Edgar Allan Poe

Guide for Interpreting

P. 294 - Edgar Allan Poe

1. Where and in what year was Poe born? How are his parents described?

2. What happened to Poe's father shortly after his birth? What happened to his mother?

3. Who was Poe taken in by? Why did Poe eventually have to leave the University of Virginia?

4. What caused an irreparable break between Poe and his stepfather?

5. In what year did Poe die? How was his life described at the time of death?

6. What is Poe known as the inventor of?

P. 294 - Background for Understanding

7. What year was "The Fall of the House of Usher" first published?

P. 295 - Literary Focus

8. What was Poe the first writer to do?

9. Describe Poe's theory about the "single effect" in writing.

P. 295 - Grammar and Style

10. What are "coordinate adjectives"?

P. 295 - Build Vocabulary

11. What is the meaning of the Latin root, "voc"?