These two short stories have much in common when it comes down to it. Things such as both are a form of gothic literature, moods, etc. However, they do have their differences. These two short stories settings are alike in some ways, but also very different in many ways as well. “The Fall of the House of Usher” is by a famous author known as Edgar Allan Poe. The genre of it is Horror Fiction and Gothic Fiction. “House Taken Over” is by an author known as Julio Cortázar. The genre of that is Fiction. Both stories are a form of Fiction. In the short story “The Fall of the House of Usher”, a narrator visits his childhood friend, and things start to get very gloomy and dull. In “House Taken Over”, a brother and sister are living in a huge mansion, only for it to be taken over by a mysterious spirit. These two short stories get very intense to say the least, so stay tuned to read about what happens in both of these stories!
“The Fall of the House of Usher” is a short story written by famous author and poet Edgar Allan Poe in 1839. In this short story, an unnamed narrator visits a childhood friend named Usher at his house on a gloomy, dull day. Usher’s house is very mysterious. It is very old, and is decaying in areas. e narrator mentions that the Usher family, though an ancient clan, has never flourished. Only one member of the Usher family has survived from generation to generation, thereby forming a direct line of descent without any outside branches. The Usher family has become
Fear is among one of the most universal human emotions that everyone is interconnected at one point or another during their lifetime. In the gothic stories, “The Fall of the House of Usher” and “House Taken Over” written by Edgar Allan Poe and Julio Cortazar respectively. Edgar Allen Poe writes about how the character Mr. Usher, who because of his mental illness and delusions, cannot come to terms with his reality. Cortazar writes about the relationship between a brother and sister who have normal everyday lives and have strange and odd nightmare that haunts them. The
As with many of Edgar Allan Poe's pieces, "The Fall of the House of Usher" falls within the definition of American Gothic Literature. According to Prentice Hall Literature, American Gothic Literature is characterized by a bleak or remote setting, macabre or violent incidents, characters being in psychological or physical torment, or a supernatural or otherworldly involvement (311). A story containing these attributes can result in a very frightening or morbid read. In all probability, the reason Poe's stories were written in this fashion is that his personal life was fraught with depression, internal agony, and despair. Evidently this is reflected in "The Fall of the House of Usher." Conjointly, Edgar Allan Poe's "The
The fall of the house of usher by Edgar Allan Poe is an excellent work and a supreme example of the gothic horror stories expected form a Poe’s piece. Poe tells the story as well as clarifies his spirit in his gothic work. The story contains classical gothic imagery and gruesome events that gives the story a physiological element in addition to ambiguity.
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,
In the story, “The Fall of The House of Usher”, there are many mysterious happenings that go on throughout the story between the characters Roderick Usher and the narrator. Throughout the story, Edgar Allan Poe uses themes such as madness and insanity to connect the house back to Roderick Usher. In the “Fall of The House of Usher”, the narrator goes through many different experiences when arriving to the house. The narrator’s experiences start out as almost unnoticeable in the beginning, turn into bigger ones right before his eyes, and end up becoming problems that cause deterioration of the mind and the house before the narrator even decides to do anything helpful for Roderick and his mental illness. In “The Fall of The
The human imagination is a powerful tool that sometimes is very hard to control, if it can be controlled at all. In The Fall of the House of Usher, Edgar Allan Poe uses imagination as a key tool to make the story come to life.
A Sense of Tension in The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe was a unique man that most people could not understand. Many recognize that he is a talented writer with a very strange and dark style. One of his most well known short stories is “The Fall Of The House Of Usher.” Many argue the different meanings of this story and how it is symbolic to his life. Poe was a very confused individual who needed to express himself, he accomplished this through the short story of “The Fall Of The House Of Usher.” Through this story, Edgar was trying to show the fear he had for him self, he did not understand him self so therefore Poe ran from his own personality and mind. This story enables the reader to take a look at Poe’s mind and
Edgar Allan Poe is known for the suspenseful and mysterious nature in his short stories, and to achieve this he uses repetitive symbolism. In the “Fall of the House of Usher”, the narrator gets a letter from an old friend saying that he needs his help. When he arrives he starts to hear voices that eventually cause the house to fall and results in the death of usher and Madeline. Poe's “The fall of the House of Usher” portrays a melancholy setting and utilizes a motif of the supernatural, however, the symbolism conveys the evil of the people and the house which ultimately revealing Poe's overwhelming prevalence of symbolism and fascination with the superstitions of his time.
The Fall Of the House Of Usher is a short story written by Edgar Allen Poe in 1839. The short story is complexly written, with challenging themes such as identity and fear. Poe utilises many elements of the Gothic Tradition such as setting and supernatural elements to create a more mysterious story, and uses language to his advantage, employing adjective filled descriptions of literal elements that also serve as metaphors for other parts of the story.
The Fall of the House of Usher is a story “of sickness, madness, incest, and the danger of unrestrained creativity. This is among Poe's most popular and critically-examined horror stories” (Gordon). For example if you were to close your eyes while someone was reading the story you would see the house “decaying” in your imagination (Poe). From the start of the story the narrator’s strange “insufferable gloom” is introduced. He notes the darkness of his surrounding (Gordon). The stories are very deeply described and felt.
Edgar Allen Poe is well-known for his frightening and disturbing short stories. He portrays his characters in unforeseen circumstances that create an eerie atmosphere, and this then leads to unsettling actions. In his famous short story, "The Fall of the House of Usher," Edgar Allan Poe utilizes dark mood, dreary allegory, and mysterious symbolism to create the thrill and suspense. The mood of the characters set the intensity of fear and gloom, while the story of the Ushers follows psychological disorders, and the exterior to the "House of Usher" symbolizes the well-being of the Usher family. In this story, the narrator, whose name is not mentioned, has been asked by an old friend, who is sickly, to visit his infamous family. The home, known as the house of Usher, hosts the series of events that unfold and each of the events follow through into the thrill of death that haunts the characters and the mansion.
One of the central themes underlying the short story, The Fall of the House of Usher, is that of the nature of the house. The way it is described and the way it is so mysterious. Another central theme about this story is the nature of the people that live in the house. They are portrayed very much in the same manner throughout the story. Thus, they have several similarities with each other. All of which are of a bad feeling, showing how bad things are for the people and the house. These similarities are very well laid out in the story and are, I believe, meant to be something to be considered when reading it.
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.
Faithful to the principles of the author, the first detailed words of description of the setting announce the decadent character of the composition- “All the main lines of action are supported by a systematic elaboration of detail” (Robinson, 79). The Fall of the House of Usher begins with the description of the place where all the facts of the story will develop: “It was a dark and soundless day near the end of the year, and clouds were hanging low in the heavens… through country with little life or beauty; and in the early evening I came within view of the House of Usher” (Poe, 22). At exterior levels, the presence of a crack crosses the whole structure of the house: “a crack making its way from the top down the wall until it became lost in the dark waters of the lake.” (Poe, 23). The dark aspect is present in the obscure interiors of the house: “Dark covering hung upon the walls. The many chairs and tables had been used for a long,