Edgar Allan Poe

The Fall of the House of Usher Edgar Allan Poe

The Fall of the House of Usher

Synopsis:

When Madeline dies, things begin to unravel. Our narrator finds himself helping Roderick to take her down in the family tombs. Madeline appears more alive in death than she did in life. Her cheeks are even rosy. Roderick insists that they screw down the coffin lid.

Summary:

Edgar Allan Poe takes a canvas and paints it black; he takes a story and makes it dark and shadowy; he takes a normal world and twists it to the point of corruption. The man describes the gothic in such a sublime way that I find myself drifting in a dream like world. His writing is fantastical and sordidly beautiful. This story, here, is the perfect gothic horror.

It has all the classic elements of the genre. The tale begins with the narrator visiting a haunted house; it is old, grand and evil. It is a reflection of the surrounding area that the narrator has travelled through. He witnesses decay, ruin and spreading bleakness.

The house is at the centre, and appears to have absorbed the darkness or, perhaps, it is the heart of the darkness that has spread outwards. Either way, the whole scene has an air of creepiness and depravation. Even the master of the house has begun to embody the setting.

Literature that can instill the essence of emotion into the reader, whether it be passion, humor, or horror, is the very best kind. And Poe was a genius at doing that very thing. With a few well chosen and well arranged words, he could create a sense of horror and dread probably better than any writer ever could.