RedHanded: DAY 10 - The Death of Edgar Allan Poe (ShortHand’s 13 Days of Halloween)

Main Theme & Purpose

In this Halloween-themed “ShortHand” episode, hosts Georgia and Helen tackle the strange, unresolvable case of Edgar Allan Poe’s mysterious death. They blend dark humor with compelling historical storytelling to trace how the godfather of modern horror and detective fiction lived, wrote, and died — focusing especially on the enduring mystery of his final days.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Poe in the Pantheon of Horror

• Why Poe Matters:
  • “When you look at the great literary pantheon of horror, it’s just not complete without… Edgar Allan Poe.” (Georgia, 04:17)
  • The hosts reflect on his lasting influence, noting classics like “The Tell-Tale Heart,” “The Fall of the House of Usher,” and “The Raven.”
• Netflix Adaptations:
  • Humorous banter about recent Netflix adaptations diverges into a ranking of “The Fall of the House of Usher,” “Hill House,” and “Bly Manor”—with Helen and Georgia both agreeing nothing beats “Hill House.” (05:39–06:51)

2. Poe’s Life: A Series of Gothic Misfortunes

• Early Orphanhood:
  • Poe never had certainty about his birthplace or date. Even his name possibly comes from King Lear.
  • “Both his parents would be dead [by his third birthday]… Edgar Allan Poe was an orphan at the age of just 2. Pretty on brand start to a horror author’s life.” (Helen, 09:36)
• Adoption and Upbringing:
  • Raised by the wealthy Allan family but never legally adopted. Enjoyed privilege but lacked stability.
• Failed Romance and University Scandal:
  • Engaged to childhood sweetheart, but lost her due to intercepted correspondence and financial issues at university: “So naturally he gambled [the rest of his tuition]… Instead, he lost more than $2,000.” (Helen, 12:22)
• Military and Literary Beginnings:
  • Brief army stint, then a breakthrough: published “Metzengerstein,” often credited as the first modern horror story, and “Berenice,” which drew complaints for its graphic nature. (Georgia, 13:16)

3. Poe’s Controversy: Cousin Marriage & Artistic Turmoil

• Marriage to a 13-year-old Cousin:
  • Poe married Virginia, his 13-year-old cousin, when he was 26. Both hosts note it was not normal, then or now. (16:05-17:18)
  • “Some biographers try and clean this up… But that’s not great, is it, Edgar? Especially when quite a lot of your stories involve brothers and sisters fucking each other.” (Georgia, 17:25)
• Emotional Instability:
  • Poe was erratic, both professionally and personally.
  • “W. H. Auden…calls Poe ‘an unmanly sort of man whose love life seems to have been largely confined to crying in laps.’” (Georgia quoting Auden, 18:27)

4. Poe the Genius and the Outsider

• Substance Abuse and Social Alienation:
  • “He was unable to speak in public without a little drinky, which would inevitably set him off on a mad bender.” (Helen, 18:39)
  • George Orwell is quoted: “Poe was not far from being insane in the literal, clinical sense.”
• Unparalleled Literary Output:
  • Poe invents detective fiction with “Murders in the Rue Morgue,” inspires later writers from Dostoevsky to Baudelaire, and even helps define early science fiction.

5. Rise, Fall, and Tragedy

• Breakthrough and Heartbreak:
  • “The Raven” is a smash hit, but Poe only earns $15—the world gets the poem, Poe gets more heartache. (Helen, 22:16)
  • Poe’s wife/cousin Virginia dies at 24, leading him to spiral into drinking and instability.
  • “He had a knack for romanticizing all things dark, occult, and satanic… only to reveal the true monster is the human capacity for evil itself.” (Georgia, 19:41)
• Last Glimpse of Happiness: Poe rejoins his old flame Elmira and allegedly quits drinking for a temperance society. (Helen, 23:33)

The Mysterious Death of Edgar Allan Poe

The Final Days

• Bizarre Last Sightings:
  • Poe arrives in Baltimore on September 28, 1849, then disappears until October 3. Found by Joseph Walker in a tavern, “unresponsive…dressed quite strangely.” (Georgia, 24:21)
  • He is hospitalized by Dr. J.E. Snodgrass, spends days hallucinating, and dies on October 7.
• Official Cause of Death:
  • “Congestion of the brain” or “parenitis”—both vague and uninformative terms. Theories abound, more than 26 published. (Helen, 25:47)

The Theories (26:18 – 30:51)

• Theory 1: Alcohol Poisoning

  • Fits Poe’s reputation, but attending doctor John Moran claims Poe showed no sign of alcohol and had been sober. (Georgia, 26:18)

• Theory 2: Beaten by Thugs

  • Moran believed Poe had been assaulted, possibly explaining his delirium and odd clothing. (Georgia, 27:38)

• Theory 3: Rabies

  • Symptoms match late-stage rabies (trouble with water, lucid moments before death). (Helen, 28:33)

• Theory 4: Cooping

  • Poe may have been a victim of voter fraud gangs (“cooping”), explaining his disappearance, injuries, and strange attire: “In which corrupt politicians would hire gangs…force them into passing their vote repeatedly…given a series of disguises…” (Georgia, 29:14)

• Other Theories:

  • Diabetes, heart disease, epilepsy, tuberculosis, suicide, murder, cholera, hypoglycemia, syphilis, influenza, brain tumour — basically, everything and nothing.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Poe’s Mystique:
  • “His life…it was every bit as dark, prophetic, melancholy, as incesty…as all of his best writing. And as for his death—it is shrouded in secrets.” (Georgia, 07:08)
• On Theories of Death:
  • “There are more than 26 published theories as to what happened, from the mundane to those more fitting of our mystery writer.” (Helen, 25:47)
• Summary of Poe’s Impact:
  • “He’s the Beatles of books. So whatever flavor of spooky entertainment you are lining up for the next few days, thank the real master of the macabre…the man behind every single curtain—he’s behind you right now—Edgar Allan Poe.” (Georgia, 31:11)
• Hosts' Halloween Farewell:
  • “Take a second to thank the real mastery of the macabre…Happy Halloween.” (Helen, 32:16)

Important Segment Timestamps

• 04:17 – Poe’s importance & literary classics
• 07:36 – Circumstances of his mysterious death introduced
• 08:04 – Poe’s murky origins and family background
• 12:22 – University gambling debacle
• 16:05 – Poe’s controversial marriage to his cousin
• 19:41 – Poe’s literary impact and mood
• 22:16 – “The Raven” and Poe’s fleeting fortune
• 23:33 – Brief happiness, new engagement, temperance
• 24:21 – Poe’s disappearance and discovery in tavern
• 26:18 – Breakdown of death theories (alcohol, violence, rabies, cooping)
• 30:51 – Poe’s literary legacy and enduring influence
• 32:16 – Closing remarks: Poe’s contribution to horror

Conclusion

This episode masterfully blends the eerie and the absurd, offering a whirlwind tour of Poe’s troubled existence, groundbreaking art, and the mystery that still lingers over his death. Listeners get not just a biography, but a taste of how Gothic myth and reality blur in the life and last moments of one of horror’s true architects. As the hosts suggest, Poe’s ultimate legacy is that he’s still haunting us—nevermore far from our cultural imagination.