Was Edgar Allan Poe insane?

Question

This is a pretty simple question; it shouldn't be too hard for you peoples out there who've studied him :]

Answer 1

He watched his mother die, he watched his stepmother die, he watched his young wife die. I think that he was both insane, depressed AND self-indulgent and he was an alcoholic so was probably chemically depressed. Abraham Lincoln was depressive too but he said, "when all is said and done we are all about as happy as we CHOOSE to be." You can wallow in your sadness and morbidity or you can shake it off and find a way to get out of yourself and serve man and God. If Poe had not chosen the very Victorian way of obsession with gloom and death we would have missed some cool poems and short stories, but Poe woud have had SUCH a happier time of life.

Answer 2

Some will respond that he was insane, and was a result due to his unfortunate experiences in life that began when he was a young boy. An interesting comparison can be made between him and Jim Morrison of the rock band "The Doors". They both lived about a century apart, and it could be argued that they both died in similar circumstances (brought on by themselves). Their lives were quite different (obvious by the years they were born and lived). However, "insane" would not be the word used today based upon developed clinical studies and the progress of the world of psychology.

The reason I bring up the "art" in my answer to your general question is that people who have a high level of creativity can often be categorized as "weird", "strange", "anti-social", etc. Poe was one of these people for his time, as was Morrison (in more recent times). The written material of Poe's life soon after his death may reveal or discuss his "insanity". Obviously, there was an addiction that had to be dealt with - and wasn't - and didn't help matters out any.

Feel free to determine for yourself if Edgar Allan Poe was insane and read something of Jim Morrison's life and then compare that (more recent event) to what you have read and understand of Poe. A comparison of conclusions could be drawn from both and then placing your conclusions on a time line of what "insane" meant (then in the 1800's or even 1960's) you could compare that to current standards.

Have a good day and thanks for the question!

Answer 3

The way he lived his life, and the experiences he went through make me unsure whether he was insane or merely a drug addict. It seems that Poe was depressed, simply read his works. He suffered through the death of nearly every significant woman in his life, and turned to drugs and alcohol while wallowing in self pity. Maybe he was insane, it is difficult to say well over 100 years after he died.

Answer 4

It is quite ambiguous what led to Poe's demise. Some say his death was attributed to rabies. Others tend to disagree. If his death were attributed to rabies, then it is safe to say he was absolutely insane. As for living, Poe was definitely eccentric (only with his writings of course). Nevertheless, he was a mastermind of his genre.

Answer 5

Probably not but most certainly brilliant. Poverty, poor nutrition and alcohol abuse made him an undesirable. Depending on your definition of insanity he may have been but his writing was pure genious.

Answer 6

That is hard to define. He was seriously depressed, is believed to have used cocaine and drank excessively so I guess you can say he was prone to periods of temporary insanity.

Answer 7

I heard he may have suffered from Schizophrenia.

Answer 8

He was a drug addict. He also apparently had a brain lesion.

Answer 9

He married his COUSIN!