The castles and mansions that provide the settings for traditional Gothic tales are full of grandeur, darkness, and decay. These settings are one of the most recognizable elements of traditional Gothic fiction. Setting is equally as important in modern Gothic literature as well. While the settings in the two stories, “Fall of the House of Usher” by Edgar Allan Poe and “Where Is Here?” by Joyce Carol Oates, are incredibly different, they are also very similar. In “Fall of the House of Usher”, the setting takes place at the house of Usher, whose friend, the main character, comes to visit because Usher is dying. He travels through the house, visiting the family members and sees the house is in a serious state of disrepair. A theory on the story
“The Fall of The House of Usher” by Edger Allen Poe starts with the Narrator on horseback riding through what seems to be a gloomy, cloudy day. The narrator observes that the house seems to have absorbed an evil and diseased atmosphere from the decaying trees and murky ponds around it. He notes that although the house is decaying in places, for example some of the stones are gone, however the structure itself is relatively solid. The narrator notices that the inside of the house just as spooky as the outside. He seems to be getting a bad feeling about the place. When he finally sees Roderick he notes that Roderick is paler and less energetic than he once was. His friend had sent for him to come and see him because he was his only friend since childhood. The narrator says that they aren’t as close as they once were. Roderick tells the narrator that he suffers from nerves and that his senses are heightened and that he seems afraid of his own house. The narrator spends several days trying to cheer up Roderick. He listens to Roderick play the guitar. The Narrator also reads him stories, but is unsuccessful in cheering his friend up. Then Roderick suggests that is actually may be the house that is causing him to be sick. Next when Madeline, Roderick’s twin, dies his friend wants to keep her body with him because he was afraid that doctors would try and use is for scientific purposes. So the narrator and Roderick dig up the body and put it in the house. A few nights later the narrator meets Roderick and he tells the narrator that he thinks Madeline was buried alive. Moments later Madeline appears and then dies along with Roderick who died of fear. The narrator then jumps out of the house as its crumbling to the ground.
Gothic Literature is a literary genre that combines the elements of fiction and the ideas that is related to horror, death, or supernatural. Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Fall of the House of Usher” is a good example of Gothic literature because it contains the elements of this literary genre, and one of them is the bleak setting of the story. An example of this in
One of the most well-known writers of our time, “Edgar Allan Poe was born in Boston, on January 19, 1809, [being] the second of three children” (Bloom 149). After Poe’s mother passed and his father subsequently left, “the children [were then moved] to a different household of a Richmond merchant [by the name of] John Allan” (Bloom 149). Even though Poe was “not legally adopted, he is renamed as Edgar Allan” (Bloom 149). Through his lifetime of creative writing, Poe’s death remains a controversial discussion, nevertheless, Poe was and still is recognized for his great literary works ranging from symbolic gothic literature to poems. Poe’s “gothic story that has remained one of [his] most popular [creations], also known as, “The Fall of the House of Usher,” includes symbolisms that are not treasured memories for the characters, but rather
Traditional Gothic writers based their works on several elements such as: horrendous incidents, tormented characters, supernatural occurrences, etc. However, one of the most important elements to these talented writers was setting. Setting may seem like a very straightforward literary term, but in reality, it has many layers which can convey many things to the reader. Two such Gothic writers that used setting to convey important ideas to the reader of their stories is: Joyce Oates, author of “Where is Here?” and Edgar Allan Poe, author of a horrendous story called “The Fall of The House of Usher”. Both writers use setting to: create a certain atmosphere, communicate the truths about their characters, and to foreshadow events.
A Sense of Tension in The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allan Poe
“The Fall of the House of Usher.” Short Stories for Students. Vol. 2. 1997. Print.
Both Poe and Oates have a gothic way of writing. It is obvious, after analyzing, that Oates is inspired by Poe’s writing but still has her own style. She has a similar mood in her story was Poe. They seem to almost make inanimate objects have emotions. In the stories “Where is Here” and “The Fall of the House of Usher” the settings groomy and the mood intensifies as the conflict comes to light.
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.
While most of the primary characters in the American Gothic cannon are members of the aristocracy, their societally dominant position does not guarantee them satisfying lives. The focus of this analysis will be the portrayal of the individual as it relates to his or her economic status: does having wealth mean that upper class characters are more likely to lead fulfilling lives than middle/lower class characters? Through a close reading of Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Fall of the House of Usher,” Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The House of the Seven Gables, Kate Chopin’s “Désirée’s Baby,” and Edith Wharton’s Ethan Frome, readers can clearly see a pattern of social commentary in which the members of the aristocracy are—in general—the most restricted, dissatisfied, and resentful characters in the cannon. Presented in chronological order, each work builds upon the themes of the one before it and offers new perspectives on class and the individual.
Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Fall of the House of Usher” and Julio Cortazar’s “House Taken Over” the settings are similar because they can both be described as dark in some passages, and ultimately alluring. However in Poe’s “The Fall of the House,” the setting is revolving around the climax, so it is all very dramatic and highly detailed, almost ominous. In contrast, Cortazar’s setting is slightly more laid back, things take place in time and it is all very dreamlike.
In "The Fall of the house of Usher," Edgar Allen Poe creates suspense and fear in the reader. He also tries to convince the reader not to let fear overcome him. Poe tries to evoke suspence in the reader's mind by using several diffenent scenes. These elements include setting, characters, plot, and theme. Poe uses setting primarily in this work to create atmosphere. The crack in the house and the dead trees imply that the house and its surroundings are not sturdy or promising. These elements indicate that a positive outcome is not expected. The thunder, strange light, and mist create a spooky feeling for the reader. The use of character provides action and suspense in the story through the characters' dialogue and actions. Roderick, who is hypochondriac, is very depressed. He has a fearful apperance and his senses are acute. This adds curiosity and anxiety. The narrator was fairly normal until he began to imagine things and become afraid himself. Because of this, the audience gets a sense that evil is lurking. Madeline is in a cataleptic state. She appears to be very weak and pail. Finally, when she dies, she is buried in a vault inside of the mansion. In this story, the plot consists of rising events, conflict, climax, and resolution. The rising events include the parts in the story when the narrator first arrives at the house, meets Roderick, and hears about Roderick's and Madeline's problems. Madeline's death and burial are part of the conflict. At this point, Roderick and the narrator begin to hear sounds throughout the house. The sounds are an omen that an evil action is about to occur. The climax is reached when Madeline comes back from the dead and she and her twin brother both die. Finally, the resolution comes when the narrator escapes from the house and turns around to watch it fall to the ground. The theme that Edgar Allen Poe is trying to convey is do not let fear take over your life because it could eventually destory you.
Edgar Allan Poe’s life has captivated many. Along with his stories; the whole world has been entranced with him. His life and his works of literature such as The Fall of the House of Usher, cause an atmosphere of mystery that interests people. His life also influences his poems, novels and short stories, etc. Poe’s relationship his foster mother, Frances Allan, is alluded to and creates a deeper understanding of how significant Madeline is to Roderick Usher’s life.
The House of Usher can be used to symbolically represent a person. The House of Usher has many human-like physical features, such as “the vacant eye-like windows,”(69). Another important part is that the house was “once a fair and stately place,”(79). In the beginning of the short story, the House of Usher is described as a dismal one, in general simply falling apart. The House’s physical form withers with age as do human bodies.
The Depiction of Fear in The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allan Poe
The Fall of the House of Usher by Roderick Usher is a horror novel that engages and thrills the reader throughout the whole story. The story is told through a narrator. Poe however did not use the typical faceless, nameless narrator that readers are accustomed too. In a magnificent way of writing Poe made his narrator into a critical character of the story.