This episode is the first appearance of the ghost of Mr. Poe for the year.
Mr. Poe and Mr. Bartley do a brief recap of Mr. Poe’s life as a confused infant facing horrible tragedies and his life with John and Francis Allan of Richmond. Then Mr. Poe talks about his life in England as a student, and the Allans return across the Atlantic to Richmond. Sections discuss Poe as a young boy by contemporaries, and point to conflicts (in their infancy) between John Allan and Edgar Poe.
This episode is the first appearance of the ghost of Mr. Poe for the year.
Mr. Poe and Mr. Bartley do a brief recap of Mr. Poe’s life as a confused infant facing horrible tragedies and his life with John and Francis Allan of Richmond. Then Mr. Poe talks about his life in England as a student, and the Allans return across the Atlantic to Richmond. Sections discuss Poe as a young boy by contemporaries, and point to conflicts (in their infancy) between John Allan and Edgar Poe.
COME REST IN THIS BOSOM INRO
00:01 Introduction
My name is George Bartley, and this is episode number 103 of Celebrate Poe - Back in the USA
00:32 Rhodes Scholarship Program (Studying in England)
Perhaps the most famous, as well as prestigious, scholarship in the world is the Rhodes Scholarship. The Rhodes Scholarship is a postgraduate award for students to study at the University of Oxford, and is the oldest graduate scholarship program in the world. At first, the Rhodes Scholarship was restricted to male students, and most of the initial students - and probably the students we are most familiar with - came from the United States - with some from Germany and England. Britain. Rhodes Scholarship is also open to women, as well as ANY country.
Eight former Rhodes scholars became heads of government or state - perhaps the most famous is William Jefferson Clinton, former President of the United States. Senator from New Jersey Cory Booker and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttijudge are also Rhodes Scholars. The folksinger, Kris Kristofferson, as well as the journalist and television host, Rachael Maddow.
So you might very well say - what does this have to do with Edgar Allan Poe? Well, I think it is fair to say that an important part of any Rhodes Scholar’s education is the opportunity to study in England - in this case, specifically Oxford University.
While Poe certainly did not study at Oxford, he did spend several years ALSO studying in England. His studies in Great Britain were not the result of a scholarship, but because his family lived in England for several years - and all this took place before Poe was 10 years old - perhaps during an even more formative period of his life than the typical Rhodes Scholar. So when he did return to the United States, Poe - in addition to his brilliant mind - had an educational advantage that the other students in Richmond simply did not have. It is said that travel broadens one - that a summer spent abroad broadens your view of the world. Imagine the incredible sights, knowledge, and even view of the world that the young Edgar Poe developed in England thorough studying abroad. And imagine the impressions that living abroad formed on his mind.
Let me begin today’s episode with a brief look back at Edgar Poe’s earlier life. I thought it might be a good idea to go over a brief recap of Edgar Poe’s life so far. Celebrate Poe started out with just a handful of downloads, but is nearing 5,000 downloads in 64 countries - so some of this material might be completely new to some of you.
GHOST SOUND (repeated)
Could that be?
GHOST SOUND
It looks like it is the ghost of Mr. Poe - well, you are always welcome - but I was not expecting you until next week.
Hello, Mr. Bartley - I have been listening to some of your previous episodes with a great deal of interest, and have come to the conclusion that you could benefit from my assistance.
04:10 Recap of Poe’s life as a toddler
Well, thank you, I guess. Oh, for those of you who might be new to Celebrate Poe - let me introduce the ghost of Mr. Edgar Allan Poe who - probably the best way to put it - will reflect on various incidents of his life and aspects of his works throughout this podcast.
I am certainly cognizant of the fact that you desire the ghost of Mr. William Shakespeare, as well as myself, for a future episode - perhaps two or three - about the education we recieved. Naturally we will be here to satisfy those commitments.
Thanks. That means a great deal to me.
And yes, regarding my origins. I was born on January 19, 1809 in Boston, Massachusetts. My parents were traveling actors, and they were appearing in Boston. I was the second child of David and Elizabeth (or Eliza) Poe. Most scholars believe that my father deserted the family in 1810, and my mother died of consumption when she was appearing in Richmond, Virginia in 1811.
It must have been a traumatic experience to watch your young mother pass away and you not really sure what was happening.
Yes, her death was a traumatic experience for my younger sister, Rosalie and myself largely because we had witnessed so much of her suffering - and now for some reason we did not understand - she had stopped breathing.
At that young an age, it would have been very difficult - if not impossible - for todlers to understand the concept of death.
07:23 Life with the Allans
And the Poe children obviously had no parents to take care of us - though I doubt that we fully understood that at the time. Fortunately, John Allan, a wealthy Richmond merchant, and his wife, Frances Valentine Allan took me in to raise.
What about your younger sister, Rosalie Poe?
Yes, dear Rosalie went to live with the MacKenzie family in Richmond - Mrs. MacKenzie was a friend of Mrs. Allan.
And what happened to your older brother, William Henry Leonard Poe?
He went to living with a family in Baltimore.
At least now you were accepted by a family who could - how should I put it - were of more substantial economic means.
Oh, Mr. Bartley - you certainly know that the Allan family never formally adopted me. They DID give me the name Edgar ALLAN Poe, I lived with the family in their home in Richmond. And the Allans ensured that I was baptized in the Episcopal Church.
Mr. Poe - I do know that the Episcopal church has a great deal of scripture in its services - perhaps this partially accounts for your frequent references or allusions to the the scriptures in your works.
Perhaps.
One must remember that John Allan was a businessman with quite a few economic concerns. One of his most successful ventures was with tobacco - a crop that was to make him quite wealthy. As a result, he would occasionally spoil me.
Yes, but as I understand it, Mr. Allan often - how should I say it - intermixed his laxity with severe discipline.
Yes, occasionally Mr. Allan was to become quite miserly towards me in a most cruel manner.
That back and forth of affection from John Allan had to be very confusing and - if you will pardon me - even emotionally scarring for a young person.
Oh, no offense is taken. I can look back and see that the relationship between John Allan and myself was to become more and more strained as I became older.
Yes, we will definitely see that when we discuss your attendance at the University of Virginia, as well as several experiences in the military. But I am getting ahead of myself.
10:00 Voyage across the Atlantic
I accompanied the family - what choice did I have? - to Britain. Initially, when I was only six years old, I began attending grammar school in Irvine, Scotland.
Yes, wasn’t Irvine, John Allan’s original hometown?
Yes, you are correct in your observation. However, we eventually went on to London. At first, I attended school in Chelsea.
Do you remember how long you studied there?
That was only until the summer of 1817.
So it was THEN that you attended school at Stoke Newington.
More properly known as Reverend Bransby’s Manor House at Stoke Newington.
How far was this from London.
The Manor House was approximately 5 miles from that gigantic city - at the time the largest city in the Western World - but the quaint village atmosphere of Stoke Newington gave it the appearance of a different world.
So when did you leave Stoke Newington?
That was in 1820. John Allan found that his business ventures in England were not as successful as he had hoped, and found it necessary for the family to return to Richmond.
We will certainly delve deeper into the dynamics regardiing the relationship between John Allan and you in future episodes, but what can you say about your feelings regarding during and immediately after you returned from England.
Ah, that is a most complex subject. To be fair, John Allan basically did his best to raise me to be a Virginia gentleman and a good businessman. He wanted me to be a successful merchant like him. I do feel he either could not or would not understand that I was NOT like him. I did not have the - as you say - internal drive to become a successful merchant like John Allan.
Well, what would you say you WERE interested in?
At that point in my life, I was not completely sure regarding what I was most interested in.
Could you give an example of something that DID interest you?
If you mean specifically, I was quite fascinated with the writings of Lord Byron.
Ah yes, last year Celebrate Poe had several episodes regarding Lord Byron when the podcast dealt with the Romantics.
One might say - though I was not completely aware of it at the time - that I aspired to write poetry. I even fantasized about what it might be like to write poetry like Lord Byron and live his rather unconventional life.
Poetry and Lord Byron are two areas that are quite different from the plans that John Allan had for you.
Yes, and in reflecting on my earthly life, it becomes clear that the basic differences regarding my interests and future would only increase the conflicts between John Allan and myself.
Thank you, Mr. Poe. I know that situations where a parent has one plan for the son or daughter, and that child has a quite different plan can be extremely difficult - if not traumatic - situation.
I am hopeful that this brief narrative regarding my earliest years will prove most instructive and allow us to continue relating the story of my earthly existence.
So let’s return to the period where the Allans left England. Do you feel that the experience in England changed you?
Oh yes, my visits to the British Museum alone taught me a great deal. When I entered Stoke Newington, I must admit I was quite backwards with my studies. But when I left, he was able to speak the French language and was able to construe any easy Latin author. And I was introduced to some of the glories of classical literature - an intriguing subject that will be explored - tho not in depth - during future podcast episodes. In other words, I was far better acquainted with history and literature than many older boys of better opportunities.
Rev. Bransby said of me,, ““Edgar Allan was a quick and clever boy and would have been a very good boy if he had not been spoilt by his parents, but they spoilt him and allowed him an extravagant amount of pocket money which enabled him to get into all manner of mischief — still I liked the boy — poor fellow, his parents spoilt him!” Rev. Bransby also wrote “Allan was intelligent, wayward and wilful.”
I know in previous episdos I have spoken about conditions of various boarding schools, and problems that any young student might have, bu based on your comments, Mr. Poe - you just might have displayed the characteristics of a bright, strong will boy who could become the leader of your Stoke Newington schoolmates.
15:48 Return to the United States
Your observation is most interesting. Unfortunately, it became apparent that the business was not as successful as Mr. Allan had hoped, and we were forced to return to the United States.
What did the Allans FEEL about returning to the United States. happy? relieved? glad to be returning to Virginia?
Actually, we have a letter that John Allan wrote to his business partner, Charles Ellis regarding the family’s thoughts about the move back across the seas. The letter is just a few sentences long, and is from Edgar Allan Poe, the Man by Mary E. Phillips published in 1926. Mr. Poe, I have a copy of the text here - and would you read it for us?
Certainly.
[1820] 17 MARCH. John Allan to Charles Ellis:
The truth is Charles we have erred through pride and ambition. I hope we shall yet have an opportunity to conduct our business like sensible and reflecting men. I shall leave the house and furniture standing, live it out for 12 or 18 months ready, should we be in condition, to prosecute our business. If impossible — it is easy getting rid of the furniture, home and all. . . . Rather than the old way — I would turn farmer or planter. This is a private letter. We must support and encourage each other. F. -
Mr. Poe, I assume he means Francis Allan.
Mr. Bartley. That assumption seems most reasonable Now where was I? F.is getting better. She has to learn what a pleasing sensation is experienced on returning Home — even in Hot weather.
Thank you, Mr. Poe.
Ah yes, I must point out that before returning to the United States, Mr. and Mrs. Allan and Miss Nancy left London to make a brief farewell visit to Mr. Allan’s Scottish sister.
And could you remind us who Miss Nancy is?
Ah yes, Miss Nancy was Mrs Allan’s sister.
This was just prior to the Allans return to the United States - and this time an individual by the name of James Galt became a new addition to our party when we crossed the Atlantic to reach the United States.
Yes, thank you for mentioning James Galt. I knew that John Allan was to later inherit a huge amount of assets from WILLIAM Galt but was not familar with JAMES Galt. It turns out that James Galt was John Allan’s executor, and extremely important as an eyewitness and writer regarding many of the events of your life. But I will save the contributions of James Galt for a future episode - he seems to deserve an entire episode of his own.
I can certainly understand why. The contributions of Mr. James Galt have been imeasureable. But regarding the voyage back to the United States, Mr. Allan later wrote one of his London friends, a Dr. Neil Arnott, “I arrived at New York July 21st, after a passage of 36 days. The ocean was very rough — Mrs. Allan and Miss Valentine suffered from sea sickness. It is of other record, they reached Richmond, via Norfolk, Aug. 2, 1820. Because Mr. Allan’s own house was leased, by invitation he shared the home of Mr. Ellis, on the southwest corner of 2nd and Franklin Streets, and opposite their beautiful rose-garden of Linden Square. As Aug. 2nd found Mrs. Ellis away from home her husband wrote to her: “Mr. and Mrs. Allan, Nancy & Edgar arrived, and you would be surprised to see what health and color Mrs. A. has. They are quite well satisfied at our home, and I make out — not as well as you do. They are a little Englishized but it will soon wear off. Talk of spending part of this month in the country — going to Staunton.”
Interesting that the city of Staunton was considered country then.
Oh yes, I must add that the major conflict between Mr. Allan and myself was still - how should I articulate it - somewhat in its latent state -
As I understand, in your reincarnation as a ghost, Mr. Poe, you spend a great deal of time in various libraries reading about - who else - yourself and what scholars have written about you.
This is quite true, Mr. Bartley. Let me give you an example - Mr. Edward M. Alfriend - a man who witnessed the relationship between Mr. Allan and myself - has written in Unpublished Recollections of Edgar Allan Poe published in 1901 - that: “Mr. Allan took the deepest interest in Edgar’s literary efforts and ambitions. Old citizens of Richmond say he loved Poe most tenderly, treated him as his son. One friend of Mr. Allan’s told Mr. Alfriend, he often witnessed the association between Poe, when a boy, and Mr. Allan, and it was most admirable in its affection. — Mr. Allan made Edgar his companion, walked with him, read with him and took him with him wherever lie went, and once said to a friend, — ‘Edgar is wayward and impulsive, but that is to be expected from genius. He will some day fill the world with his fame.’ ”
Unfortunately, that opinion was to change - assuming Mr. Allan ever DID feel true pride in his son.
22:43 Future Episodes
Next week, I hope to put the finishing touches on my material about rhetoric in Shakespeare and Poe. Mr. Poe will definitely be back for that episode, as well as Mr. Shakespeare to discuss their education in England - education and subject matter that was a lot more similar than you might think. Both Poe and Shakespeare were said to concentrate on classical education - and schemes of rhetoric that were common to both writers. We believe that Shakespeare studied rhetoric at the local school in Stratford on Avon, and Poe, of course, at Stoke Newington, as well as the day schools he attended in Richmond, Virginia when he returned to the United States. This is subject matter that I literally have been working on for years - though not for this podcast - and I am very excited to share it with you.
23:59 Sources
Sources for this episode include Edgar Allan Poe: The Man by Mary E. Phillips, Edgar Allan Poe: A Critical Biography by Arthur Hobson Quinn, The Poe Log: A Documentary Life of Edgar Allan Poe by Dwight Thomas and David K. Jackson, The Reason for the Darkness of the Night. by John Tresch, Poe and Place by Phillip Edward Phillips, Hourly History. “Edgar Allan Poe: A Life From Beginning to End (Biographies of American Authors Book 3), the Complete Works of Edgar Allan Poe by Edgar Allan Poe, edited by Thomas Alive Mabbott, Edgar Allan Poe: The Man by Mary E. Phillips, and Unpublished Recollections of Edgar Allan Poe by Edward M. Alfriend.
Thank you for listening to Celebrate Poe.