Despite a difficult upbringing, Poe discovers his true calling as a writer and marries his beloved Virginia. He invents the detective genre. He shapes the modern short story. Yet he struggles with poverty, alcohol, and an impulse for self-destruction.

Poe's young wife suffers a fatal disease, compelling him to write "Masque of the Red Death" and "The Raven." He pioneers science fiction, and pens a cosmic prose poem, but dies tragically at 40. This part examines Poe's final days and impact on later writers.