Where did Poe write the Raven?

greenspun.com : LUSENET : The Work of Edgar Allan Poe : One Thread

I heard he wrote the Raven in Bar in Lowell Ma called the Worthen. How much time did he spend in Lowell Ma

-- Anonymous, April 01, 2001

Answers

Bill,

In April 1844, Poe and his wife Virginia moved from the Brennan Farm near Philadelphia to New York where Poe went to work for the Sunday Times as subeditor. By October of 1844, Poe began working for the Evening Mirror and his poem "The Raven" was published by the Evening Mirror in January 1845. If I recall correctly, the first visit by Poe to Lowell, Massachusetts was not until 1848. I think it is reasonable to presume "The Raven" was written while Poe was living in New York or Philadelphia.

Regards,

-- Anonymous, April 04, 2001


I grew up in a town outside the suburbs of Charleston, WV called St. Albans. It was always rumored that Poe wrote the Raven in a St. Alban's house. Anyone have any info that could prove or disprove this? Any comments would be welcome. At the time, this area would have been part of Virginia.

-- Anonymous, April 27, 2001

On one of his nature walks around New York vicinity- when there was still some nature around. However, Poe is suspected of adding to the legend of the Raven and its inspiration. There was another earlier poem by a female English poet with some similar sounds and imagery.

This is the trouble when you create a big hit.

-- Anonymous, April 30, 2001


I live in Central Pennsylvania, theres is a hotel in the area, around Centre Hall, called the Eutaw House. It was owned by members of my family some years back. It it rumored to have (in the words of my grandmother) to have, upon a wooden beam in a room that used to be a rented room, have the word "Poe" carved into it. It is rumored that he had stayed in this hotel while passing through PA (the hotel is in fact on the way to Baltimore). I have heard many stories that the raven was possibly written in this room, after Poe, himself, looked out the window, and saw a raven sitting in the trees just outside his window. The valley that sits above the mountain on which the hotel is at the bottom of, is called Poe Valley. This, of course could be jsut a fmaily story, but I have also heard it from many others, and read it in a few books in the Centre County historical library.

While it could be Urban Legand, my belief is that at least a portion of or all of the poem was written in the room. The original beam, is no longer existant in the hotel, at least to my knowledge, but I believe that there is recod of him staying in this hotel

-- Anonymous, June 06, 2001


As his most famous poem, everyone seems to want a part in its creation. There must be as many places claiming to be where Poe wrote "The Raven," as there are fragments of the "true cross." The story with the best documentation is that he wrote it while he was living at the Brennan farmhouse in New York. Since the poem relies, in part, on the earlier poems "Lenore" and "A Paean," that may account for some of the confusion, but in general the other stories are mostly fiction.

-- Anonymous, June 09, 2001


I remember hearing that Poe had actually written a poem without using "The Raven" as a title, but changed it after hearing a story from Charles Dickens over lunch (that's a totally different story). Dickens was visibly upset, and when Poe asked him what was the matter, Dickens told him that his pet Raven (apparently they had odd pets over in England) had died of lead poisoning after mistaking a bucket of paint for water. Dickens used the phrase "stone cold dead," which is said to have intrigued and possibly even inspired Poe to some extent. So after hearing Dicken's story, Poe decided to change this poem by adding the raven and changing the title to "The Raven."

-- Anonymous, February 04, 2004

In agreeing with one of the previous posters, I have also heard the tale of the dead pet Raven, many times over, in several classes and books. This seems to be the most accepted answer.

-- Anonymous, May 01, 2004

He Wrote the Raven while living at Seventh and Green St.,in Phila.Pa. While I was a young boy,I walked by the house and under the overhang there was block lettering urging passerbys t5o stop in and vist.I was afraid to. R/S J.Duffy

-- Anonymous, June 02, 2004

I went into nyc on saturday to see the cristo gates in central park and i parked on 78th or 79th on the west side and i saw a brass plaque a building that said that this was the sight of a farm house were edgar allen poe finished the raven - and i saw a street sign naming the street for edgar allen poe.

-- Anonymous, February 21, 2005

Moderation questions? read the FAQ