Edgar and Allan have a lot in common with their great-great-great-great granduncle Edgar Allan Poe. Not only do they look just like him but also they “[share] his taste for the thrilling and unexpected,” especially anything involving “[i]ntrigue, coded messages, [or] dark secrets” (2). As a result, the twins are huge fans of Poe’s stories and poems. According to the twins, although “some of the words their great-great-great-great granduncle [uses are] old-fashioned, the stories [are] grievous, shuddersome, and horrific—in other words, perfect” (91). Of course, Edgar and Allan are only fictional characters, but did you know Edgar Allan Poe was a real-life author who lived in New England in the early 1800s? In fact, a lot of what you’ve read about his life and work in The Tell-Tale Start is actually true! Let’s find out more about the real Edgar Allan Poe, so we can discern the historical facts from the fictional elements in the book we are reading.
- Learn about Poe’s childhood and how he became a writer and literary critic.
- Take a tour of the Poe National Historic Site to get a sense of how Poe lived and worked.
- Consider Poe’s unusual creative process, which led him to become a pioneer of science fiction, detective stories, and macabre tales. (Wondering what macabre means?)
- Read “The Raven,” the poem that finally made Poe famous only a few years before his death.
- Edgar Allan Poe died on October 7, 1849 under uncertain circumstances, and the cause of his death has remained a mystery. Visit the Poe Museum’s Web site to review the theories surrounding his death.
Check out these questions and share your thoughts with other TIPsters below!
- Now that you know more about Edgar Allan Poe, which aspects of his character in The Tell-Tale Start are based on historical facts?
- Which aspects are make-believe?
- In what way(s) does author Gordon McAlpine’s blending of fact and fiction make this book more interesting and enjoyable to read?