The Fall of the House of Usher

Type of Work: Gothic horror story Setting An ancient English manor house; nineteenth century Principle Characters An unidentified Narrator Roderick Usher, the Narrator's gravely ill friend Lady Madcline, Roderick's even more in firm sister Story Overveiw (Classical gothic imagery - drippingly dark surroundings and terrifying ghostly symbols - is used throughout this tale to evoke a sense of fear and forboding that present-day novels and films have made commonplace to modern lovers of horror. Thus, …

…free herself and survive being buried alive, then returning to punish a weak man. References to blood at the end suggest to some that Madeline perhaps was a vampiress. Still others simply enjoy Poe's unmatched style that conjures up remarkably horrid mental images and brings on a wonderfully grim suspense. In all, the imaginative details and descriptions, the inventive drama, and the sheer popularity of the story, have made it a literary classic. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ **Bibliography**