119 Edgar Allan Poe Essay Topics & Examples

In case you’re searching for Edgar Allan Poe research paper topics to write about his life, death, and legacy, check the list. Our team has gathered ideas on the author and gothic literature below.

🔝 Top-10 Edgar Allan Poe Essay Topics

1. The Tell-Tale Heart Psychological Analysis & Critique
2. “The Black Cat” by Edgar Allan Poe
3. “The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe: Poem Analysis
4. Literary Devices in “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe
5. “Annabel Lee” and “The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe
6. Dark Humor in The Cask of Amontillado Essay
7. Edgar Allan Poe’s Story “The Black Cat”
8. The Tell-Tale Heart (1843)
9. “The Fall of the House of Usher” & “The Cask of Amontillado”: Summaries, Settings, and Main Themes
10. Edgar Allan Poe, His Life and Literary Career

🏆 Best Edgar Allan Poe Essay Topics & Examples

1. “Black Cat” a Story by Edgar Allan Poe
   In turn, the use of various stylistic devices helps the writer create a sense of suspense and show the immense moral tension that the main character struggles with.
2. Literature Symbols in “The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe
   In spite of the fact that there are many symbols of different types in Poe’s “The Raven”, such symbols of darkness and depression as December, the raven, the Night’s Plutonian shore, and the repetition of […]
3. Edgar Allan Poe – American Literature
   The main themes that are evident in his work are the themes of death and love. He speaks of a chilling wind from the sky that emerged resulting in the death of her wife.
4. Revenge Theme in “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe
   He, therefore, decides to seek revenge, but he wants to be careful in order not to risk his life. Fortunato seems to be fond of wine against Montresor, and he decides to use this as […]
5. Analysis of “The Black Cat” by Edgar Allan Poe
   After having lost his cat when a fire broke in his house, he felt a great need for another pet, same as that of Pluto, his pet cat.”This, then, was the very creature of which […]
6. The “Eldorado” Poem Analysis by Edgar Allan Poe
   The structure of the poem is AABCCB. Edgar Allan Poe vastly uses metaphors and sight sensory in the poem.
7. Edgar Allan Poe’s Views on Madness in “The System of Dr. Tarr and Prof. Fether”
   The lesson that can be learned through the interface of this Poe’s short story is that no one can be trusted due to the lack of background information and deceptive practices.
8. The Poem “Annabel Lee” by Edgar Allan Poe
   The beginning of the poem reveals the narrator’s feelings toward Annabel Lee, determining the theme and the mood of the verse: “a maiden there lived whom you may know by the name of Annabel Lee; […]
9. Inside the Narrator’s Mind: “The Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe
   It is significantly the working of the inner self or the perpetual threat of the unconscious to the conscious that leads the protagonist to the ultimate confession of the crime even when he is not […]
10. Edgar Allan Poe: ”The Tell-Tale Heart” and “The Cask of Amontillado”
    In this discourse two of his famous short stories, “The Tell-Tale Heart” and “The Cask of Amontillado” are studied in an attempt to better understand the use of symbolism, the literary tool of irony, and […]
11. The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allan Poe: The Role of the Narrator
    The role of the narrator of the story The Fall of the House of Usher is great indeed; his rationality and his ability to represent the events from the side of an immediate participant of […]
12. Edgar Allan Poe’s and Herman Melville Comparison
    To this end, the current paper is a comparative review of Poe’s “The Masque of the Red Death” and Melville’s “Billy Budd”.
13. Imagery Use in “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe
    The story utilizes graphical language and imagery in the development of a sense of deceptive and persuasive nature and circumstances in the expansion of the symbolic approach of sustaining a condition of suspense. The imagery […]
14. Irony in “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe
    As the atmosphere of gaiety during the carnival changes to the horror from the catacombs beneath Montresor’s palazzo the reader ascertains that the carnival was a prelude created by the author to admit the drastic […]
15. Edgar Poe’s Annabel Lee: Narrative Text Analysis
    As death and mortality along with love make the key themes of the poem, it will be reasonable to suggest that the mood of the latter is quite dark, despite the lyrical tone and the […]
16. Poe’s “The Fall of the House of Usher”
    In “The Fall of the House of Usher”, Poe portrays the Usher family as struggling to survive albeit in a gloomy manner that involves degradation, disease, and death.”The Fall of the House of Usher” is […]
17. The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Poe
    This metaphor is necessary to show that the feeling of guilt distorts his perception of reality. This is one of the details that can be distinguished.
18. The Single Effect in Edgar Allan Poe’s The Cask of Amontillado
    The very first words uttered by the author at the start of the story carried the hook necessary to reel the reader into the story with the desired effect.
19. Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe Literature Analysis
    He tries to justify his actions, and show that he is not a bad person. Most importantly, he tries to show that he is not a mad man.
20. The Investigation of Ethical Issues in The Tell-Tale Heart and The Pond
    The secondary problem is related to an ethical dilemma with regards to the responsibility of the husband to provide and care for the family.

📚 How to Find Excellent Edgar Allan Poe Essay Examples

Most students use essay samples to inspire or improve their own work. But how do you know if the text you plan to use as a reference for your paper on Edgar Allan Poe is good enough?

Here are the features any good academic paper should have:

• Strong thesis statement. Any essay is centered around a thesis statement. When it’s well-written, it gives readers an idea of what the paper is about.
• Unity of form. A logical structure allows readers to follow the author’s line of thought and clearly understand the message behind the work.
• Good paragraph structure. Each paragraph should focus on a single idea and refer to the thesis statement.
• Accurate details. A good essay uses only reliable sources and doesn’t go beyond the topic.
• Proper language. Good academic papers are written in standard English with no grammar mistakes or typos.

You can also check out amazing samples from IvyPanda and use them as references for your writing. They all suit the above criteria and contain countless inspiring ideas.

👍 Interesting Edgar Allan Poe Research Paper Topics

1. Edgar Allan Poe: Literary Devices and Their Meaning
   The purpose of his style, ornate and yet concise, of the grotesque characters, the growing tension in the narrative is “the greatest possible effect on his readers”.
2. Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Raven” Review
   The tension intensifies with every stanza till the third one from the end after which the narrator understands the senselessness of the situation in searching for the answers for his questions in the raven’s “nevermore”.
3. Edgar Allan Poe: Interpretation of “The Raven”
   One of the suggestions that dominate Poe’s talent in writing “The Raven” was the succession of terrible events the author encountered in his life.
4. The Haunted Palace by Edgar Allan Poe Poetry
   The head is alluded to the palace, while all the evil spirits mentioned represent the thoughts of a human beings mind.
5. “The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe Analysis
   A poem that deals with family relationships and explain the poem’s meaning The poem is heavily based on the relationship between the narrator and Lenore with their affection being the subject of the whole poem.
6. Edgar Allan Poe: The Style of Fictional Works
   Minister D walked in and saw the contents of the letter, produced another copy that almost looked like the stolen one, and placed it next to the important letter.
7. Narration and Symbolism in Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Black Cat”
   The narrator of the story performs the role of the main rhetorical device that ensures the disclosure of the main theme of the story.
8. “The Tell-Tale Heart” by Allan Edgar Poe
   This provides us with the clue, as to the discursive significance of the old man’s eye, as one of the story’s foremost motifs.
9. Gothic Romanticism in Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart”, Nathaniel Hawthorn’s “The Birthmark”
   In the film “The Black Swan” directed by Darren Aronofsky, Nina struggles to fit into the ultimate role of the play “The Swan Lake”, as the Black Swan, even though she is comfortable playing the […]
10. “The Black Cat” Short Story by Edgar Allan Poe
    The purpose of the short story has long been a subject of debate.”The Black Cat,” while having some characteristics of the horror genre, presents a psychoanalytical approach to the mind of a psychopath, a scrutiny […]
11. Montressor in The Cask of Amontillado
    In addition, Montressor said that he was a friend of Fortunato but he seemed to have acted out of character when he assumed the habits and characteristics of a cold blooded killer.
12. “Annabel Lee” by Edgar Allan Poe: Poetry Analysis
    It was many and many a year ago, In a kingdom by the sea, That a maiden there lived whom you may know By the name of Annabel Lee; And this maiden she lived with […]
13. “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe
    The plot is told from the first person as the pronoun “I” is used and the story is told in the past tense.
14. Epilogue to “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe
    It is that the murder is a reason for the fifty-two years-old disappearance of the respected Fortunato, and the Montresor’s guild is undeniable”.
15. The Gothic-Romantic Story, “Ligeia” by Edgar Allan Poe
    It is also known that vampires typically rest during the day only to rise in the light of the moon. Thus, to my mind, the image of Poe’s Ligeia is strongly associated with a vampire […]
16. Edgar Allan Poe’s ‘The Cask of Amontillado’: Revenge, Hypocrisy, and Society
    On the day of the carnival Montresor goes looking for Fortunato and finds him a bit tipsy and it is then that he tells him of how he had acquired a rare kind of amontillado […]
17. Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Man in the Crowd” Story
    The structure of the tale, its manner of narration, and the minimal number of main characters are only some of the features that make “The Man in the Crowd” one of the most memorable short […]
18. The Style and Themes of Edgar Allan Poe’s Literature
    In the first stanza, the departure of the lover marks the end of their love, while the second stanza uses the dropping of sand as symbolic to the passing of time in an hour glass.
19. “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” by Edgar Allan Poe
    The neighbors who heard the scuffle that ensued and went to the ladies house gave evidence to the police, and in as much as most of them agree on a great extent to the events […]
20. Poe’s Favorite Subject Matter Is Death
    This is not an exaggerated statement judging from terms and imagery used in at least four of his popular works such as The Cask of Amontillado; The Black Cat; The Tell-Tale Heart; and The Masque […]
21. Literary Analysis of Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven”
    The poem is imbued with a melancholy mood, which is stated in the first lines of the work. This is the main point of the poem.
22. Gothic Romanticism of Edgar Allen Poe
    When the thought of today, the nineteenth-century writer Edgar Allan Poe is remembered as the master of the short story and the psychological thriller.
23. Jury Defense and “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe
    As a member of the jury sitting in on the trial of Montressor, I feel it is necessary for me to explain the reasons why the jury came to the conclusion it did.
24. Mini Anthology: Poe Edgar Allan and Dickson Emily’ Works
    The other story that Poe Allen has written is “The fall of the House of Usher” whereby the main theme is about the haunted house, which is crumbling and this aspects brings out a Gothic […]
25. Poe’s life and how it influenced his work
    He feels privileged to have such a creature in his room and the fact that the raven answers his question of what its name is with the word “Nevermore”, adds to his excitement.
26. Literary Approaches in Edgar Allan Poe’s “Ligeia”
    In this story, the protagonist, whose wife was Ligeia, tells of the happiness he found in his marriage to her before her untimely death.
27. “The Raven” Poem by Edgar Allen Poe
    The raven’s “Nevermore” throughout the poem is a repetition that enhances the poem’s lyrical mood and emphasizes the main character’s hopelessness.
28. Edgar Allan Poe: Brief Biography
    Sublime’s exploration of the darkest sides of the human soul and psyche has contributed greatly to the development of the horror genre.
29. The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allan Poe
    Ideally, using the subjective understanding of Poe’s work, it is possible to evaluate some of the qualities of the story. At the same time, the setting of the story creates a lot of suspense for […]
30. Edgar Allan Poe’s Life From Primary Sources
    I had indeed, nearly abandoned all hope of a permanent cure when I found one in the death of my wife [in 1847]. In the death of what was my life, then, I receive a […]

✨ Creative Edgar Allan Poe Writing Prompts

Edgar Allan Poe is one of the most influential figures in the American literature. If you choose to write a piece on him but can’t find a suitable topic, check out these ideas:

1. The torment of the soul: “Ligeia” and “Tell-Tale Heart.” The theme of guilt prevails in many of Poe’s works. In your essay, look at the two short stories and discuss how the ghosts of the past consume the narrator’s lives and cause a sense of terror.
2. Rhythmic patterns in “The Raven.” This work can focus on the rhyme scheme used in the poem and elaborate on the author’s choice. Was there a reason Poe chose this particular pattern? How does it shape the poem?
3. The role of dreams and omens in Poe’s tales. This piece can examine Poe’s short stories along with poems. Look into how the author uses dreams and symbols to foreshadow and reflect on the events.
4. Unreliable narrators in Poe’s works. Look into stories such as “The Cask of Amontillado,” “The Black Cat,” and “The Murders in the Rue Morgue.” You can study the impact unreliable narration has on both the readers and the stories’ plots. Does it add mystery to the tales? How does it affect the interpretation?

💡 Most Interesting Edgar Allan Poe Topics to Write About

1. Conciseness in “The Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe
   The main arguments towards the development of the contemporary short story will be discussed in this essay, and the similarities between these visions and the statements in “The Tell-Tale Heart” will be described.
2. The Rejection in the Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe
   The main character depicts his nervousness and the feeling of fear and anger caused by the old man’s vulture eye. He thinks that the police are simply making a mockery of his horror and points […]
3. Alfred Hitchcock and Edgar Allan Poe: Synthesized Approach
   There are certain commonalities between the artistic and symbolic representations of both writers/directors, especially in their representation of the madness and paranoia that exists in the world when people are placed in isolation and the […]
4. Edgar Allen Poe’s Influence on Hitchcock
   From the above discussion, it can be said that Hitchcock’s work was greatly influenced by the work of Poe particularly in building the audience’s suspense and manipulating their attention.
5. “Annabel Lee” the Work by Edgar Allen Poe
   The narrative description of the elegy expresses the narrator’s undying love for ‘Annabel Lee’ detailing a love which had originated many a year ago in the unidentified ‘kingdom by the sea’.
6. Edgar Allan Poe’s The Tell-Tale Heart, The Cask of Amontillado, The Fall of the House of Usher
   In particular, we may analyze such novellas as The Tell-Tale Heart, The Cask of Amontillado, and The Fall of the House of Usher.
7. Edgar Allen Poe’s Madeline’s and Ligeia’s Animas
   Examining works such as the short stories “The Fall of the House of Usher” and “Ligeia” reveals much of Poe’s character through the form of his anima.
8. Edgar Allan Poe’s Fear of Premature Burial
   For instance, in The Tell-Tale Heart and The Black Cat the police arrive and stimulate a desire on the part of the narrator to confess his crime and undergo punishment from the state.
9. Military Career of Edgar Allan Poe
   Often overlooked, however, is the story of Poe’s life: the heartbreak, financial struggles, success, mysterious death, and of course his military career. The success of the ominous poem gave Poe a steady income and cemented […]
10. Edgar Allan Poe’s Life, Poems, Short Stories
    The recognition of his works is based mainly on the uniqueness of the themes and characters the author created, as well as his excellent command of the language and exceptional imagery and style.
11. Edgar Allan Poe, an American Romanticism Writer
    Poe’s three works “The fall of the house of Usher”, “the Raven” and “The Masque of the Red Death” describe his dedication to literature and his negative attitudes towards aristocracy.
12. “Annabel Lee” Multi Rhythmic Poem by Edgar A. Poe
    Therefore, the author’s works created a powerful impact on the establishment of a connection between content and literary form. Thus, Poe’s writings possess the power to show the links between a concept and a form […]
13. “Ligeia” a Book by Edgar Allan Poe
    Since the fact that the narrator is not in full control of the mind, this is made very apparent by the author, it could mean that Ligeia and Rowena are really the same people and […]
14. “The Fall of the House of Usher” by Edgar Allan Poe Literature Analysis
    Although “The Fall of the House of Usher” is traditionally believed to be a timeless horror story and a representation of the deepest human fears, it can also be viewed both as a product of […]
15. Edgar Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado” Literature Analysis
    The main character in “The Cask of Amontillado” is Montresor with Fortunato being a minor character in the short story. Also, Montresor is the story’s narrator, and a lot of details about his character are […]
16. Comparison of Works by Stephen Crane and Allan Poe
    Although Crane’s stories are imaginary, the reader can picture houses and the community in ‘The Monster’ or the town of Yellow Sky in ‘The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky.’ He vividly describes the living conditions […]
17. Narrative Perspectives in Robert Browning’s “My Last Duchess” and Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado”
    One of the reasons why the story The Cask of Amontillado and the poem My Last Duchess are being commonly referred to, as such that represent a particularly high value, is that the narrative perspective […]
18. Evans, Walter. “The Fall of the House of Usher” and Poe’s Theory of the Tale.
    In this article, Walter Evans discusses the narrative style of Edgar Allan Poe and speaks about the peculiarities of such a short story as The Fall of the House of Usher.
19. Edgar Allan Poe: Analyzing Literature Works
    Paying attention to such pieces of writing The Cask of Amontillado, The Pit and the Pendulum, The Tell-Tale Heart, Annabel Lee, and The Raven it is possible to say that the main idea of these […]
20. Edgar Allan Poe’s Writing Themes
    Coincidentally, he dedicated his first wave of writing to themes of innocence and beauty coupled with “Love and Joy as dynamic life values in the poet’s feeling for the potentiality of the harmony of mind […]
21. Edgar Allan Poe’s The Cask of Amontillado
    Although the revelation of the character of Montressor was done indirectly, the fact that he was also the narrator of the story enabled readers to have access to his thoughts and feelings.
22. The Tell-Tale Heart Essay
    However, when the police came to the Old Man’s house he gives himself away to the police because he hears the heart of the old man beating behind the floorboard and this incident may suggest […]
23. A Perfect Place for a Perfect Crime: Creating the Impeccable Setting
    It must be admitted that with his unusual gift of depicting the most petrifying environment so that it immediately rises in front of the reader’s eyes, Poe creates the perfect setting in The Cask of […]

🐾 Thought-Provoking Edgar Allan Poe Research Questions

Literature is a popular choice among students when it comes to research papers. If you want to write about Poe and his legacy, check out the fantastic ideas below:

1. How does Poe’s substance abuse find its reflection in his work? The author is known for his issues with substance abuse, which had a tremendous impact on his life and work. In this project, discuss how Poe’s lifestyle is reflected in his writing.
2. The theme of death: how did personal tragedies shape Poe’s tales? Your paper can examine how Poe’s struggles helped him create a unique style of narration that involved morbid descriptions and the portrayal of complex emotions.
3. How does Poe use symbols to construct his stories? In his writings, Edgar Allan Poe often stayed ambiguous and used allusion. Explain how symbolism helped him create and maintain the mysteries in his stories.
4. Can Edgar Allan Poe’s influence be found in modern fiction? Your piece can focus on how Poe’s unconventional style of narration and suspense still influences the Gothic horror genre and contemporary detective stories.

❓ Research Questions about Edgar Allan Poe

1. How Did Edgar Allan Poe Influence Literature?
2. How Does Edgar Allan Poe Keep the Reader in Suspense?
3. How Does Edgar Allan Poe Misguide the Reader in His Story “The Black Cat”?
4. How Does Edgar Allan Poe Use Dreams to Portray Terror and Mirror the Narrator’s Sense of Reality?
5. How Does Edgar Allan Poe Create Horror in “The Pit and the Pendulum”?
6. How Edgar Allan Poe Defines American Literature?
7. How Edgar Allan Poe Explores Similarities Between Love and Hate in His Work?
8. How Did Edgar Allan Poe & Jack London Deal with Death in Selected Short Stories?
9. How Edgar Allan Poe’s Work Is Affected by His Predecessors?
10. How Edgar Allan Poe’s Writings Illuminate His Upbringing?
11. Was Edgar Allan Poe a Jingleman?
12. What Influenced Edgar Allan Poe’s Writing Style?
13. What Makes Edgar Allan Poe So Great?
14. Who Was Edgar Allan Poe?
15. Who Was William Wilson in the Work of Edgar Allan Poe?
16. Why Does Edgar Allan Poe Favors Death and Terror Over Other Literary Genres?
17. Edgar Allan Poe: Crazy Drunk or Brilliant Literalist?
18. Edgar Allan Poe: Strange Dreamer or True Genius?
19. What Were Edgar Allan Poe’s Last Five Words?
20. What Is Edgar Allan Poe Most Famous For?
21. What Does Edgar Allan Poe Suffer From?
22. Why Did Edgar Allan Poe Write about Death?
23. What Are Five Interesting Facts about Edgar Allan Poe?
24. Why Did Edgar Allan Poe Marry His 13-Year-Old Cousin?
25. Did Edgar Allan Poe Write With a Cat on His Shoulder?
26. What Is Edgar Allan Poe’s Most Famous Poem?
27. What Is the Meaning of Poe’s “The Raven”?
28. What Language Did Edgar Allan Poe Use to Create Atmosphere and Suspense?