409Z Fall 2025 Master of Mystery: The Prose and Poetry of Edgar Allan Poe

In this course, we will read and discuss four poems and two short stories by the famous writer: “To Helen,” “Annabel Lee,” “The Raven,” “The Bells,” “The Tell-Tale Heart,” and “The Fall of the House of Usher.” Born in the 19th century, Poe is regarded as one of the central figures of Romanticism and Gothic fiction in the United States and early American literature. Poe was one of the country’s first successful practitioners of the short story and is generally considered to be the inventor of the detective fiction genre. As an early 19th-century writer, he was ahead of his time. As we discuss his works, we will investigate his writing techniques and his oft-repeated themes of madness, obsession, death, grief, guilt, isolation, and the supernatural. We will also discuss Poe’s influence on modern writers, in particular Stephen King.

Marilyn Harriman is a retired Fairfax County advanced placement language and composition instructor. She also taught high school and college English and journalism in Oregon, Texas, and Germany. She holds an MEd from the University of Virginia, and BA degrees in Journalism and English from the University of Oregon.