The Portable Edgar Allan Poe - Edgar Allan Poe [15]
1833 Baltimore Saturday Visiter announces literary contest; Poe submits several new tales and poems. “MS. Found in a Bottle” wins fifty-dollar prize for fiction. John Pendleton Kennedy offers Poe’s “Tales of the Folio Club” to a Philadelphia publisher. Poe does odd jobs for Kennedy and the Visiter.
1834 Godey’s Lady’s Book publishes “The Visionary” (later called “The Assignation”). Poe rebuffed by Allan in last meeting in Richmond; Allan dies six weeks later, leaving Poe without an inheritance. Thomas W. White launches Southern Literary Messenger. Henry C. Carey declines to publish Poe’s tales.
1835 Kennedy aids destitute Poe; recommends him to White as prospective employee. Poe contributes “Berenice” and other tales to Messenger, writes reviews, offers advice to White. Grandmother Elizabeth Poe dies in Baltimore. Poe travels to Richmond to apply for teaching position; assists White; suffers suicidal crisis; returns to Baltimore, perhaps to marry Virginia secretly. Returns to Richmond with Virginia and Mrs. Clemm as housemates; resumes work at Messenger, publishes many reviews, reprints his tales and poems, and expands journal’s national reputation.
1836 Marries Virginia in public ceremony; enjoys acclaim as editor, despite White’s refusal to confer title; publishes many reviews, notes, and essays. Harper & Brothers decline to publish “Folio Club” tales; advise Poe to write novel. White threatens to fire Poe for drinking.
1837 White dismisses Poe. Messenger publishes two installments of Poe’s novel, The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym. With wife and mother-in-law, Poe moves to New York, completes novel, and secures contract with Harper & Brothers. Panic of 1837 postpones publication of Pym; Poe remains unemployed and impoverished.
1838 Relocates to Philadelphia; unsuccessfully seeks employment. Harper & Brothers publish Pym; novel receives mixed reviews. Poe publishes “Ligeia” in Baltimore American Museum. Allows Thomas Wyatt to use his name as author of textbook on seashells.
1839 Obtains position at Burton’s Gentleman’s Magazine; meets Philadelphia literati; publishes “William Wilson” in The Gift and “The Fall of the House of Usher” in Burton’s. Lea & Blanchard publish Poe’s Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque in December. Poe issues challenge in Alexander’s Weekly Messenger to solve any cryptogram submitted by readers.
1840 Begins serialization of “The Journal of Julius Rodman” in Burton’s; solves cryptograms in Alexander’s; accuses Longfellow of plagiarism. Burton dismisses Poe for issuing Penn Magazine prospectus; project elicits encouragement from many quarters. Poe meets Frederick W. Thomas; contributes “The Man of the Crowd” to newly created Graham’s Magazine; suffers prolonged illness that delays Penn.
1841 Financial crisis further postpones Penn. Poe takes job on Graham’s staff; publishes “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” and “A Descent into the Maelström.” Meets Rufus Griswold; plans to edit new monthly magazine in collaboration with George Graham and solicits work from noted American authors, but privately seeks government appointment through Thomas. Graham’s publishes Poe’s features on “Secret Writing” and “Autography.”
1842 Virginia Poe suffers pulmonary hemorrhage that signals consumption; Poe drinks to relieve sorrow. Interviews Charles Dickens; resigns position at Graham’s. Renews efforts to obtain patronage job through Tyler administration; makes abortive visit to New York seeking editorial work. Fails to receive government appointment; publishes “The Mystery of Marie Rogêt,” based on death of Mary Rogers in New York.
1843 James Russell Lowell’s Pioneer publishes “The Tell-Tale Heart.” Poe enlists publisher Thomas C. Clarke as partner in projected magazine now called The Stylus. Drinks heavily during disastrous visit to Washington in quest of patronage appointment; offends Thomas Dunn English there; loses support of Clarke, who commissions English to write temperance novel. Wins one hundred dollars in Dollar Newspaper contest with “The Gold-Bug