Edgar Allan Poe

14 3.4

An American writer and poet who wrote dark, mysterious stories and poems

proper noun
/ˈɛdɡər ˈælən poʊ/

Literature

: Edgar Allan Poe

Many consider Edgar Allan Poe to be the master of Gothic fiction.

Examples

My favorite poem by Edgar Allan Poe is 'The Raven'.
The works of Edgar Allan Poe have inspired countless authors and filmmakers.
The works of Edgar Allan Poe are often studied in literature classes.
Many people enjoy the poetry of Edgar Allan Poe.
Many consider Edgar Allan Poe to be the master of Gothic fiction.
My favorite poem by Edgar Allan Poe is 'The Raven'.
The works of Edgar Allan Poe have inspired countless authors and filmmakers.

Synonyms

Poe

vsEdgar Allan Poe

35 5.8

A 19th-century American writer known for dark, mysterious stories

also served as an editor and literary critic

Surface Forms

Edgar Allan Poe main

Morphology

Edgar + Allan + Poe

This is a referential proper name for a specific historical person; the meanings of the individual name components ('Edgar', 'Allan', 'Poe') do not compositionally yield the information that he was an American writer of gothic/macabre literature. Proper names carry encyclopedic, language-specific knowledge rather than predictable lexical meaning, so a B1 learner who only knows the words would not be able to derive the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Edgar Allan Poe was an American writer whose famous poem 'The Raven', about a black bird that says 'Nevermore', and his many strange, scary tales made people think of mystery and fear. That's why his name now stands for dark, mysterious stories.