Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore-

While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly I heard a tapping,

As of someone gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.

“ ‘Tis some visitor,” I muttered, tapping at my chamber door-

And the silken, sad, uncertain rustling of each purple curtain

Thrilled me- filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before;

So that now, to still the beating of my heart, I stood repeating

“ ‘Tis some visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door-

Some late visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door;-

Presently my soul grew stronger, hesitating then no longer,

“Sir,” said I “or Madam, truly your forgiveness I implore;

But the fact is I was napping and gently you came rapping,

And so faintly you came tapping, tapping at my chamber door,

That I scarce was sure I heard you” -here I opened wide the door;-

When I was 27 years old I married my 13-year-old cousin, Virginia. We had no children but we loved each other very much. When Virginia started to get sick with tuberculosis in 1947, I was driven into a both mental and physical breakdown. My drinking became worse than it ever had before, I was a dipsomaniac. I turned into a consistent user of drugs, neurotic, and over-sexed. I became paranoid and was a necrophiliac.

foster father and he wouldn’t help me with my gambling debt and I was forced to leave school after a year because I had gambled away my tuition.

I died a short 2 years later at age 40. After I died, many lesser poets and critics transformed my image from the man who turned the short story into an art, the creator of the murder mystery/ detective story, a writer of both romantic and haunting poetry, and the inventor of science fiction stories, into a lying, half-mad alcoholic who was gifted with a genius and squandered it.

At 20 years old, my foster mother died and my foster father had no reason to he

Some topics in this essay:
, Messenger Richmond, University Virginia, John Allen, Virginia Clemm, Boston Massachusetts, Pit Pendulum”, John Allen’s, Oh I’ll, Tell-Tale Heart, chamber door-, visitor entreating entrance, entreating entrance, visitor entreating, tapping chamber, “ ‘tis, entrance chamber, chamber door, gently rapping, entreating entrance chamber, entrance chamber door-, foster father,