Lit. of Horror, Fantasy, & Sci-Fi: House of Usher

"The Fall of the House of Usher"

Edgar Allen Poe is well known for his writings of the macabre and supernatural. When people think of gothic literature, Poe is what many instantly picture. His work in poetry and short fiction was perfect in creating senses of dread and madness. That is essentially what "The Fall of the House of Usher" is about. The story is as gothic as it comes--with a dark and depressing atmosphere recognized by our unreliable narrator (a classic in Poe's writings) that lingers evermore throughout the story and seems to worsen as the story itself progresses. Our narrator is deemed unreliable because the negative energy within the House of Usher has an effect on him to the point he's unable to differentiate reality with fantasy. So how are we, the readers, supposed to know what he says is true? Indeed supernatural elements are used throughout the story, evident as to how the House of Usher seems to deteriorate along with twins Roderick--childhood friend of the narrator--and Madelein, who is "wasting away" from an unknown illness. Because of her illness, she goes rigid and unresponsive, which can have her easily be mistaken for dead, which her brother does. Ultimately, she's buried alive. Roderick's mental health spirals further downward after her "death", and soon realizes she wasn't actually dead. The narrator sees Madelein standing in the doorway covered in blood from trying to escape entombment, and collapses onto Roderick, who then dies from the shock. Then, as the narrator flees the House, it collapses and disappears into the lake. Poe's writings often have similar structures with an unreliable narrator, death, dread, and insanity. "The Fall of the House of Usher" is one of his best works in showing those gothic elements.