shed a collection of his first twenty-five stories called Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque (“Poe, Edgar Allan,” World Book Encyclopedia 591). Even when this collection failed to sale or gain recognition, Poe still kept a daily routine of working on literature. In 1843 he sold 300,000 copies of “The Gold Bug” (592). Also in 1843 Poe published one his greatest works, “The Tell-Tale Heart” (“Poe Edgar Allan,” Encarta Encyclopedia n. pag). Then again in 1845, Poe struck gold with his twelve stories in Tales and 30 poems in The Raven and Other Poems (592). In 1848, Poe explained his theories on the universe in his well-known piece, “Eureka” (“Poe, Edgar Allan,” World Book Encyclopedia 592). In 1843, Poe wrote the timeless classic of “The Tell-Tale Heart” (Encarta N. pag). It was the poem, “Raven” that brought Poe the most recognition and finally provided a spot for him among America’s greatest writers. Writers and critics were bestowing great praises to him during this time. It was with his stories of mystery and murder featuring C. Auguste Dupin that inspired one critic to write, “Where was the detective story until Poe breathed the breath of life into it?” (Quinn 139). “It is not enough—certainly for literary criticism it is not enough to call his stories, strange, extraordinary, fantastic” (“Edgar Allan Poe, The Dark Genius of the Short Story” n. pag) is a perfect quote to summarize Poe’s works and their effect on critics and people.This period of tranquility and good tidings would turn out to be Poe’s last. In 1847, Virginia Clemm died of tuberculosis and in doing so added one more name to Poe’s list of lost loves (“Poe, Edgar Allan,” World Book Encyclopedia 591). Her death had affected Poe more greatly than any other of his former loses. Poe was once...
