The Fall of the House of Usher

A detailed Summary of The Fall of the House of Usher

During the nineteenth century, literary writers were encouraged in transcendentalism. Their main focus was on capturing the spirituality in nature. For example, authors such as Henry Thoreau and Ralph Emerson were dominating the world of poetry and prose with their tales of nature. From Thoreau's' journey through the Maine Woods to Emerson's Nature, the transcendental ere, was in the main stream. Yet, not all of the nineteenth century writers shared this same viewpoint. As a matter of fact, one writer emerging, who proved to be just as prominent, had a viewpoint in direct opposition of his contemporaries. The great Edgar Allen Poe, though born during the same period and encountered the same influences, would emerge as a different writer. "Those others", Emerson, Hawthorne, Thoreau, Whittier and Holmes, "turned toward Wordsworth while Poe, took Coleridge as his loadstar in his search for a consistent theory of art" (Perkins 1236).

Poe's creativity was, perhaps, due to the lifestyle in which he lived. It was obviously different, much more harsh and filled with heartache and death. His influence on the arts was different from that of his

At the height of the transcendental ere, Thoreau was enjoying the solitude of Walden and Emerson was helping America understand his Unitarian beliefs in "The Over-Soul", Poe horrified us with his gruesome accounts of death. It is an unsolved mystery with n irresistible magnetism that one can become fixated upon and Poe seemed to be a master of captivating the spirit of it. Of course, the work which the artist crates m is often definitive of the life he lived. Poe did not share the same beliefs as his contemporaries did. Death and poverty brought on much of his unhappiness, which is why he was an expert writer on the subject. Fist, there was the death of his mother and then his wife Virginia. In both instance Poe loved them so much, yet he was helpless to either of them.

His life was a very tragic which was displayed through many of his works. Some of his poetry for example, could be construed as horrid accounts of death. "The Raven", evidently was a gruesome depiction of the torment he faced after the death of his young wife, Virginia. Of course, we know that "Annabel Lee" was also about her death, but "The Raven" was a darker tale of Poe blaming himself for her untimely passing. Other works that cast a shadow of gloom and suggest his fascination with death, include, "The Cask of Amontillado" and "Lenore". One short story in particular, which leaves a lot for the imagination to ponder is, "The Fall of the House of Usher". Is it a story filled with symbolism or should it all be taken literally? Is it a satire? Did Poe have a friend which he modeled the character, Roderick Usher, after or was that Poe himself? Those were the questions that arose upon reading this story.

contemporaries as well. "He influenced the course of creative wiring and criticism by emphasizing the are that appeals simultaneously to reason and to emotion and by insisting that the work of art is

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Approximate Word count = 1279
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English