Edgar Allan Poe has appeared in popular culture as a character in books, comics, film, and other media. Besides his works, the legend of Poe himself has fascinated people for generations. His appearances in popular culture often envision him as a sort of "mad genius" or "tormented artist", exploiting his personal struggles.[1] Many depictions of Poe interweave elements of his life with his works, in part due to Poe's frequent use of first-person narrators, suggesting an erroneous assumption that Poe and his characters are identical.[2]
This article focuses specifically on the historical Edgar Allan Poe making appearances in fiction, television, and film.
There have been over three hundred comic book adaptations of Edgar Allan Poe's works as of 2008, possibly more than that of any other American writer.[3] Since then, the number of Poe adaptations in comics has exceeded that of any other comparable period. In addition to direct adaptations, a number of comics have taken Poe as a central character or as the inspiration for characters.[4]
The list below includes only those comics that feature Poe as a character or the inspiration for a character. It does not include every "cameo" appearance or those comics that use only the image of Poe.
The 2011 audio play The Poe Toaster Not Cometh, by Washington Audio Theater, explains the mysterious death of Edgar Allan Poe by depicting Poe as a vampire who comes to life in modern times and engages in a killing spree in Baltimore. The play seeks to explain the Poe Toaster mystery by suggesting the Poe Toaster is in fact a contemporary of Poe's, surviving through the centuries via occult means.[60]
The influence of Edgar Allan Poe on the art of music has been considerable and long-standing, with the works, life and image of the horror fiction writer and poet inspiring composers and musicians from diverse genres for more than a century.
Leon Botstein, conductor of the American Symphony Orchestra—which presented a program of "Tales From Edgar Allan Poe" in 1999—noted that in the realm of classical music, as in literature, Poe's influence was felt more deeply in Europe than in America.[68]
Poe's work has had extensive influence on culture:
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