Edgar Allan Poe has enticed his readers with his whimsical and haunting stories for centuries.  I first came across Poe's grim tales when I was in middle school. His Pit and the Pendulum and The Black Cat kept my mind buzzing at night not with fear but with wonder. Poe seems to leave a mark on all of his readers whether it be the scene of the black cat clawing its way out of a wall or the swinging pendulum swaying closer and closer with its sharpened doom. This is why I've decided to focus on Edgar Allan Poe for my American Literature Blog. I will primarily be focusing on Poe's life as well as his poems and stories that seem to have stemmed from many of his personal woes.