Poe Review, 1

Episode 225 - Poe Review, 1 is a brief look (through a conversation with the ghost of Mr. Poe and George) regarding the 1st half of Mr. Poe’s life - his earliest years up to Stoke Newington.  Originally, I called this episode Catchup!, but I later decided that a better title might be Poe Review, 1.  The idea is for this podcast to relate events in Poe’s existence up to the half-way point in the story of his illustrious life. 

Sources include: Edgar Allan Poe: A Critical Biography by Arthur Hobson Quinn, The Poe Log: A Documentary Life of Edgar Allan Poe by Dwight R. Thomas and David K. Jackson, and the Life of Edgar A. Poe by Eugene L. Didier.

Transcript

George - plain text
Ghost of Mr. Poe - bold text

Welcome to Celebrate Poe - Episode 225 - Poe Review, 1.  Originally, I called this episode Catchup!, but I later decided that a better title might be Poe Review, 1.  And the next episode will be called Poe Review, 2.   And later throughout this podcast, I will have several episodes called Poe Review, 3, 4, 5 - you get the idea - the purpose of such episodes is to to keep you up to date regarding this podcast and the life of America’s Shakespeare.  Celebrate Poe has largely dealt with the first half of Poe’s life for roughly 200 episodes, so before this podcast begins a deep dive into the second portion of Poe’s life, I’d like to go through the fascinating first half of the writer’s existence with the ghost of Edgar Allan Poe.

Hello, Mr. Poe.

Greetings, Mr. Bartley.

First I’d like to start with your ancestors - specifically your great-grandfather and grandfather.  I believe the later was to play an important role in the Revolutionary War. Could you tell us about them?


Yes, I most highly welcome the opportunity. Now - you must remember this was a time when we especially respected the role of our ancestors.  My great-grandfather was John Poe. During the seventeenth century, John Poe and his wife emigrated to America and settled in Pennsylvania.  Their son, David Poe,  was my grandfather. Even though David held the rank of major in the Revolutionary War, he was affectionately referred to as “General” David Poe Sr.  He was definitely a strong and decisive man.  Yes, General David Poe firmly believed in the cause of the colonies’ independence from England.  He lived in Baltimore, and donated a sum of 40,000 to the struggle - I believe that would be the equivalent of almost half a million dollars today.  My grandfather’s generosity was greatly appreciated - and most needed by the struggling troops.

Am I saying too much?   

Not at all -  please, go on.


 General Lafayette toured the United States in 1824, he visited Baltimore to inquire about General Poe.  General Lafayette’s heart still overflowed with gratitude for my grandfather’s financial assistance during the Revolutionary War.  My grandfather’s widow informed General Lafayette that unfortunately her husband had passed away eight years ago,  General Lafayette then visited David Sr.’s grave to pay his deepest respects.


Could you tell us about David Poe’s children?


Yes, David Sr. and his wife, Elizabeth Cairnes had six children, several named after heroes of the American Revolution - John Hancock, William, George Washington, and Samuel (reminiscent of Adams.)  And then of course there was my father, David Poe, Jr.


Then would you tell us about your father.


David Poe Sr. planned for his son, David Poe Jr, to become a lawyer.  But my father desired to become an actor, and eventually the attractions of the stage won out.  You can imagine how my grandfather became livid when my father joined the Thespian Club in Baltimore to act full-time.  You see, acting was not considered a profitable or respectable profession.  My father was sent to his uncle’s house in Augusta, Georgia.  He soon left Augusta to live in Charleston, South Carolina - then a theatrical center.  My father thought that by living in Charleston he would have far more theatrical opportunities.


I can certainly see how that would be understandable. Until very recently, if a person is seriously interested in the theater, that person would often gravitate towards New York City because of its reputation as a theatrical center.

A passable analogy, Mr. Bartley.


Tell us about your mother’s descendants.


My dearest mother was the daughter of two actors, Henry Arnold and Elizabeth Smith, both of whom appeared at Covent Garden in London, in addition to other theatre towns in England.  They were married in 1784, and  their only child, Eliza was born two years later. Now one must understand that the theatre meant everything to my grandmother, as well as her young daughter.  To  Elizabeth and Eliza,, the stage was their work, their play, how they spent their time, and the center of  their existences. I would like to think that my grandmother Elizabeth, and especially my mother Eliza, gave me their innate creativity.  


So at this point were your mother and grandmother still in England?


Yes, but when my mother’s father, Henry, died, in 1793, my grandmother and mother supported themselves the only way they knew how.  They continued to perform on stage in England. Unfortunately the prospect of earning sufficient wages became more and more difficult. They decided that there would be more opportunities in America, and resolved to become actresses in what was then a relatively new nation. My grandmother and mother had no idea what their future might bring, but in 1795, they set sail accompanied by a Mr. Charles Tubbs for the United States.


Well, I guess the obvious question is “did they succeed in finding roles.”


Most scholars believe that just three months after my mother came to this country, she debuted on stage playing a character named Biddy Blair in the farce by Mr. David Garrick entitled Miss in Her Teens. Now remember, this was a rather challenging role, and she was only nine years old.


She was praised by the Portland Herald “Miss Arnold, in Miss Biddy, exceeded all praise.. Although a miss of only nine years old, her powers as an Actress will do credit to any of her sex of maturer age"


Later that year, my grandmother Elizabeth married Mr. Charles Tubbs, a musician.  They decided to join with a manager Mr. Edgar to form a theater troupe called the Charleston Comedians.  Perhaps that manager served as the source for my name.


Or perhaps I was named for the character of Edgar in Shakespeare’s King Lear - a play in which my mother received great acclaim in the role of Cordelia.

Nevertheless, when my grandmother died when they were in North Carolina.  Eliza DID stay with the theatre group.  Now it was common in the early 1800s to travel from city to city.  Theatre owners had to constantly produce a variety titles for an eager public,  so my mother learned many roles.  My mother was to play hundreds of parts in a most impressive career.  When she was fifteen, my mother married Mr. Charles Hopkins, but Mr. Hopkins died three years later, possibly of yellow fever. My dear mother was now an eighteen-year old widow.

Mr. Poe - this is where - you might say - you enter the picture.  The year is 1809 - In the United States, Thomas Jefferson was President of the U.S.A., Abraham Lincoln, Charles Darwin, and the distinguished subject of this podcast were all born on February 12. 

Yes, Mr. Lincoln was born in Kentucky - Mr. Darwin was born in England, and I was born in Boston - all on the same day - January 19, 1809.

Mr. Poe - could you briefly tell us about your parents. 

Certainly - I was the son of David and Elizabeth Arnold Poe, an actor and actress, who had married in Richmond in April 1806.  At this time the family is living at 33 Hollis Street.  An older brother, William Henry Leonard Pos, had been born in 1807.

During March of 1809, I was taken to Baltimore where I remained with my paternal grandparents until September.  And I would be remiss if I did not mention that it was felt my father had difficulties with my mother’s comparative success as an actress.  I was still a child - but July of 1810 marked the final appearance of my parent’s on the New York stage.  During July, David Poe left home, abandoning the family. My mother left New York and traveled to Richmond accompanied by me.  Some of said that my younger sister Rosalie was also in the picture, tho I was far too young to remember.

Let’s move on to 1811.

Yes, I was just 2 years old. During the early months of 1811, my mother appeared at various theatres in Charleston.

I can imagine that this would have been difficult for her as the sole support of the family.

Certainly, Mr. Bartley.  And to make matters worse, she became very, very ill.  In fact, there was a benefit performance for my mother on Monday, April 29.  Then In July, my mother returned to Norfolk where she was reported to be in failing health and destitute. The following month, she returned to Richmond where she met Mrs. Frances Keeling Allan.  Frances’s husband, John, was a Scottish tobacco merchant, who was then living on the northeast corner of Main and Thirteenth Streets.  And on October 11 a Friday, my mother made her last appearance on the theatrical stage. On 25 of November, the Richmond Enquirer published an appeal for my mother addressed to the kind-hearted citizens of the city, but on December 8, she died.

What happened to you - and your sister, Rosalie.

I was adopted by Frances Keeling Allan, and Rosalie was adopted by Mrs, William Mackenzie, the wife of one of John Allan’s friends,

If you don’t mind me asking, where was your mother buried -

Oh, My mother is buried at Saint John’s Episcopal Church in Richmond on December 10, and I was baptized the following day.  The Allans were a rather influential family in Richmond.

Yes, I understand that they were.

Let me briefly address my life during 1812.  I was still what you might call a toddler living with the Allans.  I certainly did not know it the time, but Mr. Charles Dickens was born across the Atlantic Ocean in 1812.  I was later to review some of his works and many have said that the raven in his novel “Barnaby Rudge” was an inspiration of my poem, The Raven.  In any case, I was to greatly admire the works of Mr. Dickens.

What other writers influenced your works?

Ah, many writers have influenced my writings, but I must address one who published a work by the name of The Giaour in 1813 when I was 4 years old - none other than Lord Byron in England.   May I expand my comments regarding the great Lord Byron?

Certainly, Mr. Poe.

You see, The Giaour is a work of art that is notable for its inclusion of the theme of vampires and vampirism. After telling how the giaour killed Hassan, the Ottoman narrator predicts that in punishment for his crime, the giaour will be condemned to become a vampire after his death and kill his own family by sucking their blood, to his own frightful torment as well as theirs. Byron became acquainted with the concept of vampires while on his Grand Tour.

May I articulate his vivid description of the vampire.

Certainly, Mr. Poe.

But first, on earth as vampire sent,

Thy corse shall from its tomb be rent:

Then ghastly haunt thy native place,

And suck the blood of all thy race;

There from thy daughter, sister, wife,

At midnight drain the stream of life;


And Mr. Bartley, I found it most exciting that the association of Byron with vampires was to continue in 1819 with the publication of The Vampyre by John William Polidori, which was inspired by an unfinished story by Byron. Polidori had previously worked as Byron's doctor and the two parted on bad terms. Much to Byron's annoyance, The Vampyre was widely attributed to him and even included in the third volume of Byron's works by popular demand. Polidori is thought to have encouraged this, seeing how it increased sales considerably. Lord Ruthven was the first portrayal of the vampire as a debauched aristocrat.  Later, in what I feel is one of my finest stories, some critics have said that I also wrote about vampires in The Fall of the House of Usher - but I am getting ahead of myself.

Yes, Mr. Poe - let’s continue with 1814.

I was 5 years in 1814 - a rather happy child, and quite aware that the War of 1812 was going on.  In fact, in 1814, British forces burnt Washington D.C. during the previously mentioned conflict.  I know that Fannie Allan was somewhat worried that the war affect might affect Richmond, but this was never to occur.

Oh yes, Mr. Bartley, early in the year of 1815, I attended the boy’s school of William Ewing in Richmond.  And later that year on Saturday, June 17 - I will never forget it - I boarded the Zothair with my family for England.  And I must admit that the voyage was somewhat rough, but the ship arrived in Liverpool because my father had business to transact.  Then we went to Greenock, Scotland.

When was this, Mr. Poe.

Oh, this was July 28.  So a voyage across the Atlantic required over a month.  We first arrived in Liverpool, and then we went to Greenock, Scotland.  And then during that summer, I attended Kirkgate school at Irvine - a few miles from Greenock.  While at Irvine, my family lived with John Allan’s sister Mary at Bridgegate House. James Galt, a fellow pupil, described me as “very mature for his age, full of old-fashioned talk, filled with self-reliance” and absolutely devoid of fear.”

Thank you, Mr. Poe for your thoroughness.  The sights and sounds of the voyage must have made quite an impression on you.

Yes, the entire time spent across the ocean was a major influence on my life.

Obviously, Mr. Poe.

Early in October, the family traveled to England, stopping at Newcastle and Sheffield en route.  Then on 7 October , we moved to London, staying a most agreeable establishment by the name of Blake’s Hotel.  Later my family moved to 47 Southampton Row in Russell Square.  And on 7 December, I returned to Irvine, Scotland and resumed my education.

So when did you begin attending school in England?

Ah, Mr. Bartley - that would have been the following year. In 1816 when I was 7 years old, my family returned to London where I attended the Misses Dubourg’s boarding school at 246 Sloane Street, Chelsea.  Known as “Master Allan,” I studied writing, spelling, geography, the Church catechism. and English history.

What are some of your observations regarding 1817?

Ah, Mr. Bartley - this was a wonderful period of my life. That summer, John Allan moved to 39 Southampton Row.   We lived very near the recently built British Museum.

I can imagine that its attractions especially fascinated you.

Yes, and I was later entered at the Manor House School, Stoke Newington, an academy for young gentlemen (the school stood on the north-east corner of Church Street and Edwards Lane, and I later described the school in my short story, “William Wilson.)  The school was run by the Revered John Bransby who described me as “intelligent, wayward, and wilful.”

Mr. Poe - could you tell us a bit about the short story William Wilson?

Certainly, Mr. Bartley “William Wilson” is a short story that was first published in 1839. The protagonist, William Wilson, meets another boy in his school who has the same name and roughly the same appearance, and who was even born on the same date as William. The boy also dresses like William, walks like him, but can only speak in a whisper. He begins to give advice to William of an unspecified nature, which he refuses to obey, resenting the boy’s “arrogance”. One night he steals into the other William’s bedroom and recoils in horror at the boy’s face—which now resembles his own. And for the rest of the story - I commend you to read the story for yourself.

But to get back to the school itself. - the school that you attended -

The school was located at Stoke Newington, then what might currently call a suburb.  It was located approximately 4 miles or 6 kiilometers from London.

So it might appear that life was going well for your family.

Actually, the year 1817 was a poor year for my father’s business.  Prices fluctuated, and there was heavy taxation with widespread unemployment.

Well, could you tell us more about YOUR experiences at Stoke Newington.
For example, did you have a favorite subject?

Oh yes, I excelled at history and literature.  And I must point out that
On September 28 Monday, John Allan wrote to his uncle, “Edgar is growing wonderfully and enjoys a good reputation as both able and willling to receive instruction.”

Mr. Poe - I think we better stop there - for now.  I  appreciate your efforts in going through your life and accomplishment from a chronological standpoint - and I hope that Celebrate Poe can soon reach the mid-way point of the story of your notable life in the next few week.

Thank you, Mr. Bartley, and I do feel that is a most laudable goal.

Join Celebrate Poe for episode 226 as we continue a chronological look at the first half of Edgar Allan Poe’s life.

Sources include: Edgar Allan Poe: A Critical Biography by Arthur Hobson Quinn, The Poe Log: A Documentary Life of Edgar Allan Poe by Dwight R. Thomas and David K. Jackson, and the Life of Edgar A. Poe by Eugene L. Didier.

Thank you for listening to Celebrate Poe.