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. In the beginning of the story “Where is Here” the setting outside is described as “chill, damp, deepening dusk” (Oates pg 349), this is different from Poe’s story “The Fall of the House of Usher” where he describes his opening scene setting as “dull, dark, and soundless” (Poe pg 297). In both stories the setting change to from the surroundings to the actually house. Both houses in the stories created an emotional roller coaster for the character. …show more content…
Oates also made the house invoke emotions and memories. In her story the memories that were invoked because of the house cause the mood to become mysterious, with a slight feeling of dread. As the stranger walk through the house, his mood changes, and so did the mood of the whole story. It went from a walk down memory lane to an uncanny happening.
This same mood was similar in “The Fall of the House of Usher”. The mood made it seem like something terrible was going to happen. The mood just intensified as the narrator continued moving through the house and finding out more about the Usher family. When the house of Usher got engulfed in water the mood become one of calm. The most interesting part of both stories is as the setting changes so does the mood of the whole
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.
Gothic literature and magical realism are similar because they have a spooky feel to them. In Joyce Carol Oates’ “Where is Here” the brother believes that something or someone has moved into their house which happens multiple times in this story. Another instance is when the brother and the sister have to move out and leave all the belongs behind. TFor example, o prove the The theory of someone takexing over the house on a page page thirty-nine paragraph six it states that “...when I heard something in the library or dining room” (#). Tthis showsn that the family is hearing something strange in the rooms. However, in Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Fall of the House of Usher” is indistinguishable because it takes place in a house and something weird
The Pit and the Pendulum and the Fall of the House of Usher are both dark and both have a gothic writing style to them. Edgar Allen Poe is known for his gothic writing style. In the Fall of the House of Usher he uses dark, gloomy, and suspenseful verbs. In the Pen and the Pendulum he uses suspense and a dark atmosphere.
When writing a story that is meant to scare the reader, authors use a variety of different literary elements to intensify fear. This is apparent in the stories “The Fall of the House of Usher,” “beware: do not read this poem,” and “House Taken Over”. It is shown through transformation in the character, setting, and sometimes even the story or poem itself, adding to the scariness that the reader feels when reading it. While there are some examples of transformation not being scary or not playing a role in stories meant to scare us, transformation plays a crucial role in making the reader of these stories scared.
From the onset of the story, it is apparent that Poe is employing a gothic theme upon his work. The narrator’s portrayal of the home of his longtime friend, Roderick Usher was as follows, “I looked upon the scene before me – upon the bleak walls – upon the vacant eye-like windows – upon a few rank sedges – and upon a few white trunks of decayed trees” (Poe, 75). T...
The stranger in “Where is Here” is not introduced as a particularly malicious character, but people are naturally scared of things they don’t know, such as strangers.A character in “Where is Here” states, “He could be anyone, after all. Any kind of thief, or mentally disturbed person, or even murderer” (Oates 70). When people are introduced to something unfamiliar or mysterious, they are scared because someone normal like the stranger could transform into someone evil through their actions or words. In “The Fall of the House of Usher, reailty is questioned as the main character experiences his childhood friend’s house and mental anguish.When reality, something seemingly set in stone, is questioned, people are scared because it is foreign. The narrator questions his own mind in the story, stating, “I had so worked upon my imagination as really to believe that about the whole mansion and domain there hung an atmosphere peculiar to themselves and their immediate vicinity…” (Poe 15). Going from being sure of what’s happening to not having the assurance of reality is transformation being used by Poe for fear in movies. In the movie “Fear of the Dark” it is based around a phobia of the unknown that lies in the dark. A quote from the movie is, “You don’t understand, the dark isn’t just the dark,” showing the character is afraid of what he doesn't know. Consequently, the dark goes from being the
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”
When comparing the stories “The Fall of the House of Usher” written by Edgar Allen Poe and “The House Taken Over” by Julio Cortazar. The setting in both are in a creepy, big house with a gothic style to it, which makes it more creepy. Both of the authors were a dark and demented type. Both in their stories have a big, empty house with a few people in them, with either kids that are living alone or with grandparents. Also both stories have a sense of having something under their sleeve to hit us with.
Edgar Allan Poe is undoubtedly one of American Literature's legendary and prolific writers, and it is normal to say that his works touched on many aspects of the human psyche and personality. While he was no psychologist, he wrote about things that could evoke the reasons behind every person's character, whether flawed or not. Some would say his works are of the horror genre, succeeding in frightening his audience into trying to finish reading the book in one sitting, but making them think beyond the story and analyze it through imagery. The "Fall of the House of Usher" is one such tale that uses such frightening imagery that one can only sigh in relief that it is just a work of fiction. However, based on the biography of Poe, events that surrounded his life while he was working on his tales were enough to show the emotions he undoubtedly was experiencing during that time.
“As we stand in the cold rain, on this dark night; waiting for the bus. We hear the shadows whispering and the wind howling. The full moon shining so bright as the wolves sing their song.” How did that passage make you feel? Scared? Creeped out? Those feelings you felt were caused by the setting of the passage. The dark night, cold rain, the bright full moon; all of those were examples of ‘eerie settings’; but, read this. “Oh, how the fluffy green grass feels beneath my bare feet. The beautiful sunflowers blooming before me. I look up to the sun, as it gives me a warm kiss on my cheek.” This passage showed examples of happy or warm settings. They make you feel good; making you never want to leave.
The setting is an important part of any story, whether it be a poem or a novel. The setting consists of all the places and/or things surrounding the character at any moment through any literary or visual media. A literary setting is often full of details and vivid imagery due to the lack of visual aids that are present in videos and movies. These details often take paragraphs to describe single settings to give the reader an imaginary vision of what the area would look like. Edgar Allan Poe is no exception to these rules and he clearly writes out the setting for his short stories and poems. Poe does an excellent job of using details to describe the setting of his stories and shows great care in choosing the wording of each description he makes to display his exact intentions for each descriptive setting. In the short story, “The Cask of Amontillado,” by Poe, the setting has a direct correlation with the mood in the story. The further into the story you read, the deeper and darker the surroundings of the two main characters get, just like the main plot of the story.
Poe begins his with a description of the setting. It was a “..dull, dark, and soundless day..” (Poe, 90). The narrator explains that he is on his way to an old friend 's house, Roderick and Madeline Usher, who both live in the mansion. He then explains what he sees at first glimpse of the mansion. “I looked upon the scene before me – the bleak walls, vacant eye-like windows, rank sedges, and a few white trunks of decayed trees..” (90). The setting is dark and full of potential evil; making it a romantic
He explains the outside of the house vividly when the narrator arrives by stating, “Upon the mere house, and the simple landscape features of the domain-- upon the bleak walls-- upon the vacant eye-like windows-- upon a few rank sedges-- and upon a few white trunks of decayed trees-- with an utter depression of soul”(Poe 474). The narrator goes into detail and puts an image in the reader's mind of the outside of the house and his first impression of it to create more of an eerie and depressed mood and to show how dark and plain the house is. This also helps show what kind of character Usher is and how sick he is because he is unable to take care of his house. It explains why Usher is always in an unhappy mood because his house is so dark and
Imagery in "The Fall of the House of Usher" The description of the landscape in any story is important as it creates a vivid imagery of the scene and helps to develop the mood. Edgar Allan Poe is a master at using imagery to improve the effects of his stories. He tends to use the landscapes to symbolize some important aspect of the story. Also, he makes use of the landscape to produce a supernatural effect and to induce horror. In particular, Poe makes great use of these tools in "The Fall of the House of Usher." This story depends on the portrayal of the house itself to create a certain atmosphere and to relate to the Usher family. In "The Fall of the House of Usher," Edgar Allan Poe uses the landscape to develop an atmosphere of horror and to create corollary to the Usher family. Poe uses the life-like characteristics of the house as a device for giving the house a supernatural presence. The house is described as having somewhat supernatural characteristics. The windows appear to be "vacant" and "eye-like" (1462). The strange nature of the house is further explained as around the mansion, "…there hung an atmosphere peculiar to themselves and their immediate vicinity." (1462). This demonstrates that the house and its surroundings have an unusual and bizarre existence. Upon entering the house, the narrator views some objects, such as the tapestries on the walls and the trophies, fill him with a sense of superstition. He describes the trophies as "phantasmagoric" (1462). He further explains that the house and the contents were the cause of his feelings.
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.