Annabelle Lee

"Annabel Lee" was an inspiration for Vladimir Nabokov, especially for his novel Lolita (1955), in which the narrator, as a child, falls in love with the terminally ill Annabel Leigh "in a princedom by the sea". Originally, Nabokov titled the novel The Kingdom by the Sea. Nabokov later used this as the title of the Lolita "doppelganger novel" in Look at the Harlequins!.

Annabelle Lee retired from acting after her last film in 1926 to marry and start a family.

Annabelle Lee was an American silent film actress born in New Jersey. Daughter of Thomas Morris and Annabelle Morris (also an early vaudeville actress), Annabelle Lee moved with her family to California during the early black and white, silent film era. Born as Toma Annabelle Morris, she later went by Annabelle Maurese, and then assumed her final stage name of Annabelle Lee. Annabelle Lee acted during the 1910s and 1920s alongside the likes of Yakima Canutt, Lorraine Eason, Lester Cuneo and Jack Mower, all who went on to have lengthy film careers and would be later considered among the pioneers of the early western film era. Annabelle Lee was mainly cast in comedy, drama and western 5-reel shorts made by the 'Little Three' or other independent companies during the development of the studio era.

"Annabel Lee" is the last complete poem composed by American author Edgar Allan Poe. Like many of Poe's poems, it explores the theme of the death of a beautiful woman. The narrator, who fell in love with Annabel Lee when they were young, has a love for her so strong that even angels are envious. He retains his love for her even after her death. There has been debate over who, if anyone, was the inspiration for "Annabel Lee". Though many women have been suggested, Poe's wife Virginia Eliza Clemm Poe is one of the more credible candidates. Written in 1849, it was not published until shortly after Poe's death that same year.

Local legend in Charleston, South Carolina tells the story of a sailor who met a woman named Annabel Lee. Her father disapproved of the pairing and the two met privately in a graveyard before the sailor's time stationed in Charleston was up. While away, he heard of Annabel's death from yellow fever, but her father would not allow him at the funeral. Because he did not know her exact burial location, he instead kept vigil in the cemetery where they had often secretly met. There is no evidence that Edgar Allan Poe had heard of this legend, but locals insist it was his inspiration, especially considering Poe was briefly stationed in Charleston while in the army in 1827.