Edgar Allan Poe Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Edgar Allan Poe - Essay Example As Quinn (119) states, at the age of 18 Poe joined the United States army claiming that he was 22 years old and served there for two years. He released his first book of poetry named ‘Tamerlane and Other Poems’, relying on his salaries from the army. However the book got little noticed in the market. Frank (5) illustrates Poe’s biography that in 1829 when he was 20 years old, Poe enlisted in the west point military academy but unfortunately got dismissed just after one year; again in 1831 he moved to Baltimore where his aunt Eliza Clemm had lived. From there, he fell in love with his young cousin Virginia whom he married later. This marriage and thereby increased family obligations influenced him to think about a new income source. In 1833 he won a contest for his story ‘MS found in a Battle’. As described in the article ‘Edgar Allan Poe’ on www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/130 , Poe enthusiastically accepted the post of an editor as well as contributor of the Southern Literary Messenger. Subsequently, he worked with other publications such as Gentleman’s Magazine, Graham’s Magazine, Evening Mirror and Godey’s Lady’s Book; and it was the starting point of his career as an appreciated critic and essayist.