Edgar Allan Poe – Tormented Genius? | Documentary

My beautiful sister absolutely loved Edgar Allen Poe. She turned me on to him. I owe everything to her.. her love for literature. I believe she read everything he wrote. She wrote beautiful poetry also. Sadly she succumbed to lupus and died at 45!! Thanks for making this video!!! Take care!!

I memorized The Raven in high school and still can recite much of it. It is melodic.

I've already left a comment but would like to share this anecdote from my substitute teaching days. Anyone who's been a substitute teacher will understand what it feels like to try singlehandedly to keep the inmates from taking over the asylum. This was a class of 6th graders and my goal was to subdue them. I found a copy of 'The Tell Tale Heart' on the bookshelf. Fat chance I thought, but I was desperate and it was worth a shot. None of the students had heard of Poe, so I gave them a brief background (all I knew.) As soon as I started reading the class became very quiet. Honestly, it was almost eerie. From there to the end of the story you could have heard a pin drop. Forty years later I wonder what those student would remember about their reactions to Poe's book. And wouldn't Poe be surprised to hear he worked such magic?!

A lot of his writing, the narrators of his stories, exhibit classic ocd symptoms. It speaks to me as a sufferer. He was my favorite writer long before I was diagnosed. People think ocd is hand washing and checking lights but it is also so much more and so very, very tormenting. I don’t find it hard to believe he suffered from constant intrusive thoughts and tried, compulsively, to rid himself of them. Drug use disorder is a common comorbidity of ocd sufferers as well. For someone that wasn’t diagnosed with the disorder he seemed to have a very deep understanding of what it was like to live with it. Just my two cents. It’s sad that he suffered so much. Even tho there’s no evidence, medical records, etc, he’s become a folk hero among ocd sufferers bc of how relatable his writings are. He was brilliant. It’s a shame he fell to his demons.

I found an illustrated volume of Poe's stories in the house and read them all when I was far too young. The Pit and the Pendulum, in particular, haunted me for years.

The actor who played Poe in The Pale Blue Eye was fantastic. I hope he continues to play Poe in other films. If you are a Poe fan and haven't seen the film, you are in for a treat!

We studies Edgar Allen Poe in my Literature class in 1963. My teacher was wonderful and I was hooked enough to read any poems, and stories available. This was a fantastic documentary on his life. Having a brilliant friend who passed much the same way, I must agree with you about his sad end. I wish he had been appreciated during his lifetime.

My second comment is about Rufus Wilmot Griswold. He was someone who was envious of Poe and had some real power in the papers. This man was worked hard to ruin Poe’s reputation posthumously.

I think Poe's Dream Within A Dream is one of the finest poems ever written. Whetever one feels about him as a character or his works he shall not be forgotten.

i really love him so much. i love his horrific stories and poems. he was a genius of his genre. he always puts me in the mood for spooky season. his unsolved/questionable death is really sad and tragic.

I always assumed Poe died of alcoholism, but I've never read enough about him to have heard other suggestions. He appeared to be a prime example of the definition of alcoholism being 'progressive and fatal.' It's easy to imagine the great life he could have lived without this horrible affliction. But then, who knows? Thanks again for another riveting video. Whether or not I think it will be of interest to me, everything you produce pulls me in. I love that because it creates new interests for further research. I really hope you keep going!

Poe's poem " Dreamland " is one of my favourite pieces of literature.

Such a sound documentary. Down to earth and intelligent. I have heard more detail about his true personality here than any of the documentaries I have watched. Just subscribed

Edgar is my favourite poet, along with Oscar Wilde and Lewis Carroll. I love that my name is Elizabeth. It says Edgar died in October yet his obit says September 7th. Why are there 2 dates? I think his darkness was due to the times and living through the white plague. Also could he have possibly passed away from alcohol and opium mixture? It sounds like a deadly combination. I was abandoned at 5 days old by my mom so I can relate to him feeling lost and depressed. It seems obvious when you have ever been through similar situations. I loved Vincent Price's portrayal of Poe's works in movies. Watching them as a child with my stepdad are part of my fondest memories as a child. Btw, I'm new to your channel and I love your content...subscribed ❤

Very well done. I think even Poe would begrudgingly give this a 👍

Edgar Allan Poe was simply too far ahead of his time to survive. His writing sounds amazingly modern, and his works are way more accessible to an average reader than much of the other writings from that time.

When you find a channel as wonderful as this how could you not sub? Thank you so much for a great piece of work x

I love poe, his writing, so descriptive, you felt you were there. You can even smell what he described, let alone feel what the surrounding environment . Then again I love alot of published writing that were published around 1800.

Poe is still one of my favorite writers. The Pit and the Pendulum is so scary. I love it. The Missing Letter is challenging.

Love your channel! So interesting!