clearlyhehadanobsessionwiththetopicofdeath,aswellasanextremelymorbidfantasylife.Thesubjectofdeathmakesanexcellentclimacticplotdevice,asmanygenerationsofwritershavediscovered.ButthereisnoAmericanauthorwhodealtwithdeathmoreexclusive
3、lyormorememorablythanEdgarAllanPoe.InmostofPoe’sshortstories,hispreoccupationwithdeathrevealedthedownsideoftheAmericandream,andtheloneliness,whichresultedfrommaterialismandcompetition.AsKennethSilvermanremarksthatthereasonwhyEdgarAllanPoeisconfinedtohi
4、sdreadfulsubjectmaybeattributedtothelossofsomanyofhisfemalerelativesandlovedones:first,hismotherwhodiedwhenPoewasatanearlyage;thenhiswifeathisprime.ItwasthemiseryinhissoulthatprovidedPoewithhisuniqueperspectiveonreality.Poe'sfatherapparentlyabandonedhi
5、sfamilyaroundthetimeofEdgar'ssecondbirthday.HismothertookEdgar,hisbrotherandsisterwithhertoRichmond,andshediedthereinDecemberofthatyear.EdgarwasseparatedfromhissiblingsandplacedinthecareofcoupleAllan.EdgarwastakentoEnglandtospendhisearlychildhoodatpres
6、tigiousboardingacademies.WhilereturningtoRichmondin1820,Edgarcontinuedhiseducationatprivateschools,studyingverseandoratory.Poereceivedsupportandencouragementfromthemotherofaclassmate,JaneStithStanard,butshediedofbraintumorwhenhewasfifteenyearsold.Allan
7、lookeduponthiswomanashisidealizedmother,andheruntimelydeathwastheapparentcauseofhisfirstextendedperiodofpsychologicaldepression,duringwhichheoftenvisitedhergrave.14PoemarriedhiscousinVirginiaClemm,whowasjustthirteenyearsoldatthetime.In1842,hisyoungwife
8、Virginiasufferedaburstbloodvesselandcontractedtuberculosis.TheinfluenceofthelatteronPoe'smindmaybereflectedinPoe’sfrequentparticipationofextendeddrinkingbinges,hisfinalresorttotheliquorbottlesafterVirginia’sillnessbecamemoreserious.Poes
