Throughout the writings of Edgar Allan Poe, it is common to see a trace of gothic themes in each of them. This common ground can attributed to the life Poe led growing up all the way to the later years of his forty year old life. In may cases in his life, Poe experienced grief and anguish in many instances, which gives insight as to why Poe chose to write about death and torture, things he felt he experienced in his dreary life. Poe wrote in many formats: short story (tale), poems, and also criticisms on himself and other writers. It is apparent in "The Fall of the House of Usher", "The Cask of Amontillado", and "The Tell Tale Heart" that gothic themes are present in all and can be attributed to Poe"s own life experiences.

             After only three years of life, Edgar Allan Poe"s parents, who were both touring actors, died. Afterwards, he was taken in by a wealthy merchant in Virginia named John Allan (Brient 121). Poe led an uneventful childhood; he studied in England for a time only to come back to the United States for college. He attended the University of Virginia for only a year. Due to gambling debts, Poe was forced to leave the University, and joined the armed forces. It was at this time where Poe wrote his first book, "Tamerlane and other Poems" (1827). After being thrown from the army due to disobedience of orders, Poe took up residence in Baltimore with his aunt, Maria Clemm. In order to support himself, Poe wrote fictional works. Among them was Berenice, which is considered one of his best horror tales. During this time of his life is when Poe was recognized as a gifted critic, which he was, and not yet a great author. These critiques were published in magazine called The Messenger; however, the owner of the magazine was offended by many of the derogatory comments made Poe. Though this experience ended badly, he made himself somewhat known within the literary community (Brient 134).