The Fall of the House of Usher Analysis Paper Example

Introduction

The chosen work of literature for this analysis is "The Fall of the House of Usher" 1839 short story by Edgar Allan Poe written during the Romanticism period. The review will entail an initial reaction to the work and one aspect that interest me, analysis of the historical context, insights of the work gained from the author's biography; a specific theme explored in the short story from its period. An explanation of the relevance of the work for today's audiences, the more in-depth knowledge gained through the analysis and how it has informed or altered my thoughts about the work will also be provided.

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Initial Reaction

My initial thoughts about "The Fall of the House of Usher" short story were that the author intended to create tension to the reader by presenting a horrific setting and characters experiencing the chilling atmosphere. At the start of the story, the experience of a day that is dull, dark, as well as silent, makes the reader develop tension of a sad story that creates an uneasy feeling not to continue reading. However, as one learns through the story, the reader realizes the combination of art to present social, political and moral ideas to the audience.

One of the aspects that most interest me is the use of fear as a central idea to create a story. Edgar Allan Poe used an unusual style when presenting information in "The Fall of the House of Usher" to show how people can be slaves of fear. Roderick is one of the characters in the short story which is a slave of fear. When reading throughout the narrative, I realized that Edgar exaggerated on terror by presenting Roderick as dominated by fear to a level whereby the feat is worse than the imagined item. The story shows that fear has a controlling force on human beings. In the story, Roderick is seen being controlled by fear until it manifests in reality when he dies as a result of fearing the unknown.

Analysis

Historical Context

"The Fall of the House of Usher" short story was written and published in 1839, a time when most of the literature was concerned with morality in society. When many of the writers concentrated in covering topics that were moralistic, Allan Edgar in this story seems to divert the attention from the didactic contemporaries and not to focus on political or religious statements. The tale of terror depicted a diverted coverage of psychological disintegration of emotionally unstable characters, an aspect that was different from the focus of other writers during the period. Due to its shift from expository writing, Allan Edgar Poe's work was not recognized as a serious piece of literature. With his new writing style, Allan Edgar Poe seems to have been a pioneer in the invention of the horror genre. During the time of publishing this work of literature, Poe was a major influence in popular fiction. However, a mature work of literature was only beginning to be developed.

1839 was a year associated with gothic literature whereby artists concentrated on producing works of science or detective fiction that focused on topics such as death, supernatural elements, romance, mystery, and dread. Just like other writers during that time, Allan Poe's "The Fall of the House of Usher" was not exceptional. It is a story that describes different family castles crumbling and demoralized setting common with gothic literature. Gothic literature was characterized by a celebration of desire, madness, and passion. Allan Poe incorporated all the aspects of medieval literature such as dark passions exhibited by the characters to ensure the work fits within the set period.

Insights into the Work that can be Gained from the Author's Biography

Allan Edgar Poe biography shows that he was born in 1809, the Romantic Era and from a family background of professional actors. Poe grew learning about literature in school and participated in writing a collection of poetry and stories. The insights into the work that can be gained from the author's biography entail the time of its writing and publishing. Poe's time of birth and growth to adulthood informs the period of writing the short story. It was the romantic era that tells the subject of the short story whereby expression of emotions was at the center of many artists in their literary works.

How the Work Explores a Particular Theme and Stylistic Characteristic from It Period

As stated earlier, Poe's work was written and published during the Romanticism period. A significant theme associated with the romantic era and explored in "The Fall of the House of Usher" is the power of the imagination. Artists during the Romantic Era saw the world as diminishing as a result of enlightenment. The reasoning was a significant aspect that people needed to use in obtaining answers to questions about science and the world generally. Allan Poe's work explores the power of imagination to describe the story of two siblings who were the only living kin of the Usher family.

A stylistic characteristic from the Romanticism period is the gothic style that Poe uses in writing "The Fall of the House of Usher." Gothic style was a simplified approach of writing literature whereby writers were more concerned to reveal the emotional effects. Poe's short story fits well within the gothic stylistic characteristic as it creates emotional consequences on the reader. Even though the work is not political or religious, it is entertaining with the inclusion of events that create terror, fear and confusion to the reader.

The relevance of the Work for Today's Audiences

"The Fall of the House of Usher" is relevant for today's audiences as it presents a setting whereby the destruction of family members means the end of everything that they ever owned including houses. The killing of people is not only physical but also psychological. Roderick and Madeline are two characters that are destroyed due to fear in the short story. They are psychologically falling apart to show the relevance of moral sanity for today's audiences. People need to understand that moral sanity is crucial to achieving environmental sanity.

Deeper Knowledge Gained Through Analysis

Through the analysis of "The Fall of the House of Usher," I have gained a more in-depth knowledge of the short story which informs me of my thoughts about the moral teachings of the work. I can say that Poe wanted to show the audience that there is a supernatural link between physical and psychological death and this impact on the life of a person. The house in the story is abandoned by the owners, who are dead, a physical death while Roderick is gloomy and depressed (emotionally dead), psychological death.

References

Poe, A. (1839). The fall of the house of usher. Short Story.