1. At present, there are two competing images of Poe the man. One depicts him as a dissolute alcoholic and drug abuser whose tales evoked his sexual fantasies. The other says that he was beset by a genetic disease, and that he was a strong, determined man whose reputation was ruined by people who disliked him. Why the disagreement? What is the evidence, either way?

2. Who is Poe's Auguste Dupin? Where may he be found? What is his historical importance? What is his importance to literature?

3. Edmund's Providence has a system of law enforcement that seems very different from modern ones. The events of The Man Who Was Poe take place between 1847 and 1849. How was law enforcement organized in Providence at that time? Where would Throck fit in?

4. Why would Edmund's mother have to come to America from London to get...