why the heak would he want to marry his 1st cousin and have a 15 year diffrence between the two i meancome on wouldnt she think that was sick and im sure threr were a lot of hot guy bacc then that whrer her age and ot her cousin

-- Anonymous, January 17, 2005

Answers

i dont know i think he was messed up or somthing hes a perve

-- Anonymous, January 17, 2005

hmmm, maybe they felt a deeper connection or ::gasp:: they were in love??

but on an unsarcastic note, back then it wasn't uncommon to marry your 1st or 2nd cousin. people kept it in the family, because it was a time of hardships and that way the money or things they have would stay with them.

also if you doubt the love they had, try reading his poem Annabel Lee. it was about his feelings after his wife's death. he loved her drearly...

-- Anonymous, January 18, 2005

Already said, it was common to marry within the family. Keeps your money and estates protected from outside families. But keep in mind he didn't have that much to begin with. What little he had, he may have wanted to protect.

Also - regarding the biographical connection in "Anabel Lee," I believe that one also. But at the same time, I don't say it was a definite. There are too many factors to just automatically assume that it was def about her death. But like I said, I believe that theory as well. The poem and the subject matter are too easily connectable to Virginia.

-- Anonymous, January 18, 2005

u would think that their renys wouldnt allow it i mean the thought of them getting it on is sick!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

-- Anonymous, January 18, 2005

On the rebound from losing his fiance Elmira Royster Poe was enthusiastically accepted by his young cousin, not unheard of or illegal, but also causing the same stir one would normally expect today. Consummation of the marriage might typically have been later. Though intellectually not the ideal for Poe, and financially ruinous for both of them, it was a typical and happy marriage, though not without the usual regrets on Poe's part. Virginia seeed 100% in love and supportive of Poe.

The main sickness involved seems in the rather darker and lurid imaginings of today that must speculate like hypocrites on titillating details unsupported by documentation or reason. Most other poets led wilder more profligate lives than Poe, who was rather a prudish idealist regarding women than a rake or a "sicko". One of Poe's critics, a Rufus Griswold it was who actually broke into his own wife's crypt to sleep with her while Poe only spent the usual time moping disconsolate around his wife's grave. Such is the character of slander.

-- Anonymous, January 18, 2005

It was common to marry in the family for finance reasons - as said. And these days it's not uncommon to marry someone 15 years apart, or 30 years apart. Really, think about it a little bit and he was far from a perve. He is my favorite author and I love all of his work. He was a little... not right in the head but the best writtings come from those who arn't right or who have a crazy imagination. Thanks, - Cin.

-- Anonymous, January 18, 2005

It was common at that time for girls to marry at an early age. Until the begining of 1900's the marriage age for girls was 13 years. so it was normal. Now everything has changed so dont compare your so called modern thoughts with yesterday's . well dont get disgusted, now kids as young as 10 have sex. you better get disgusted from that

-- Anonymous, January 19, 2005

First of all, I think it is pretty immature of people to judge Poe by the fact that he married his 13 year old cousin (by the way, she was 13, not 12). This small fact does not detract from his writing; in fact, if the theories about Lenore and Annabel Lee are true, it enhanced it. Second of all, why should the thought of them "getting it on" be sick? If you brushed up on your history, in his time it was not uncommon for 12-14 year olds to marry; though they are still adolescent and quite young, the men believed that they were woman enough to bear children and also young enough for them to teach. The men wanted young girls to teach how to be a perfectly subservient wife who will do all he says without question. As for the cousin portion, no matter how society questions things such as marriage to a cousin, maybe there was a reason for it. Perhaps he was impotent (after all, they never had children), perhaps he saved Virginia from an unwanted marriage or other such situation, perhaps he (as mentioned before) thought to keep all the money and such that the two had together so that they had a means to get by, perhaps they fell in love, etc. Stranger things have happened--in more recent times also. If people were more open minded to things other than the fact that he married his thirteen year old cousin, they would see things beyond the end of their nose and maybe be more understanding. If you can read his works and honestly say that his marriage and obvious (yet human) flaws detracted from his work rather than enhanced it, I would venture to call you a bald faced liar.

-- Anonymous, January 20, 2005

*sigh* I can't really contribute to this converstation, but I can say that I couldn't read half of your question because of typos -__- Anywho...What's "sick" now and what was "sick" then is alot different. You shouldn't judge people. It was their decision. Oh, and if you were alive back then, and you said to one of your friends, "Hey, isn't that guy hot?" they'd probably would look at you like you were crazy...But, of course, that's just my opinion. :)

-- Anonymous, January 24, 2005

OK people lets not take this so serously i mea com on people just come on here to mess around and mabey its wrong but like that one person saud dont judge people! And u are rite people are having sex at the age of ten im 14 and threre are alot of people i know that are doing that stuff. but i think its really weird to date ur cousins i mean i think alot of my cosins are HOTT!! but i would neva marry them cause there are a to of other hot people in this world>

-- Anonymous, January 29, 2005

Poe was anything but normal...he absolutely hated convention, so marrying his 13 year old cousin, whom he loved, did'nt seem at all weird to him.

-- Anonymous, February 14, 2005

EWWW i think he's a sicko thats a sick perve

-- Anonymous, February 17, 2005

Different time different place but how fitting that one should judge Poe after his death.

-- Anonymous, March 14, 2005

Thats very immature to judge Poe like dat. After all he was pimpin in his time in the category of writing and stuff like dat. iz tru dat these days people as low as age 13 or lower have sex and thats normal to us teens (i personally dont agree) and im pretty tired myself so lets just say that he was desperate and leave it at that and that guy that said that, that solved the financial solutions, he right B he right. We should use Poe and others from the early 1800's through the 1900's as an example to our current well being. Peace peeps,

-- Anonymous, March 15, 2005

You're all fags.

-- Anonymous, March 16, 2005

I think poe was hot, i dated him and i have 6 kids with him and i am only 14. I have an STD from him too. Thats my outcome. Say no to sex after death.

-- Anonymous, March 16, 2005