Biographical Contexts for the Fall of the House of Usher In the summer of 1838, Edgar Allan Poe left New York City, where he faced criticism and recognition minims, and moved to Philadelphia, where he would soon achieve profound success (Quinn 268). Just a year before this move, Poe married his cousin, Virginia Clemm, who accompanied him to Philadelphia (Wagenknecht 18). Little is known about Poe's time in New York, other than that he faced severe poverty with total earnings of less than one hundred and fifty dollars (Peeples 31). Therefore, because Philadelphia shared prestige with New York as a publishing center, it offered Poe new publishing opportunities and opened the door to success (Quinn 268). He found this success publishing Burton's Gentleman's Magazine from 1839-1840 and then Graham's Magazine from 1841-1842 (Peeples 74). During this period, Poe lectured on American poetry, published thirty-six short stories including "William Wilson", "The Masque of the Red Death", and "The Murders in the Rue Morgue", and also published a collection of short stories in 1840. entitled Tales of the grotesque and arabesque (Popoli 74). It was during the height of Poe's publishing career that he published "The Fall of the House of Usher." This story relates to various aspects of Poe's life, including his occupation as a publisher, his battle with alcohol and drugs, his psychological and emotional well-being, and the impact of death on his life and work. Although Poe found success while working for Burton and Graham, he found no satisfaction, because neither Burton's nor Graham's magazine met Poe's expectations of his ideal publication. Poe was frustrated with his career and aspired to publish a magazine of his own, a magazine of......half paper......months into his publishing career, yet Poe faced many obstacles in his private life during this once including poverty and alcohol abuse. While his alleged alcohol and drug addictions are issues yet to be resolved, they have clearly affected his life and work. In addition to his drinking and drug habits, his psychological stability has also been called into question. The impact of death, which was prevalent throughout his life, was tremendous. Despite the many difficulties Poe encountered, he emerged as one of the greatest Romantic writers in American history. Works Cited Peeples, Scott. Edgar Allan Poe revisited. New York: Twayne, 1998.Quinn, Arthur Hobson. Edgar Allan Poe: A Critical Biography. New York: Coopers Square Publishers, 1969. Wagenknecht, Edward. Edgar Allan Poe: the man behind the legend. New York: Oxford SU, 1963.