Edgar Allan Poe 1809–1849 wrote some great scary stories that are fun to read aloud on dark, stormy nights.
The part of the sentence that should be enclosed in parentheses is 1809–1849. Option A is correct.
Parentheses should be used to enclose information that clarifies or is used as an aside. Periods go inside parentheses only if an entire sentence is inside the parentheses. Parentheses, despite appearances, are not part of the subject.