Edgar Allan Poe, whose stories of murder and retribution continue to enthrall us, is mostly discussed in relation to two mysteries.
The odd circumstances surrounding his death in October 1849 come first. Then there’s the even more bizarre issue of his marriage to Virginia, his much younger cousin. What kind of relationship did they have?
If it was sexual, why didn’t they become parents? Who Is Edgar Allan Poe’s Wife? Check details in this blog.
Who Is Edgar Allan Poe’s Wife?
Author Edgar Allan Poe was married to Virginia Eliza Poe (née Clemm; August 15, 1822 – January 30, 1847). First cousins, the couple got married in public when Poe was 27 and Virginia Clemm was 13. Regarding the nature of the couple’s relationship, biographers cannot agree. According to several biographers, despite their wonderful marriage, they treated each other more like brothers and sisters.
The question of whether the Poes’ 11-year marriage was consummated right away or later has plagued academics for more than a century.
Joseph Wood Krutch postulated in the 1920s that Poe was “psychically” and physically impotent. Using psychoanalytic ideas to analyze Poe’s life and work, Marie Bonaparte claimed ten years later that Poe never pursued any sexual impulses with Virginia or anyone else because his actual passion was “sado-necrophilia.”
Since children are typically the best indicator of a sexual relationship, the Poes’ absence of them has stoked this slanderous conjecture.
What’s more, the Poes’ acquaintances portrayed the marriage as personal, with George Graham, Poe’s one-time supervisor and one of the most dependable firsthand sources, portraying Poe as a “devoted husband.” Similarly, Virginia says to her spouse, “Ever with thee I wish to roam/Dearest, my life is thine,” in her only known poetry, a charming acrostic that was penned as a Valentine’s Day gift.
Lastly, there are the straightforward odds to take into account. It is more likely that the Poes eventually formed a sexual relationship because most marriages are physically consummated, even though not all of them are.
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