The appeal of Lewis" article about psychological insight of Poe rings true. I agree that fear and humor are linked together in Poe's tales. I have seen it in hospitals, and at funerals, or even when humor helps pass the time during a threat of a destructive storm or when a flood threatens us. The evening news almost every day will verify this conclusion. What Lewis says about Poe, then, "Is not that we need to examine Poe's psyche, but that we need to take more seriously Poe's understanding of how the psyches of his readers would operate." (602) Best known for his poems and short fiction. Edgar Allan Poe deserves more credit than any other writer for his transformation of the short story to art. He virtually created the detective story and perfected the psychological thriller. He also produced some of the most influential literary criticism of his time-important theoretical statements on poetry, short story, and Poe has had a worldwide influence on literature. Poe's parents were touring actors; both died before he was three years old, and then taken into the home of John Allan, a prosperous merchant in Richmond, VA, and was baptized. (Wells 39) His childhood seemed uneventful, although he studied for five years in England. In 1826, he entered the University of Virginia but stayed for only a year. Although a good student, he ran up large gambling debts that he refused to pay. Allan prevented his return to the university and broke off Poe's engagement to Sarah Elmira Royster, his Richmond sweetheart. Lacking any means of support, Poe enlisted in the army. According to Robert Wells, an author, "Poe had, however, already written and printed his first book, Tamerlane and Other Poems(1827)". (150) Temporarily, reconciled, Allan secured Poe's release from the army and his appointment to West Point but refused to provide financial support. After six months Poe apparently assembled to be dismissed from West Point for disobedience of orders.