Edgar Allan Poe notoriously identified “the death . . . of a beautiful woman” as “the most poetical topic in the world.” Despite this cringeworthy claim, it is widely known that Poe drew creative inspiration from female authors and that women figure prominently among the artists and critics fascinated by the writer’s creative legacy. Filling a major gap in scholarship on Poe, this volume investigates the varied ways that women have influenced perceptions of Poe through biography, criticism, editorial work, and creative adaptation. Covering a timeframe from the mid-nineteenth century to the present, Poe and Women addresses a range of topics, including accounts of Poe written by female contemporaries, the scholarly efforts of women in establishing Poe’s worldwide reputation, and the revision of antebellum gender constructs in popular adaptations of Poe’s work. This collection will appeal not only to Poe specialists but also to anyone interested in the writer’s ongoing relevance to gender discussions inside and outside the academy.
