Edgar Allan Poe, Ambrose Bierce, and the Unreliable Biographers

Author's are often influenced by events in their own lives as they write. Use Edgar Allan Poe's poems "Ulalume" and "Annabel Lee" to take a look at how the death of Poe's wife affected his poetry. Ask students to discuss and compare the...

Allusion can be a difficult concept for pupils to grasp. Home in on two brief poems by Edgar Allan Poe, "To Helen" and "Sonnet–To Science," with allusion in mind. Class members discuss the relationship of classical Greece and Rome to the...

Stage a mini debate about Edgar Allan Poe's story "Ligeia." After picking a few interpretations, split your class into groups and allow some time for preparation. Pupils must use textual evidence to support their arguments. Close the...

Investigate the beginnings of the detective fiction genre through a discussion and writing assignment related to Edgar Allan Poe's "The Purloined Letter." Class members converse about the elements of the story and then compose brief...

Focus on the musicality of poetry by reading out loud or playing a recording of Edgar Allan Poe's "The Bells" and "The City and the Sea." Discuss the tone, rhythm, and sounds of the poems before launching into a written analysis of the...

Make a study of the Gothic style by taking an in-depth look at Edgar Allan Poe's story "The Fall of the House of Usher." Lead a discussion about the Gothic elements in the story and the effect the story has on readers. Next, ask students...

Bring together concepts covered in earlier lessons in the ten-part instructional activity series to analyze one of Poe's most famous poems, "The Raven." Class members discuss many different aspects of the poem and take turns reading...

Use "The Tell-Tale Heart" to approach point of view and the impact of a narrator. Pupils find specific textual examples of the narrator's derangement and form a personality before discussing a passage to determine some plot points. Class...

Quoth the raven - nevermore! Delve into Edgar Allan Poe's' The Raven," but not too deeply. Answer reading comprehension questions in this multiple-choice quiz without getting too much into the mind of the narrator or poet himself.

Try to guess the title of the Edgar Allan Poe work when you are given the first line of the poem! Fifteen mostly multiple-choice questions will have you racking your brain to recall the opening words of some not-so-well-known pieces. See...