“The Fall of the House of Usher” Edgar Allan Poe 1839

The Gothic literary tradition Begun in eighteenth century England Popular form in British literary journals Imported into American short story - 19th century Key ingredient was sensationalism Subject matter, language, or style designed to startle, thrill, or excite the senses.

Gothic Architecture in America Started in US about 1840 Steeply pitched roofs Pointed arch windows Elaborate trim around roof edges High dormers Lancet windows

The House of Usher Poe’s “house of Usher” looks more like a medieval castle or English cathedral in Gothic style

Elements of Gothic Writing Emphasis on creepy Exterior: Dark and dreary landscapes Interior: Dark and dreary houses Castle-like architecture Characters are brooding, secretive Buried family secrets Long history of family tied to place

The Theme of the Double In literary criticism, this is called a “doppelganger,” from the German for “double-goer” Examples are: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Robert Louis Stevenson)

What function does the doppelganger motif serve? Represents the dual nature of man In Poe, one side of man is reason, or the mind The other is emotion, or the body Roderick and Madeleine are genetically twins, but psychologically they are also doubles.

Who Represents What? Roderick An artist figure Nervous agitation Lives in dark upstairs apartment Cadaverous complexion “want of moral energy” “excessive nervous agitation”

Effect of Surroundings Roderick’s mental condition is affected by his environment “He was enchanted by certain superstitious impressions in regard to the dwelling which he tenanted . . . An effect which the physique of the gray walls and turrets, and of the dim tarn into which they all looked down, had, at length, brought about upon the morale of his existence.” (512)

Analysis Here, “physique” refers to something physical And “morale” refers to something mental Roderick is all mind in a weak body He represents in one way the life of the isolated artist Paintings Reading Guitar playing

Madeline – The Sister Madeleine Illness has debilitated her All descriptions focus on the body “gradual wasting away of the person” (513) Roderick and the narrator screw down the lid of her coffin (518) She returns from the tomb to reclaim her twin brother, her “double” “the huge antique panels…threw back” (521) She “fell heavily inward upon…her brother and…bore him to the floor a corpse”

What is Poe’s point? Poe addresses the dual and conflicted nature of the Self Mind and body are at war with each other in each of us We try to repress one side and live without it But we cannot achieve a harmonious existence in this way

The Function of Setting - Exterior The “house of Usher” has two meanings The physical dwelling The family line, or lineage “the entire family lay in the direct line of descent”

The House as a Character? The house is also a type of character in the story Like the family, it is of “an excessive antiquity” (510) The landscape is overgrown and ragged On the front down the middle is “a barely perceptible fissure” going in “a zigzag direction” (510)

Interior Setting Gothic architecture (511) “windows were long, narrow and pointed” “feeble gleams of encrimsoned light” “dark draperies” “atmosphere of sorrow” Roderick lives upstairs (mind) Madeleine “resides” below (body)

Unity in “Fall of the House of Usher” First and last paragraphs are mirror images of each other, creating symmetry The texts-within-text reinforce the central theme The house itself symbolizes the split in the family The construction of the house reflects a “perfect adaptation of parts” (510)