Most renowned for his 19th-century poems and short stories, Edgar Allan Poe continues to inspire students. Important to keep relevant to modern writers, Poe’s work is both remarkable and dark and has been introduced to Wilsonville students (especially sophomores). 

Mastermind Edgar Allan Poe began his classical education by studying French, Latin, and historical literature. According to Suzie Sappia from Seattle College and High Education: “It was only after the French poet Charles Baudelaire began to recognize the genius in Poe’s work that American appreciation for his work soared.”

With his career expanding after his death in 1845, Poe truly emerged as an American literature icon. Readers worked to “solve” Poe’s written mysteries while reading.

He influenced other authors, too, such as George Bernard Shaw, H.G. Wells, and poet W.H. Auden. By the mid-20th century, Poe joined Twain, Melville, Hawthorne, and Hemingway on American high school reading lists. 

Admired for his effortless use of metaphor, mood, assonance, tone, and voice, Edgar Allan Poe fosters both entertainment and literary education. Poe’s work contributed to several genres, and he benefited other authors as a critic and editor. 

Known as the brooding, lonely genius, Poe’s work has elucidated monotony and the exploration of the human psyche. His themes of despair, suspense, and the nuances of romance intrigue many students.

Despite this, most students today aren’t familiar with Poe or his work. Tenth-grade English teacher Mrs. Heaton shared, “His writing has intrigued people for over 100 years, and the references to him in popular culture are vast.”

Heaton continues, explaining, “By studying his writing, even just dabbling in it, students are being introduced to someone who will be alluded to at some time in their future. They will be a part of the larger cultural understanding.”

According to some people, his writing appears through morbid imagery and cadence-laced texts. Poe’s stories speak to readers in a way different from any other American author of his time. 

Students at Wilsonville High School enjoy interpreting and contemplating the depth of Poe’s work. Heaton includes, “Students wrote the most fabulous two-sentence horror stories! They took the ideas of flash fiction and stories with twists and played around with powerful word choice and sentence structure.”

Connecting the curriculum to Poe, Heaton incorporates his work and reflects positively on her teaching, “Tackling difficult literature within a supportive and fun environment can build confidence and reading skills.”

An anonymous student source from WHS states it as, “Probably not the best moral for people…that they need to have tragedy to be great.”

Although Poe’s writing is dark, another student says, “His poems may be a bit dark and unsettling, like “The Raven,” but it’s not inappropriate to the point of being non-friendly for high school.”

Edgar Allan Poe had a distinguished style of writing and a lasting contribution to American literature.