Talk:Edgar Allan Poe

scientific errors?

What exactly are scientific errors? Today's wrongs are tomorrow's rights. Better change this to Poe said blah while Newton, on the other hand, said bleh.82.171.167.118 (talk) 23:11, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

Scientific error occurs either when reasoned conclusions are drawn from flawed data or flawed conclusions are drawn from objective data. Eureka, published in a day of comparatively primitive astronomical knowledge, encompasses and evidences both. To claim that Eureka is full of "scientific errors" is not a knock against Poe; it is an observation that Poe's "truth" is based on then-current information which, in time, became either convincingly supported or definitively contradicted to Poe's detriment. It is not appropriate to say that "Poe said this and Newton said that" because, despite any intuition, what they each said are statements based on physical evidence, not mere opinion. aruffo (talk) 00:30, 23 January 2010 (UTC)

I fail to see how it is the place of an encyclopedia to, while looking backwards, cast into doubt the veracity of any claims as they pertain to historic understanding and contemporary information. Regardless of intent, the article as written, specifically; "Even so, Eureka is full of scientific errors." reads more as criticism and less as exposition. Accepting that a sentence of this novel sort is appropriate, wouldn't it be better to state "Even so, Eureka is full of what are now generally accepted to be scientific errors." or something of that nature. Perhaps it would be much better to not call into question the content of a particular work in an article dedicated to the author of said work? Regardless, I acknowledge that I must leave such decisions to those possessed of the authority to make them, but do consider making a better judgment that the one here evidenced. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.230.239.172 (talk) 03:03, 5 October 2011 (UTC)

A list of works by Edgar Allen Poe.

Browsing through the wikipedia article for Edgar Allen Poe I found that the listed works by the writer were fewer in number compared to the book "The Complete Tales and Poems of Edgar Allen Poe" which I have currently in my possession. The list provided at the bottom of the wikipedia article provides 22 items accounting for both 'Tales' and 'Other works' and 14 items under 'Poetry'. The items in the aformentioned book amount to a total of 73 tales and 53 poems. There are three sections which divide the items. They are entitled; TALES, POEMS, and POEMS WRITTEN IN YOUTH.

I came by the book in one of the City of Swan Libraries located in Australia. The cover of the book depicts a piece of parchment with a human skull sitting on its upper-right corner. Also, at the bottom of the page, there are 3 interlocked keys, two of which are resting on the parchment, a third overlapping the point of a quill. The feathered part of the quill is lying on the lower-right corner of the parchment. To the left of the skull, starting at the upper-left corner of the parchment, a sentence reads; "Tales of terror and the supernatural, murder mysteries, science fiction, poetry and more in" with the books title residing directly beneath this. The illustration was done by Malcolm Chandler.

The back of the book provides the following text; (bold characters) "Classic stories and poems from the arch-priest of Gothic horror". Below this (normal characters) "The Fall of the House of Usher, The Murders in the Rue Morgue, The Pit and the Pendulum, The Gold-Bug - " and continuing on from the hyphen (smaller font size) "some of the most famous tales of terror, the most macabre detective stories ever written. Acknowledged master of suspense, Poe was also a poet and - as his stories of mesmerism and time travel prove - a pioneer of science fiction. In this collection, probing to the depths of the human psyche, Poe's haunted genius will chill and enthrall you."

The spine of the book provides the title and, situated beneath, is accompanied by another skull with a missing jaw. I believe enough visual description has been provided.

The following is a complete list of the tales and poems in the book:

           TALES

1. The Unparalleled Adventure of One Hans Pfaall . . . . Page 3
2. The Gold-Bug . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 42
3. The Balloon-Hoax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 71
4. Von Kempelen and His Discovery . . . . . . . . . . . Page 82
5. Mesmeric Revelation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 88
6. The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar . . . . . . . . Page 96
7. The Thousand-and-Second Tale of Scheherazade . . . . Page 104
8. MS. Found in a bottle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 118
9. A Descent into the Maelström . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 127
10. The Murder in the Rue Morgue . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 141
11. The Mystery of Marie Roget . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 169
12. The Purloined Letter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 208
13. The Black Cat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 223
14. The Fall of the House of Usher . . . . . . . . . . . Page 231
15. The Pit and the Pendulum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 246
16. The Premature Burial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 258
17. The Masque of the Red Death . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 269
18. The Cask of Amontillado . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 274
19. The Imp of the Perverse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 280
20. The Island of Fay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 285
21. The Oval Portrait . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 290
22. The Assignation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 293
23. The Tell-Tale Heart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 303
24. The System of Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether . . . Page 307
25. The Literary Life of Thingum Bom, Esq . . . . . . . Page 322
26. How to Write a Blackwood Article . . . . . . . . . . Page 338
27. A Predicament . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 346
28. Mystification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 354
29. X-ing a Paragrab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 361
30. Diddling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 367
31. The Angel of the Odd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 376
32. Mellonta Tauta . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 384
33. Loss of Breath . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 395
34. The Man that Was Used Up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 405
35. The Business Man . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 413
36. Maelzel's Chess-Player . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 421
37. The Power of Words . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 440
38. The Colloquy of Monos and Una . . . . . . . . . . . Page 444
39. The Conversation of Eiros and Charmion . . . . . . . Page 452
40. Shadow-A Parable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 457
41. Silence- A Fable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 459
42. Philosophy of Furniture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 462
43. A Tale of Jerusalem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 467
44. The Sphinx . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 471
45. The Man of the Crowd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 475
46. Never Bet the Devil Your Head . . . . . . . . . . . Page 482
47. "Thou Art the Man" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 490
48. Hop-Frog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 502
49. Four Beasts in One: The Homo-Camelopard . . . . . . Page 510
50. Why the Little Frenchman Wears His Hand in a Sling . Page 517
51. Bon-Bon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 522
52. Some Words with a Mummy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 535
53. Review of Stephens' "Arabia Petræa" . . . . . . . . Page 549
54. Magazine-Writing--Peter Snook . . . . . . . . . . . Page 564
55. The Quacks of Helicon-A Satire . . . . . . . . . . . Page 574
56. Astoria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 582
57. The Domain of Arnhei, or The Landscape Garden . . . Page 604
58. Landor's Cottage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 616
59. William Wilson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 626
60. Berenice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 642
61. Eleonora . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 649
62. Ligeia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 654
63. Morella . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 667
64. Metzengstien . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 672
65. A Tale of the Ragged Mountains . . . . . . . . . . . Page 679
66. The Spectacles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 688
67. The Duc De L Omelette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 708
68. The Oblong Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 711
69. King Pest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 720
70. Three Sundays in a Week . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 730
71. The Devil in the Belfry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 736
72. Lionizing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 743
73. Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym . . . . . . . . . . . Page 748

           POEMS

1. The Raven . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 943
2. Lenore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 946
3. Hymn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 947
4. A Valentine . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 947
5. The Coliseum . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 948
6. To Helen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 949
7. To - - . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 951
8. Ulalume . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 954
9. The Bells . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 957
10. An Enigma . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 957
11. Annabel Lee . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 959
12. To My Mother . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 959
13. The Haunted Palace . . . . . . . . . Page 960
14. The Conqueror Worm . . . . . . . . . Page 962
15. To F-S S.O-D . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 962
16. The One in Paradise . . . . . . . . Page 963
17. The Valley of Unrest . . . . . . . . Page 963
18. The City in the Sea . . . . . . . . Page 965
19. The Sleeper . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 966
20. Silence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 967
21. A Dream Within a Dream . . . . . . . Page 967
22. Dream-Land . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 969
23. Eulalie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 969
24. Eldorado . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 970
25. Israfel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 971
26. For Annie . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 972
27. To - . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 975
28. Bridal Ballad . . . . . . . . . . . Page 975
29. To F- . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 976
30. Scenes from "Politian" . . . . . . . Page 977

           POEMS WRITTEN IN YOUTH

31. Sonnet- To Science . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 992
32. Al Aaraaf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 992
33. To the River - . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 1005
34. Tamerlane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 1005
35. To - . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 1012
36. A Dream . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 1012
37. Romance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 1013
38. Fairy-Land . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 1013
39. The Lake-To- . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 1014
40. Song . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 1015
41. To M. L. S- . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 1016
42. Spirits of the Dead . . . . . . . . . . . Page 1016
43. To Helen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 1017
44. Evening Star . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 1018
45. "The Happiest Day" . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 1018
46. Imitation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 1019
47. Hymn to Aristogeiton and Harmodius . . . . Page 1020 (Translation from Greek)
48. Dreams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 1020
49. "In Youth I Have Known One" . . . . . . . Page 1021
50. A Paean . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 1023
51. To Isadore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 1024
52. Alone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 1026

I will allow myself to be slack and not indicate which of these poems and tales are already acknowledged in the wikipedia article. Some extra information; this edition first published as a Modern Library Edition by Random House, Inc., New York 1938. Published in Penguin Books 1982. This edition published by arrangement with Random House, Inc. 15 17 19 20 18 16 14. Printed in England by Clays Ltd, St Ives plc. Something has gone amiss with the formating; the "Page <number>'s" are out of alignment.

The rest I leave to you. Au revoir und auf wiedersehen.
-115.69.12.196 (talk) 21:17, 8 February 2010 (UTC)

I'm not entirely sure who this "Edgar Allen Poe" fellow is (apparently he's the "arch-priest of Gothic horror"... ugh), but if you're curious about the writer this article is about, see Bibliography of Edgar Allan Poe for his list of works. --Midnightdreary (talk) 22:59, 8 February 2010 (UTC)

My narrow search field led me to believe that there was one article on Edgar Allen Poe, not several. Foolish of me to think the reknowned poet's works would elude recognition in the greatest encyclopedia ever assembled. From my misinformation arose my contribution. The works appear all to be listed and the list I typed has been of no use, apart from being a sleeping aid for myself. Having said this however, with some added detail, perhaps it could act as an extra source or reference of sorts.

If it is mentioned somewhere without my knowing I give an apology in advance and humbly request a point in the right direction. Alas, this method of enlightenment I find more appealing as apose to wandering around cyberspace. Allen v Allan. Verstanden. A quick slap on the head and we'll be on with deciding the fate of my hope-to-be contribution. 115.69.12.196 (talk) 15:47, 9 February 2010 (UTC)

I now understand that modern anothologies are not to be listed whilst my book is just that. Apology due and thus given. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 115.69.12.196 (talk) 21:35, 12 February 2010 (UTC)

Edgar a Necrophiliac

I heard from friends and a couple of history teachers of mine that Edgar Allan Poe was a Nerophiliac and that he kept his wife in the bed with him weeks after her death. I was wondering if anyone knew any facts pertaining to this or if it is a myth. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 208.79.15.162 (talk) 10:49, 1 March 2010 (UTC)

The facts are these: this is ridiculously untrue. Tell your history teachers to learn history themselves before they attempt to teach it. --Midnightdreary (talk) 14:37, 1 March 2010 (UTC)

Edgar Allan Poe's Death

How come there are so many different assumptions of his death? How was he found and around what time? I also wanted to know how he looked when they found him. --76.101.45.233 (talk) 21:06, 18 March 2010 (UTC)Kimberly

See Death of Edgar Allan Poe for a good survey of all that is known. --Midnightdreary (talk) 21:33, 18 March 2010 (UTC)

Picture

Why isn't the featured picture of Edgar Allan Poe not on his very own article? I personally find that one nicer then the cropped picture.99.241.220.157 (talk) 18:33, 5 April 2010 (UTC)

That's a good point. I know it used to be the main image here but I'm not sure when it was changed. I'm going to go ahead and switch it back. --Midnightdreary (talk) 19:08, 5 April 2010 (UTC)

Edit request from 68.42.67.238, 30 May 2010

{{editsemiprotected}} Change:

In Baltimore in 1835, he married Virginia Clemm, his 13-year-old cousin. In January 1845, Poe published his poem "The Raven" to instant success. His wife died of tuberculosis two years later.

To:

In Baltimore in 1835, he married Virginia Clemm, his 13-year-old cousin. In January 1845, Poe published his poem "The Raven" to instant success. His wife died of tuberculosis eleven years later.

Because: Virginia Eliza Clemm Poe died in 1847, not 1838, as would be the case if she died two years after her marriage to Poe.

68.42.67.238 (talk) 00:50, 30 May 2010 (UTC)

 Not done: please provide reliable sources that support the change you want to be made. —fetch·comms 01:17, 30 May 2010 (UTC)

Memorial marker to Virginia Clemm, Maria Clemm, and Edgar Allan Poe in Baltimore, Maryland

Err, I think you may misunderstand the anon's request. There's no question of Virginia Eliza Clemm's death date -- nowhere does it imply it is 1837 (see her article) -- it's a question of wording. The anon sees the "two years later" as hinging on the 1835 marriage date, when in fact most readers will relate "two years later" to the date mentioned in the immediately preceding sentence, 1845 ("In January 1845, Poe published...") I don't think it's an ambiguous wording, but if we want, we can clarify to say "His wife died of tuberculosis in 1847." Antandrus (talk) 01:43, 30 May 2010 (UTC)

That's a strange assumption - that the "two years later" refers to two sentences prior, rather than the words just before. Even so, perceived ambiguity has been fixed. --Midnightdreary (talk) 03:39, 13 August 2010 (UTC)

Ultima Thule

I've been thinking about the image used at the top of this article. It is the "Ultima Thule" of Poe (see: http://www.eapoe.org/geninfo/poepicud.htm). It is probably the most famous image of Mr. Poe but it is also generally regarded as the most unfair because it was captured shortly after his suicide attempt. He still looks ill-used in the image. I think the Osgood portrait of Poe would be a better image but it lacks the celebrity status that the "Ultima Thule" enjoys. So, in fairness to Poe and to encourage scholarship, I added the phrase "Ultima Thule" to the caption below the image. Hopefully this will provoke people to investigate the nature of the deguerrotype and also lead them to other portraits of the author. Just a thought. MorbidAnatomy (talk) 02:01, 11 August 2010 (UTC)

The image is a featured picture and may lose its recognized status if not on the appropriate page (i.e. this one). Further, it's his most famous image. Using a different one because of personal concerns might imply bias rather than neutrality. For the record, I see few sources that support that it is regarded as an unfair image; provide some? --Midnightdreary (talk) 03:41, 13 August 2010 (UTC)

Rob, it appears that you didn't read my post. I did not suggest that we change the image. I said that there are better images of Poe but I am well aware of the fact that the Ultima Thule is the most famous and, therefore; the most appropriate for this article. So rather than change it, I added a caption which points to the nature of the image. Thereby, hopefully, encouraging people to make their own inquiries regarding the Ultima Thule and other images of Poe.

I'm not sure what you mean by "personal concerns." I have no vested interest ("a special concern or stake in maintaining or influencing a condition, arrangement, or action especially for selfish ends"--merriam-webster.com) in the image or the article. I was merely observing that with a few seconds of research we find that the Ultima Thule carries with it some unfortunate baggage (the physical effects of Poe's suicide attempt). It is not a personal issue--it is a scholastic one. Furthermore, regarding your request for a source which supports the opinion that the image is "unfair," please follow the link which I provided in my first post. I provide it here again for your convenience: http://www.eapoe.org/geninfo/poepicud.htm. Later. MorbidAnatomy (talk) 23:07, 13 August 2010 (UTC)

Sorry, what I meant is that you had an issue with the image being a bad representation, as if that was a personal assessment. eapoe.org, as awesome as it is, is not a good source because it's run by one person who (obviously) has a pro-Poe bias. But, again, the featured picture concern is still overriding. --Midnightdreary (talk) 00:10, 14 August 2010 (UTC)

Sorry, I did read this a little too quickly. Ultimately, what you're basically saying here is, "Oh, hi, I changed the caption." Sounds good. ;) --Midnightdreary (talk) 00:11, 14 August 2010 (UTC)

I re-read some of my wording above and wanted to qualify a thing or two. When I suggest that eapoe.org has an obvious "pro-Poe" bias, I meant only that they are furthering a single subject/topic. I do not meant to suggest that they flub things up or sugar-coat Poe for the sake of cleaning him up, etc. I use the site quite often and it is, simply put, the greatest resource on Poe out there. Even so, a more removed source or, really, several sources that substantiate this concern, would be better in order to avoid "perceived" bias. --Midnightdreary (talk) 16:42, 21 August 2010 (UTC)

Quarles

I just created a link here from Quarles, but is does not appear here or at The Raven. The name was given for the author of the "first authorised publication" of the poem, s:The American Review, Volume 1, February/The Raven. Any one have an idea where this should go, I imagine here although I don't think he used the name again. Maybe next to the mention of the poem? cygnis insignis 09:25, 5 October 2010 (UTC)

Wow, that's a huge omission! I think it's best in the article for "The Raven" because the name is really only associated with that single work by Poe. I better find a source so I can incorporate it there (and maybe here too, of course). --Midnightdreary (talk) 12:45, 5 October 2010 (UTC)

I was afraid I'd forget so I've already incorporated the Quarles info into both this article and "The Raven". I also like how you added it to the Quarles disambig page so ignore my above comment... Do you think it works this way? --Midnightdreary (talk) 13:02, 5 October 2010 (UTC)

Perfectly I think. Does Silverman give contemporary evidence for that connection, or is it an educated guess; perhaps he cites an earlier ref. Just curious, its seems obvious and quite in keeping with Poe's phony ref's and toying with authorship. cygnis insignis 14:23, 5 October 2010 (UTC)

Silverman says it as if it is definitive; Dawn Sova's book makes it more of a guess (but she also incorrectly attaches the pseudonym to the publication in Willis's paper, so...). From Silverman: [Quarles was] "a continuation of Poe's practice of sometimes taking over the names of other poets." I'm not sure I agree there, but he clearly connects it to Francis Quarles. --Midnightdreary (talk) 15:38, 5 October 2010 (UTC)

Much appreciated! I knocked up a stub on his son, John Quarles, and it reminded to chase this up. cygnis insignis 16:16, 5 October 2010 (UTC)

Information adding

http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_Allan_Poe — here is very good article about Edgar and it would be good if someone translates some infromation in english — Taro-Gabunia (talk) 20:22, 27 December 2010 (UTC)

This English language version of the article is already a featured article... Is there something specific from the Spanish version that this one is missing? --Midnightdreary (talk) 15:37, 28 December 2010 (UTC)

Just look at size of that Spanish article. It's bigger and is Featured article—Taro-Gabunia (talk) 10:32, 30 December 2010 (UTC)

So... nothing specific about it is better, it's just longer and in violation of recommended article length? This article is already a featured article, has a forked good article, and a forked featured list. --Midnightdreary (talk) 15:01, 30 December 2010 (UTC)

Sources

I found:

• "Edgar Allan Poe's cognac-carrying admirer fails to materialize again." CNN. January 19, 2011.

WhisperToMe (talk) 07:34, 20 January 2011 (UTC)

Not hard to find but the info is already added. See Poe Toaster. --Midnightdreary (talk) 12:15, 20 January 2011 (UTC)

list selection

Pardon if this seems like a trivial request, I like citations for lists. The selection probably resembles short lists given by good sources, but a few refs for the 'list of most notable ..." would give this some way of weighting inclusion. Anyone else have some thoughts on this? cygnis insignis 11:54, 19 February 2011 (UTC)

As it stands, this is not necessarily a list of "notable" works but just "selected." I think the shorter the list, the better, but that's just me. It's worth talking about though. --Midnightdreary (talk) 17:18, 19 February 2011 (UTC)

Poe's father

I wrote a page about Poe's father, David Poe Jr. Can that be added as a link on this article, since it's currently a View Source only article? (BagInACampfire)

Done. Thank you for writing the new article! You may want to look at the manual of style to verify the naming (David Poe Jr., David Poe, Jr., or just David Poe) Antandrus (talk) 03:05, 14 March 2011 (UTC)

No, thank you! :-) The sources I used referred to him as David Poe, Jr. although I am not sure if that is correct. (BagInACampfire) —Preceding undated comment added 21:04, 15 March 2011 (UTC).

For a useless additional opinion, I'd keep the "Jr." "David Poe" could be a potential future article of its own, referring to Edgar's grandfather who was involved in the American Revolution. --Midnightdreary (talk) 22:42, 15 March 2011 (UTC)

Ditto – what Midnightdreary said. David Poe is also an entertainer. – Paine Ellsworth ( CLIMAX )  13:37, 17 March 2011 (UTC)

Maryland Sports Hall of Fame

I seem to recall a mention, possibly in The Sun, that Poe is a member of the Maryland Sports Hall of Fame, I guess for swimming. Despite having lived in Maryland for nearly thirty years, I cannot find a reference to this anywhere on the Web, and have never seen any memorabilia, such as a plaque or proclamation, referring to this. Can someone help? TIA. Bucinka (talk) 18:19, 8 April 2011 (UTC)

If no reference is found it's possibly not true. I've never heard of it. Probably not deserving of mention in this article. --Midnightdreary (talk) 19:03, 8 April 2011 (UTC)

Here's a list of members, 1982-2009. A search for "Poe" yields "no matches found". (The UM Athletic Hall Of Fame was founded in 1982) – Paine Ellsworth ( CLIMAX )  17:07, 12 April 2011 (UTC)

You may be confusing Edgar with John P. Poe, Jr., who I believe is in the College Hall of fame for football (at Princeton). The poem "Poe's Run" is about John Poe. Or, I may be confusing John Poe with his brother Arthur (there were several of the Poe clan at Princeton, and they all seem to have been football heroes), but you get the point. (Edgar was athletic in his youth, but I do not think he did anything worthy of a sports hall of fame.) Outis001 (talk) 14:18, 21 May 2011 (UTC)

"Poe as a young man was decidedly athletic, a noted swimmer and the holder of a record for the broad jump of twenty-one feet, six inches." --T. O. Mabbott, The Selected Poetry and Prose of Edgar Allan Poe, The Modern Library, 1951. Introduction. Naaman Brown (talk) 20:35, 23 September 2011 (UTC)

Were some of Poe´s published works, in fact ´self publish´

we are talking of a time long before Print-On-Demand technology, but I wanted to ask here, because I get the impression that some of the early works Poe published were self publish. is this true?

This is not the place for general discussion about the topic. But, to answer your question, see Tamerlane and Other Poems. --Midnightdreary (talk) 15:24, 17 May 2011 (UTC)

Spanish translation

[1]

I'm sorry. I thought I put the note about the translation 3 years ago... --Sürrell (talk) 17:29, 9 September 2011 (UTC)

Education

I am loathe to tamper with an FA without impeccable sources to hand. I would just note that the school he attended in Stoke Newington appears to be given more context in Newington_Academy_for_Girls#Location_and_neighbours. Manor House was also known as Abney House, which was next door to and shared significant grounds with Fleetwood House, location of the girls' school founded a handful of years after Poe left. Stoke Newington was a village (not really a suburb in the modern sense), with a significant number of Quakers, and thus Poe would have been exposed to their anti-slavery ideas. BrainyBabe (talk) 00:30, 4 December 2011 (UTC)

Poe and democracy

Although I appreciate the idea that some of Poe's works may be interpreted as anti-democratic, I am completely ignorant of any evidence, outside of literary interpretation, that suggests Poe supported such a philosophy. Although I don't disagree that the information one editor has (repeatedly) attempted to insert into this article is a legitimate source, it seems to me that such an assertion belongs not in an article about the man himself, but in an article about whichever of his writing(s) may be so interpreted. aruffo (talk) 16:34, 11 January 2012 (UTC)

We are discussing this on our respective talk pages as well. Feel free to join in. -Midnightdreary (talk) 17:38, 11 January 2012 (UTC)

Poe's family

I tried to put in a sentence mentioning Poe's family origin, but this was deleted, ostensibly because questions over the sources reliability. To try and clear things up I subsequently put in a paragraph looking at the various published claims by family and friends over where the Poes came from, but this was also deleted. The matter revolves around Edgar's grandfather David Poe Sr. from County Cavan, Ireland. The sources are an 1860 book "Edgar Poe and his Critics" by Edgar's one-time fiancée Sarah Helen Whitman which say Edgar's great-grandfather was the Irish-born son-in-law of Admiral John MacBride MP. The second source is James A. Harrison's 1900 book "Life and Letters of Edgar Allan Poe" which contains a sizeable quote from Edgar Allan Poe's cousin, John P. Poe, Sr., who says that Edgar's great-grandfather (from who he descended himself) was actually Admiral MacBride's brother-in-law. Drawing on these sources the genealogist Sir Edmund Thomas Bewley, who deals with Edgar in his detailed 1906 study of the Poe families of Ireland, examines various church records of Ireland and locates Edgar's great-grandfather married to the sister of Admiral MacBride in Cavan. My own preference would be to include this information in two sentences rather than a detailed paragraph, for example:

Edgar's grandfather, David Poe, Sr., was born in the early 1740s in Dring, Kildallon, near the town of Killeshandra, County Cavan, Ireland. David Poe, Sr. was the nephew of Admiral John MacBride MP and emigrated with his parents and siblings to America in 1749 or 1750.

As I say the sources are rather straightforward, and I prefer a shorter reference to the Poe's origins, but perhaps others might think it better to reference Sarah Helen Whitman and Edgar's cousin. Blippityblop (talk) 06:53, 20 April 2012 (UTC)

To clarify: the information was not a mere "sentence" but a substantial paragraph, which is why I brought up undue weight. For those interested, there's a brief correspondence on my talk page. Also, check edit history to see that the info uses weasel words ("it has been suggested..." and "felt it likely that..."). How do we trust S. Helen Whitman's story? Much of her info on Poe has been disputed or admittedly inaccurate. Most importantly, if it's so vital to this article, we'd see this info in a source that is more recent than 1860. I also question "freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com" as a reliable source for a featured article. I'm curious what others think of this information. --Midnightdreary (talk) 21:58, 20 April 2012 (UTC)

To clarify further:

The first edit I made was, contrary to Midnightdreary's claims, one sentence. It read: "His grandfather David Poe, Snr. was born in Dring, Kildallon, near the town of Killeshandra, County Cavan, Ireland, before emigrating as a young child with his parents and siblings to Pennsylvania in 1749 or 1750." (17th April). He deleted this because he felt it was "not a good enough reliable source for a featured article". My response was to add a paragraph (18th April) dealing with the two statements of both Sarah Whitman and John P Poe respectively, before bringing in the genealogist Sir Edmund Thomas Bewley's study of the Poe family records on the Irish side; and in trying to compromise and meet with Midnightdreary's initial objections, I attempted to shift the emphasis of my edit to the fact that the stories of Poe's ancestry was indeed current amongst his family and friend. When Midnightdreary deleted this edit, he/she wrote "Tentatively removing; I question the reliability of these sources on such a high-profile featured article". No mention of the "undue weight" that Midnightdreary now is claiming is the reason he/she deleted it.

I thought it would be best to approach Midnightdreary on his/her talk page to discuss the matter - he or she obiously wasn't interested in discussing the matter, "Don't look at me" being the response I got to trying to open a polite and good mannered discussion.

As Midnightdreary points out with some merit, there has been questions over some of Sarah Whitman's work. However, this version of Poe's ancestry was indepently verified and slightly amended by Poe's own cousin John Prentiss Poe, who submitted an account of his own Poe ancestry to John Henry Ingram for his 1880 book "Edgar Allan Poe: his life, letters, and opinions". The original 6 page manuscript account of this ancestry, written in John P. Poe's own hand in 1876, is held in the University of Virginia's Special Collections Library in the "John Henry Ingram's Poe Collection", item 220. (http://ead.lib.virginia.edu/vivaxtf/view?docId=uva-sc/viu00220.xml)

Although Midnightdreary tries to write off the source because it comes from "freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com", he/she neglects to mention that the link on that site is to a PDF copy of Sir Edmund Thomas Bewley's 'The origin and early history of the family of Poe', published in Dublin in 1906, which as one can see is very detailed study of that family and which deals with all the above sources as well as all the local Church and other records available in Ireland.

For my part, I think with the information put here now, that one or two short sentences in the article succintly stating the facts of Poe's ancestry should suffice - if Midnightdreary is willing to cede his/her ownership of the article that is. Blippityblop (talk) 17:48, 21 April 2012 (UTC)

If you take a look at Quinn's biography, which I believe is considered authoritative, you'll find "it seems certain that [EAPoe's] great-great-grandfather was David Poe, a tenant-farmer in Dring, in the parish of Kildallon and County Cavan, Ireland, who died in 1742. David’s son, John Poe, emigrated to Pennsylvania in 1749 or 1750,(29) having married Jane McBride, daughter, it is possible, though not certain, of a clergyman, Reverend Robert McBride, and sister of an admiral of the Blue, John McBride. After living for a time in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, John Poe moved to Baltimore, where he died in 1756." aruffo (talk) 21:02, 21 April 2012 (UTC)

Quinn does make the same claim, though he still is only referencing the same Bewley source that I did. One would have thought that if it was good enough for him it would be good enough for Midnight dreary. Blippityblop (talk) 08:47, 22 April 2012 (UTC)

I would recommend that adding more to this info is not helpful. Unless we can agree that Poe's ancestry is what makes him notable enough for Wikipedia, this info should be, at best, a blurb. It isn't: Poe's notability is based on his writing. Further, Wikipedia merely reflects what everyone else is already saying in their published reliable sources. Again, I would reiterate that if it was a common aspect of Poe studies, most of his recent biographies would dedicate space to it as well. If this info is so important to this article (and not merely interesting), I would recommend it be as simple as "Poe's father was of Irish ancestry." If that is done, however, it would also include "Poe's mother was British." --Midnightdreary (talk) 12:07, 22 April 2012 (UTC)

Incidentally, the article on Poe's father (who is only notable for his relationships), does not mention this info at all: David Poe, Jr.. --Midnightdreary (talk) 12:09, 22 April 2012 (UTC)

You see its very confusing Midnightdreary when you state twice that you're removing something because of doubts over the source and then you turn around afterwards and say its because of relevancy after you've been shown to be wrong. As regards recent studies, certainly Jeffrey Meyer draws attention to the County Cavan origins of Poe on page one of his biography. I might be wrong, but has there been a major biography of Poe since then? Certainly it is the most recent one used liberally as a source on this wikipedia article. As for David Poe, Jr., I can certainly add it to that article too if you like. And if "Poe's father was of Irish ancestry", that means Poe was of Irish ancestry too. That's how ancestry works. If you look through wikipedia there are hundreds of other biographies mentioning the ethnic backgrounds of other notable people: as well as a plethora of ancilliary information about their backgrounds not directly linked to their "notable" features, but which adds to the picture of them (certainly many full-lenght biographies on Poe seem to mention the fact). You could argue that Poe isn't notable as a cryptographer - but his work in the field is still mentioned in this article. As for Poe's mother and her ancestry: personally I only want to mention the Poe family name history itself, but if you want to add that information to the article I won't throw a hissy fit. Go for it. What I propose is adding the sentence "Edgar's grandfather David Poe, Sr., emigrated from County Cavan, Ireland to America around the year 1750." I've tried to chop and change and compromise, but all you do is move the goalposts because you're page is being edited without your permission. If you're not happy with that, its about time this went to some sort of dispute resolution. Blippityblop (talk) 21:43, 22 April 2012 (UTC)

Please stop claiming that this article "belongs" to Midnightdreary. It's annoying and untrue. At least one reliable reference has been identified for Poe's ancestry; if you intend to use it, then do so, taking two items into consideration: first, Midnightdreary's legitimate concern regarding the purpose and quality of this article; and, as supplement to Midnightdreary's recommendation, the fact that other stuff exists does not automatically justify including information about Poe's lineage. (And if you sincerely believe that Poe's cryptography was not a significant element of his professional life, please read one or more of the biographies.) aruffo (talk) 02:54, 23 April 2012 (UTC)

[undenting] Blippity, I'm sorry that I'm offering multiple concerns, rather than just one. I am not reneging on any previous concern. And, as Aruffo stated, I do not own the article; his other points are helpful as well, so thanks. --Midnightdreary (talk) 13:59, 23 April 2012 (UTC)

It might be worth discussing how the article suffers by adding Blippityblop's single sentence--rather than just trying to defend its inclusion. It seems that we are merely concerned about the articles length and focus. Blippityblop makes a valid point that the information is substantiated by modern biographies. If Poes published biographer's felt that such information did not hinder their work (and Quinn devotes a significant percentage of his biography to Poe's ancestry), does one sentence here on wiki really hinder the article? The focus of the article is entirely subjective and pseudodemocratic in that it becomes merely what the people make it. The recommendations for maximum length of featured articles are just that--recommendations. I don't see how the article truly suffers by one brief sentence which Bippitybop has compromised to. The article is a featured article and the majority of the credit probably is due to Midnightdreary so his concerns are valid--but it is also true that sometimes Rob seems to defend the Poe articles as though they were his own. But he knows (and we all know) they are not. He seems to be a good natured fellow who has only the integrity of the article in mind. In this case though I don't think his arguments are compelling enough to omit the information in question. I don't know what inclusion truly does to improve the article, but it doesn't really seem to lower the quality either. Aruffo, Blippity didn't say that cryptography was not a significant part of Poe's professional life, merely that some might argue that he is not notable as a cryptographer. It is good though that we got past the modern scholarship nonsense. Antiquity does not equate insignificance. Nor does the focus of modern scholarship make it right simply because it is modern. There are many minute details in the works of Copernicus and Kepler which modern scholars are likely to ignore but they are still significant to those who care to study such details. 19th century studies of Poe's life and works are fair resources for improving this article. So let's have no more of that silliness. MorbidAnatomy (talk) 19:57, 25 April 2012 (UTC)

What I would recommend, then, (assuming all parties are in consensus to include this info) is that a quick sentence is inserted, without the "Sarah Helen Whitman said" stuff (that does not lend credence to the comment), and with the more recent source for a citation (no rootsweb stuff, no matter what it links to). But I would insist that it be added to the article on David Poe first; it's far more important there, as he is closer to that ancestry, and only notable for his relations. I would also suggest an equal amount of text on this article mention that EAP's mother was British-born. --Midnightdreary (talk) 21:27, 25 April 2012 (UTC)

I agree that the more-detailed ancestry information will do well to be placed on David Poe Jr's page, and I support Blippityblop's adding it there. I also agree that a mention of same is appropriate here. Quinn's biography does devote its entire first chapter to Edgar's parents, and to Elizabeth's mother, but this is not for the sake of tracing lineage. Rather, Quinn traces the professional acting careers of all three parties in exhaustive detail (the first such survey) to demonstrate that Edgar's creative spirit was his heritage. Other relatives are introduced, but briefly; Quinn also takes a moment to debunk certain other claims of royal ancestry, but only a moment. Relatives are discussed for their influence on Poe's career. Failing an influence, they are merely mentioned for their existence. aruffo (talk) 05:05, 26 April 2012 (UTC)

Hi. I am the chief editor of the article on Poe in the Spanish Wikipedia. I think you should not delete the contribution of Blippityblop because it completes, adds information to a very interesting item as is the ancestors of the writer. Among the sources, some are more reliable than others. But "all" should appear on an author as important as Poe. On the less reliable, you may, v. gr., add that they are less reliable: it’s easy to do. But almost "all" are valid, since no one possesses the absolute truth about anything or anybody, and nobody, except the consensus of historical criticism can establish which sources are valid and which are not valid or less valid, or which are "entirely" less valid, or "entirely" not valid. This is neutrality. Isn’t it? If you allow me to say, this article is manifestly poor in its content, especially regarding the work of the author. What the reader wants to know about an author like Poe? O sorry, but I think he mainly wants to know everything about the stories (horror, detective, sci.-fic. tales). And what about the views of other geniuses on him? I refer to the views of Lovecraft, Baudelaire, Stevenson, Eliot, Harry Levin (a great jew scholar)... Does it matter what Lovecraft said of Poe? Do not? I think the answer is YES. The section on his work is very poor, short, shallow and, in my opinion, it doesn’t deserve the status of featured. An encyclopedia is more to add than to remove (IF NOT GARBAGE). Time adds, and Wikipedia is still very young, do not forget it. If you want to remove, remove the Poe toaster, or homes, landmarks, and museums... People want to know what HE DID and not what WE did with his legacy. What is the question?: What should be the weight of an article or what people want to know about this subject. Thank you for your attention.--Sürrell (talk) 12:04, 26 April 2012 (UTC)

Hi, Sürrell, thanks for dropping by. Your main argument for including the info on Poe's ancestry is that you find it interesting, which is not a good argument. As for the other stuff, the info here is a bit of an overview, certainly. But further info on Poe's work and influence can be found in Bibliography of Edgar Allan Poe, Poems by Edgar Allan Poe, Edgar Allan Poe in popular culture, Edgar Allan Poe and music and Edgar Allan Poe in television and film. Is that not enough? --Midnightdreary (talk) 12:26, 26 April 2012 (UTC)

Hi, Midnightdreary. That is very interesting and, on the other hand, it must be in an encyclopedia article on Poe. People do not want to know about it? On the other, I think it is sufficient in any way, sorry. Time will prove me right. I must leave now. Later. ;)--Sürrell (talk) 12:50, 26 April 2012 (UTC)

1. Interesting topics to describe an author's life: his family, his friends, his ancestors, his teachers. (Who were the Pilgrim Fathers? Bah, never mind.) Is also interesting, is necessary what those who knew him well said of him. For what reason. Because I'm 150 years away from him. What his girlfriend said about him is of great interest to know the person. She saw him, she knew his eyes colour, she heard his voice, even she kissed him. It is first hand information: therefore gold information. My information, on the contrary, now is only fourth or fifth or tenth hand. My job is to transmit simply this information of first-hand in the correct perspective (beware of the primary sources). 2. Articles about writers consist of two parts. Biography and work. I think, in terms of size, must be fifty / fifty, more or less. Your article is a great article (thanks for it, I translated it because I thought it was excellent), but not enough when it comes to his work (that is why I expanded it much). 3. I'm much more interested in Baudelaire's, T. S. Eliot’s, Borges’, Edmund Wilson’s view that of Sowa, Meyers, Silverman. Sorry. Don’t you have a policy of more or less authoritative sources, more or less important kind of sources? I have a problem: I want to know what Stevenson or Dostoievsky had to say about Poe. This is very important for me, excuse me. (But, for me only?) This is it and nothing more.;) --Sürrell (talk) 18:06, 26 April 2012 (UTC)

No arguments? Let me tell you that your silence will not help improve the article and the blessed literary memory of the best writer of fantasy of all times and of the United States. It's simple. The article is not finished. (And ancestors must be in it, of course, and criptography is too long versus critic, poetry, and...) So long.--Sürrell (talk) 17:52, 28 April 2012 (UTC)

No answers again? Oh my! Well, well, well. Maybe I'm a f. troll, but these are my last words, brothers. Through this article format, the figure of the writer is clearly unbalanced. In this article you are attending the life of a poor little man who always suffered serious problems and pain, although, indeed, was much talked about. Is this true? No. This is not Poe. You need to add a large section of his work, gender to gender, unspecified, no work by work, an overview, but in extenso, and also showing the views of other great writers. Then you attend to the true greatness of the writer, the true extent of Poe as a genius of humanity. Only this and nothing more. The choice is yours. A.M.D.G. --Sürrell (talk) 18:18, 9 May 2012 (UTC)

I'm having trouble understanding what plan of action you are suggesting, Surrell - and your criticism for a lack of response is a bit unfair. I won't apologize because I have been less active here. In this particular case, I've also chosen to back away from this topic (Poe's ancestry) because I don't feel strongly enough about it and did not want to become a roadblock for others trying to improve the article. If you are more generally saying "the article is not finished," I would remind you that we are not under deadline. Again, you keep arguing that something is "interesting" - please stop saying that. As far as I understand, "interesting" or "I like it" is not a valid argument for inclusion. --Midnightdreary (talk) 11:47, 10 May 2012 (UTC)

Sorry, first I am not referring directly to you, Midnightdreary. The action plan I suggest is to suggest to the editors of the article that it be expanded into an essential part. But first you must recognize that this part really is essential. The works of Poe. I am mostly interested in the hero for what he did; mostly. Perhaps many readers as well... I'm not talking about the article "The Black Cat", I'm not talking about the article "The Fall of the House of Usher", Edgar Allan Poe in popular culture... These articles already exist. I'm talking about the article Edgar Allan Poe, because it is incomplete. I am not saying this only because I'm interested, but because the article itself is interested in it, compared to the Encyclopedia Britannica, for example, and everyone who knows what an encyclopedia is. An article is good only if it is complete, and more a featured article. I think this article is unfinished. However, alas, I may be wrong. You can set up a poll about it among other users in en:wik to find out for sure, if you consider appropriate. If my opinion does not apply to you, forget me and that's that, but I also am addressing others. You will be strongly enough about Poe's ancestry by visiting this: Arthur Hobson Quinn; it's just a suggestion. You say the truth: we are not under a deadline: Poe's work, Poe's ancestors, are not under a deadline. So you do not remove the contribution of Blippityblop! Right? Do you think that the Pilgrim Fathers (ancestors) are interesting in American history? Yes? Sorry, I think this article does not adequately respect the memory of Poe. You can do something about it or not. This is a free country. Thank you for your attention.--Sürrell (talk) 13:44, 10 May 2012 (UTC)

I have to start by saying that I'm not sure I fully understand you. Here's what I think I'm reading: this article should not be a featured article because it does not mention Poe's ancestry. Like I said, if an editor wants to add that information, they are welcome to; I do not want to be an obstacle to that progress. Other than that, I'm not sure what being a "free country" has to do with anything. This isn't the United States - it's Wikipedia. --Midnightdreary (talk) 15:18, 10 May 2012 (UTC)

Ha, ha. Still confused? I will bring fire to thee. 1. Bad boy, you misrepresented my words. I say: This article should not be a featured article because it does not mention Poe's work enough, and other items, as Poe's ancestry. 2. If Blippityblop wants to add that information, is he welcome to? Then, restore his information. 3. The States is your country and this is the free encyclopedia, a free funny space, and that is why you, and others, can take my advice or not. 4. The section about Poe's work is not under a deadline, of course. I think it is primarily the responsibility of Midnightdreary (the main editor) to enlarge it (sorry, I think). Is it clearer now? You're welcome.;)--Sürrell (talk) 17:55, 10 May 2012 (UTC)

I don't see how I'm required to add info about Poe's ancestry - I'm not the one who expressed interest in it - nor do I see how it is my responsibility to expand a section just because you don't like it. If you have additional concerns, perhaps a new section on this talk page is required outside of this particular question about Poe's family. Further, if you dislike the article so much, you can bring it up for reassessment to remove its featured status, or you could consider helping to improve it yourself. I feel somewhat attacked here, and not merely because you called me a "bad boy". --Midnightdreary (talk) 00:01, 11 May 2012 (UTC)

I have to agree-- I haven't been able to understand exactly what Sürrell is trying to say, either, although it does appear that Sürrell, like Blippityblop, is falsely attributing powers and responsibilities to Midnightdreary. aruffo (talk) 07:16, 11 May 2012 (UTC)

Attacked? Attacked? I have studied the history of the article and I saw that Midnightdreary (mainly) handles a large amount of literature that he could use to expand the section of Poe’s work. As for me, I can not help, Midnightdreary, I’m too weak and weary from my work in the article in Spanish. Believe me, friends: you are in a moral and aesthetic obligation of expanding this section (and Poe’s ancestry, etc.). «I haven't been able to understand exactly what Sürrell is trying to say»: Oh my: Is this America? Well: Goodbye, Farewell, So long! Misery is manifold. The wretchedness of earth is multiform... --Sürrell (talk) 09:58, 11 May 2012 (UTC)

Going by the fact that the Irish diaspora and Irish American wiki pages are both even longer than the Edgar Allan Poe page, one easily concludes that there are a large amount of people that consider Irish ancestry to be both significant and highly interesting. Not that his Irishness decides that: if he was German American or of the Spanish diaspora or Italian diaspora, then I would expect that fact to be listed. But you decide Midnightdreary, you obviously have ownership of the site and only you have the right to decide what is interesting or not. I'm grateful that there are paragons of objectivity such as yourself, veritable oracles who can proclaim these truths to the masses. Thankfully you also have your cronies that enforce your ownership of this page just in case any interlopers appear. Grand, leave the page as it is. It is yours after all. See ya around. Blippityblop (talk) 13:27, 17 July 2012 (UTC)

Sorry to hear you're so upset, Blippityblop. I did not claim to own this page, nor do I have any cronies at all. Further, whether I think it is interesting (or you, for that matter), is irrelevant; there's a very specific piece of inclusion criteria that says that WP:INTERESTING is irrelevant. I'm going to assume no personal attack was intended, and somehow you mis-worded your assumption of good faith. In fact, if you double-check, all I stated was that the addition of this info should be extremely brief, and be balanced with equal info about his mother. Thanks. --Midnightdreary (talk) 02:47, 18 July 2012 (UTC)

If it isn't interesting, should the Irish American wiki page be deleted? Is it interesting for some individuals with wiki pages and not for others? No, it was never the case that "all [you] stated was that the addition of this info should be extremely brief, and be balanced with equal info about his mother". In the post to this discussion previous to my last I wrote 'What I propose is adding the sentence "Edgar's grandfather David Poe, Sr., emigrated from County Cavan, Ireland, to America around the year 1750.' I've tried to chop and change and compromise, but all you do is move the goalposts because you're page is being edited without your permission." I don't think you can construe this formulation as anything other than brief. I don't know what you are talking about balancing this information with more about English roots through his mother: the wiki page already makes this quite clear! So it there is an imbalance that needs redressing, it is to mention his Irish roots. I find it hard to believe you are trying to be an honest broker in all this, considering Sürrell (who seems to be one of the most prolific contributor to the Spanish language version, also a featured article) came on here talking about it from another angle but he was shot down by you too. So Poe's English ancestry is mentioned on the page, a brief mention of the emigration of the Poe family from Ireland has been formulated and offered for comment, but you still can only stand in the way? Or is only his English ancestry interesting? Certainly "interesting" that you never deleted that from EAP's wiki page, though you had no problem actively choosing to delete mention of his Irish ancestry and leaving other parts. Blippityblop (talk) 10:57, 19 July 2012 (UTC)

I do hope you're clicking the links I offer. I can't help but feel you are still making a personal attack and are not assuming good faith. You sparked a discussion, in which I participated, and many sides and perspectives were offered. I changed my opinion to the above (that both sides of his heritage be represented, albeit extremely briefly, and utilizing reliable sources) based on what was offered. I am not standing in your way: do what you feel is best based on these informative discussions, bearing in mind the high demands and standards of a featured article. Sürrell's comments, I have to admit, were confusing, but had little at all to do with Poe's ancestry (he seemed to be more concerned with Poe's literary influence). I do not question his hard work on the Spanish language version of this article. I don't know how I can be any clearer. You have not attempted new changes, so I'm no longer the roadblock you are decrying. I promise. --Midnightdreary (talk) 14:03, 19 July 2012 (UTC)

Needless to say, I didn't offer any further edits becuase I wanted to avoid WP:Edit warring. That would be bold. But now that you've offered your imprimatur I shall proceed. I have no objections to you editing it to make it sit better within the article, I personally won't be reverting your edits thereon. Regards and farewell. Blippityblop (talk) 09:57, 20 July 2012 (UTC)

It wouldn't be edit warring if discussion had taken place. I'm glad we worked this out. I'm truly sorry if I came across as an obstinate interference; it was not my intention (nor do I intend to hijack this article and make it my own). All the best --Midnightdreary (talk) 13:24, 20 July 2012 (UTC)

Edit request on 12 June 2012

Dear Wikipedia, I am writing to request permission to make edits to this page. The information found is very reliable and trustworthy,however, my group and I would like to add more details in reference to Poe's life as a person and a writer. This is a part of a college level Englsih course assignment. We are not looking to make any personal sugguestions or add misinformation. We are only interested in added more detail to your information about Edgar Allan Poe. For example, x: "Poe parted ways with the Allans." This should be changed to y: Poe cut all ties with the Allans because his adopted father did not support his failure at West Point and his general lifestyle. If this change was made, the reader would be provided more useful information regarding Poe and his paternal relationship. As far as sources go, the information I am planning to use came from Gale Virtual Reference Library and Google Scholar. Listed below are their specific citations:

Belbanco, Andrew. Stories for Young People: Edgar Allan Poe. China: Sterling Publishing Co., Inc, 2006. 4-5. eBook. <http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=JBv-bocMY9IC&oi=fnd&pg=PA4&dq=Edgar Allan Poe&ots=Vw2hO4Y5j8&sig=vRgteYA4X-5nKzMhznZcCVmB0yY

Hoffman, Daniel. "Poe, Edgar Allan (1809-1849)." World Poets. 2. (2000): 323-331. Web. 12 Jun. 2012. <http://go.galegroup.com/ps/retrieve.do?sgHitCountType=None&sort=RELEVANCE&inPS=true&prodId=GVRL&userGroupName=viva_lwc_main&tabID=T003&searchId=R3&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&contentSegment=&searchType=BasicSearchForm¤tPosition=2&contentSet=GALE%7CCX1386400083&&docId=GALE%7CCX1386400083&docType=GALE&role=>. Thank you for your time and I hope you consider our request. Taylor Seamster and group PoePower (talk) 14:18, 12 June 2012 (UTC)

I disagree with this proposed change; this makes us assume that John Allan disapproved of Poe's "general lifestyle", which we can not prove. It's also awkward: by saying "Poe call all ties" it implies that Poe made the decision, but saying Allan disapproved of him it implies that Allan made the decision.

Further, if I may add: If you're thinking of spending more time on Wikipedia on a class project, I'd recommend a different article - one that really needs help, and not an approved featured article like this one. --Midnightdreary (talk) 15:39, 12 June 2012 (UTC)

 Not done: requests for increases to the page protection level should be made at Wikipedia:Requests for page protection. If you post the edit you want here, and changed the2nd part of the template at the top to |answered=yes}}, I will review it Mdann52 (talk) 15:42, 12 June 2012 (UTC)

Also, this sounds like a Conflict of Interest Mdann52 (talk) 15:44, 12 June 2012 (UTC)

Influence or work?

Listen, folks. This is a very interesting topic. I think that this editor, Midnightdreary, should not distort the words of editor Sürrell anymore. Editor Sürrell does not say you have to extend the influence of Poe, but the work of Poe. You do not just say nothing of the work. And Poe is not just a drunk who married a girl of 13 years and went hungry, as shown in this article. This article is half article, as Sürrell says, and a bit ridiculous article for that reason. Poeseye--85.59.141.63 (talk) 09:46, 15 August 2012 (UTC)

Oh, dear... I'm not sure how I distorted Surrell's words. I never understood them, as I mentioned (more than once, if I recall). I worked hard to make sure this article was not just displaying Poe as a negative figure or living a negative life. I wish you could show how you came to the conclusion that it is "ridiculous". If there is a concern that there's a not enough information on his literary work, add it, bearing in mind there's a whole article Bibliography of Edgar Allan Poe (which is also a featured list). --Midnightdreary (talk) 16:15, 15 August 2012 (UTC)

Oh my... Lists? No, thanks. We already have the phone-book for lists. This article has a clear bias against Poe, and, in fact, some believe that is «displaying Poe as a negative figure or living a negative life» in the same line as Griswold, Krutch, Bonaparte, Yvor Winters, Huxley, and others. It is an old and sordid subject. For what reason? Because Poe's work does not have enough extension. And this decompensation, this omission is absolutely un-jus-ti-fi-a-ble. And it is a bi-as and it is ne-ga-ti-ve for Poe's memory and the truth. It is also ridiculous to keep distorting, dear friend of lists and Poe´s toasters. Poeseye--85.53.137.255 (talk) 17:52, 16 August 2012 (UTC)

I'm confused as to your concern. Could you please be more specific as to which parts of the article are anti-Poe? Could you please be more specific about what you think has been omitted? If you see something "absolutely un-jus-ti-fi-a-ble" or something which is distorted or, again, "ridiculous", have you attempted to fix it yet? --Midnightdreary (talk) 00:30, 17 August 2012 (UTC)

You have worked the article (467 edits). You started it, somehow. You control all editions and, according to your subjective judgment, you deleted many of them, some of my own. Then, you morally must finish it. If you do not understand what we say, you should go to school to learn. Is it clear now, dear friend of Poe’s toasters? Poeseye--85.53.144.8 (talk) 09:09, 17 August 2012 (UTC)