Edgar Allan Poe

About Edgar Allan Poe

Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849) remains a profoundly influential figure in world literature, securing the #100 rank in MIT's Historical Popularity Index. As a central figure in American Romanticism, Poe is widely credited with pioneering the modern short story, particularly in the genres of horror and detective fiction. His enduring legacy stems from foundational works like 'The Raven,' 'The Tell-Tale Heart,' and 'The Murders in the Rue Morgue,' which established narrative tropes that continue to resonate across global culture.

Despite his high historical standing, Poe’s contemporary internet attention shows a notable disparity. In 2025, his Wikipedia page accrued an annualized 2.2 million views, placing him firmly in the "overattention" category with an Attention Gap of +4x relative to his importance ranking. This suggests he is still recognized for his historical impact. However, the data reveals a subtle trend: his year-over-year attention has declined by 16.8%, and his Q1 to Q3 momentum is flat at 0%, indicating a slight cooling of modern digital interest compared to the historical weight he carries.

While Poe is widely appreciated, it is worth noting that his 2.2 million views in 2025 fall significantly short of modern figures like Elon Musk (#273 importance), who commanded 26.4M views, illustrating a substantial gap between historical textual influence and contemporary digital traffic volume.