Gothic literature has greatly influenced today’s horror and suspense genres. Edgar Allan Poe wrote many short stories, most of which were filled with dark elements and a deep awareness for the capacity for evil. The Fall of the House of Usher is a key example of gothic literature through the use of grotesque characters, bizarre situations, and violent events. All of these elements come together and express dark impulses and emotion.
To begin with, one of the most important components in Poe’s writings were his characters. The appearance, demeanor, and emotions that are used to describe them come out as unusual and grotesque. In this short story, the most prominent of these characters is protagonist, Roderick Usher. Once young and handsome, Usher’s features were terribly altered, he now
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holds a cadaverous complexion and a ghastly pallor of skin. He suffered from an acute sensory illness, his eyes tortured by light, he could only eat bland food, he could not wear certain garments, the smell of flowers was too strong, and most sounds inspired him with terror. Another aspect of gothic literature in Poe’s story would be, bizarre situations. For example, the narrator was invited to his acquaintance’s house, Roderick, and even though they were childhood friends, they weren’t now. They knew little of one another yet Roderick invites him, out of the blue, to come see him, as he is ‘his only friend’. When the narrator arrives, the appearance of the house and its surroundings was extremely depressing and melancholy, a desolate, terrible scene. There were overgrown grass, decayed trees, fungi was spread all over, crumbling stones, rotted woodwork, and a long crack which extended from the top of the building, down the wall. An additional situation is an obvious one, mistaking Lady Madeline for dead, they placed her in a tomb and sealed it shut. Later they realize that she was in fact alive. The last, but not least element, is the violent events.
As written above, Roderick and the narrator entomb Lady Madeline before discovering she was alive. While reading a book together, they hear noises coming from the tomb, and Roderick declares that they had buried her alive. After opening the tomb, there stood the Lady Madeline of Usher. “There was blood upon her white robes, and the evidence of some bitter struggle upon every portion of her emaciated frame”(Poe 422). She had been in there struggling to find a way out. She then threw herself upon her brother and after final, violent, death-agonies, Roderick dies with his sister.
The works of Edgar Allan Poe consist of many aspects of gothic literature, The Fall of the House of Usher especially. The tragic, horrible nature of the characters, bizarre situations, and events in the story perfectly shape it into a masterpiece of gothic literature. Everything in this short story, from the description of the house, to when the house falls in the end, it all creates a dark, gothic theme and environment. “-and the deep and dank tarn at my feet closed sullenly and silently over the fragments of the ‘House of Usher’”(Poe
422).
Gothic texts are typically characterized by a horrifying and haunting mood, in a world of isolation and despair. Most stories also include some type of supernatural events and/or superstitious aspects. Specifically, vampires, villains, heroes and heroines, and mysterious architecture are standard in a gothic text. Depending upon the author, a gothic text can also take on violent and grotesque attributes. As an overall outlook, “gothic literature is an outlet for the ancient fears of humanity in an age of reason” (Sacred-Texts). Following closely to this type of literature, Edgar Allan Poe uses a gloomy setting, isolation, and supernatural occurrences throughout “The Fall of the House of Usher”.
Word by word, gothic literature is bound to be an immaculate read. Examining this genre for what it is could be essential to understanding it. “Gothic” is relating to the extinct East Germanic language, people of which known as the Goths. “Literature” is defined as a written work, usually with lasting “artistic merit.” Together, gothic literature combines the use of horror, death, and sometimes romance. Edgar Allan Poe, often honored with being called the king of horror and gothic poetry, published “The Fall of House Usher” in September of 1839. This story, along with many other works produced by Poe, is a classic in gothic literature. In paragraph nine in this story, one of our main characters by the name of Roderick Usher,
While reading “Young Goodman Brown” by Nathaniel Hawthorne, I couldn’t help but feel a constant overwhelming sense of dread. The root of this could have come from the story’s dark setting deep within an “haunted forest” or from Brown’s mysterious “Devil”-esque companion. While I read, another story came into my mind; the story of the “Fall of the House of Usher” by Edgar Allan Poe. In Poe’s tale the same heart pounding emotion can be felt as he describes the reunion of two friends within “the House of Usher.” With the manors “eye-like windows” and “sorrowful impression,” Poe wastes no time in setting the Gothic mood. Through their distinct writing styles Hawthorne and Poe establish a common Gothic theme within their stories.
In the story “The Fall of the House of Usher”, Poe presents the history of the end of an illustrious family. As with many of Poe’s stories, setting and mood contribute greatly to the overall tale. Poe’s descriptions of the house itself as well as the inhabitants thereof invoke in the reader a feeling of gloom and terror. This can best be seen first by considering Poe’s description of the house and then comparing it to his description of its inhabitants, Roderick and Madeline Usher.
Edgar Allen Poe’s short story, “The Fall of the House of Usher”, sets a tone that is dark, gloomy, and threatening. His inclusion of highly descriptive words and various forms of figurative language enhance the story’s evil nature, giving the house and its inhabitants eerie and “supernatural” qualities. Poe’s effective use of personification, symbolism, foreshadowing, and doubling create a morbid tale leading to, and ultimately causing, the fall of (the house of) Usher.
In conclusion Poe excellent use of characterization and imagery to depict fear and darkness, truly make The Fall of the House of Usher a story of the battles the we must face our fears in order to free our mind.
The human condition, a concept prevalent in several pieces of literature, encompasses the emotional, moral, questioning, and observant nature of humans. This concept is often used by authors to emphasize the characteristics that set humans apart from other living creature. Edgar Allan Poe’s dark fantasy piece “The Fall of the House of Usher” perfectly depicts the human condition as it conveys how fear and over-thinking can control one’s actions and life.
A grimy, crumbling house, a disease burdened friend from the past, and his sister that is supposedly dead. This is all that awaits in Edward Alan Poe’s horrific tale, The Fall of the House of Usher. It is possible that this story will send a shiver down your spine. This mysterious story qualifies as gothic literature, using grotesque characters, bizarre situations, and violent events. Strong thesis! Wonderful writing, you really command the attention of the reader! Be diligent in your proofreading – be sure and get the author’s name right…Edgar Allan Poe! These simple mistakes make your paper seem rushed and unpolished.
The Usher twins are genetically close as twins, they are even closer genetically to each other than normal fraternal twins. Roderick tried to kill Madeline because he believed that he was going to die of fear and one of his biggest fears was for his sister dying and himself being left alone. So therefore he wants Madeline to die so he could be alone and he won’t be able to overcome his anxiety for her being alone so he would die soon too. Roderick wants to be put an end to his torture by being forced to face his fears and he believes that would be the cause of his death.
In “The Fall of the House of Usher”, Poe’s use of dark, descriptive words allow him to establish an eerie mood. Poe’s unique style of writing along with his foreshadowing vocabulary is significant in creating a suspenseful gothic story. At the beginning of the short story, Poe describes the House of Usher to be “dull”, “oppressive”, and “dreary” (1265). His choice of words strongly emphasizes a mood of darkness and suspense as he builds on the horrific aspects of this daunting tale. At first glimpse, the house itself is surrounded by the feeling of “insufferable gloom”, (1265) “[t]here was an iciness, a sinking, a sickening of the heart, an unredeemed dreariness of thought [...]” (1265). The atmosphere that Poe describes in the statement above establishes a spine-chilling mood. Poe uses words such as “insufferable gloom”
Poe story contains many symbolizes. In "The Fall of the House of Usher," I believe the story was written ma...
First, in “The Fall of the House of Usher” Poe start to create tension when he started to set the mood and unity of effect by describing the area around and inside the house, he often gives it a gothic feel. Secondly, Poe created tension when talking about Roderick Usher's depression and his illness, which symbolizes him and to the conditions of the house. Thirdly, there is a gothic feel to the story when they mention the Usher family has almost died out, except from Roderick Usher and his sister Madeline who
Usher was settled in a castle that falls because of the crack on the front exterior. To illustrate, “...this fissure rapidly widened… my brain reeled as I saw the mighty walls rushing sunder” (Poe 30) expresses the point where the narrator literally witnesses the castle collapse upon itself. Poe chose to focus on the environment around the castle. He describes the trees and pond to add towards the sensation of the house. For example, “...upon the vacant eyelike windows upon a few rank sedges and upon a few white trunks of decayed trees” (Poe 14) shows how the author decides to focus on the exterior of the castle. Usher consisted of a brother and sister. The plot, however, revolved around the sister escaping her coffin. To prove, “rending of her coffin, and the grating of the iron hinges of her prison, and her struggles within the coppered archway of the vault” (Poe 29) justifies the explanation of the sister trying to escape her coffin. It was very morbid and definitely played on the gore
The Fall Of The House of Usher is a terrifying tale of the demise of the Usher family, whose inevitable doom is mirrored in the diseased and evil aura of the house and grounds. Poe uses elements of the gothic tale to create an atmosphere of terror. The decaying house is a metaphor for Roderick Usher’s mind, as well as his family line. The dreary landscape also reflects his personality. Poe also uses play on words to engage the reader to make predictions, or provide information. Poe has also set the story up to be intentionally ambiguous so that the reader is continually suspended between the real and the fantastic.
In the Fall of the House of Usher the author Edgar Allen Poe applies gothic elements in order to criticize the white aristocracy in the eighteenth century to bring attention to the travesty and the disaster brought on by it.