Crystal Barrey For some class on some date with some professor The Influence of Family and Friends on Poe Over the course of Poe’s forty year stay on Earth, he was exposed early to several key people who would have a profound impact on his writings. Though this idea in and of itself is not uncommon in literature, for Poe it went far beyond being merely influenced. Beginning at age 3 when he lost his …showed first 75 words of 2961 total…

…showed last 75 words of 2961 total…and just as appealing. There is no better summary of his life and work than the quotation from Francis Bacon, inscribed over the Poe Gate at West Point: "There is no exquisite beauty without some strangeness in the proportions." Poe himself is indeed an exquisite beauty with his completely unconventional style and unorthodox techniques. This, combined with his strangeness, has made Poe what he is; the most influential and talented American author of all time.