Fall of the House of Usher

“During the whole of a dull, dark, and soundless day in the autumn of the year, when the clouds hung oppressively low in the heavens...as the shades of the evening drew on...with the view of the melancholy House of Usher...” Pg. 234) With these words, Edgar Allan Poe begins one of his most famous works. Poe was infamous for his constant imagery of death and decay that he used to produce a sense of …

…silently over the fragments of the "House of Usher" (Pg. 245)). Not only was the physical state of the "House of Usher" gone, but the ancient family name or dynasty, as it might be called, died also. Isolation and paranoia caused the decay of the Usher roots. These elements, in addition to the setting created by Poe, created a perfect horror story which, because of Poe’s unique style, people continue to enjoy to this day.