Grace Lapointe | Jan 14, 2022 Edgar Allan Poe was one of the all-time most inventive and versatile authors in American literature. He was also one of the first U.S. writers to support himself through his writing. Born Edgar Poe in Boston in 1809, after his father left his family and his mother died, he was raised mainly in Richmond, Virginia, by the Allan family. He died in Baltimore in 1849 at age 40 from causes that are still unclear. Poe’s stories convey in a few pages what some writers take hundreds of pages to tell. They contain wordplay and symbolism but also anticipate more realistic writers like Fyodor Dostoevsky. Before the formal field of psychology existed, Poe’s stories explored guilt, paranoia, delusions, and obsessions. Poe helped create the overlapping moods and genres of horror, mystery, historical fiction, slipstream, and science fiction and fantasy as we know them today. Known mainly as a literary critic…

Edgar Allan Poe or Jane Austen? A spirited debate between 2 Boston College professors. Source: Boston College Magazine Edgar Allan Poe or Jane Austen?

Happy 171st Birthday to Alice Liddell – the inspiration for Alice in Wonderland! Born on May 4, 1852. Interesting that the story’s image of Alice is a matter of dispute. Obviously, it is not the illustration of the original Alice. Carroll sent a photograph of another child friend, Mary Hilton Badcock to the book’s illustrator, but whether or not the artist actually used it is cloudy. A letter Carroll wrote suggests the illustrator did not. Either way Alice Liddell had a life of adventure and helped to establish stories we know and love. You can read more about her life here and the illustration of the story in this article. Alice Liddell (right) with her sisters circa 1859, photographed by Lewis Carroll Liddell aged 7, photographed by Lewis Carroll in 1860

We love quotes here at Poe in Wonderland and what better than Christmas ones? Here are some good ones. Enjoy and may you have a lovely holiday season! Source: The Vienna Blog.com50 Best Motivational Christmas Quotes of All Time Source: Shutterfly Christmas Quotes55+ Christmas Quotes to Help You Celebrate the Season “I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.” – Charles Dickens “Christmas Day is in our grasp, as long as we have hands to clasp! Christmas Day will always be, just as long, as we have we! Welcome Christmas while we stand, heart to heart, and hand in hand!” –Dr. Seuss “T’was the night before Christmas, when all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.” – Clement Clarke Moore “At Christmas, all roads lead home.” – Marjorie Holmes “The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree: the…

Did you know that the Poe Museum in Richmond, Virginia is home to two black cats – Edgar and Pluto? Ten years ago a group of black kittens were found beside the Poe bust in the Enchanted Garden. Their mama and siblings went to homes and the other two are the mascots at the venue. They are also the stars of their very own calendar and they are for sale beginning November 25th. You can, however, get them early if you’re a Poe Museum member. You can join here. You can read more about them in our post “The Poe Museum’s Cats”. You can also follow their adventures on Instagram @edgarandpluto.

We all need motivation in our lives to keep us moving forward. Words are powerful motivators and we found quotes from authors, scientists, politicians, and more to stir our emotions. Here are 23 quotes that we hope you’ll like and remember. “It is better to fail in originality than to succeed in imitation.” — Herman Melville “We cannot solve problems with the kind of thinking we employed when we came up with them.” — Albert Einstein “Stay away from those people who try to disparage your ambitions. Small minds will always do that, but great minds will give you a feeling that you can become great too.” — Mark Twain “Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love…