Fall of Edgar Poe

A detailed Summary of Fall of Edgar Poe

As a writer Edgar Allan Poe was both blessed and cursed by his genius. Poe's works are so morbid and horrifying that they strike fear in the hearts of many of his readers. A definite connection can be made between the vast content of his literary works and the immense despair Poe suffered throughout his short life. His emotional experiences including love, despair and even personal turmoil are reflected in the literary classic The Fall of the House of Usher. Traces of this are evident in the bleak images he creates of the Usher family. Much like Poe's own family, the Usher's are sickly and even dysfunctional. According to the book The Poe Logic, the very existence of the Usher's focuses on pain and suffering, which directly represents the existence of the Usher's focuses on pain and suffering, which directly represents the circumstances Poe and his own family endured (Jackson, Dwight, p. 60) Edgar Allan Poe is also a master of creating suspense and using symbolism to d!

Edgar Allan Poe's personal life experiences play a great role in interpreting and even understanding his work. While growing up Poe began life with the odds stacked against him. Poe endured o

waters of the tarn" (Seyler, p. 413). This crack is part of the main reason for the fall of

Edgar Allan Poe Web Site http://www.ultranet.com/~rsarkiss/POE.HTM

Edgar Allan Poe's writings are also known for their gruesome subject matter. In "The Fall of the House of Usher", Poe uses the life-like characteristics of an otherwise decaying house as a device for giving the house a supernatural atmosphere. For example, from the very beginning of the story, the reader can tell that there is something unusual and almost supernatural about the building. As the narrator approaches the home of his long-time friend, Roderick Usher, he refers to the house as the "melancholy House of Usher"(Baym, p. 664). Upon looking at the building, he even describes the feeling he has as"a sense of insufferable gloom pervad[ing] my spirit" (Baym, p. 664). The windows appear to be "vacant," and "eye-like" and the narrator goes on to observe the"rank sedges," and the "black and lurid tarn," in which he sees the reflection of the house. He later says,"when I again uplifted my eyes to the house itself, from its image in the pool, there grew a strange fancy..." (B!

house shows discoloration. Also "minute fungi over spread the whole exterior" (Seyler,

or the irreclaimable eater of opium, during the periods of his most intense excitement

seems to describe Roderick with the most detail. After another catatonic episode,

unwilling to help (Jacobs, p. 78). At the age of nineteen Edgar moved in with his Aunt Maria and his twelve year old cousin, Virginia Clemm. He soon fell deeply in love with Virginia and they married. Even in the midst of financial problems and personal struggles he and Virginia were completely happy. She was soon diagnosed with tuberculosis and after five years of suffering, she died. It is easy to see the impact Poe's personal struggles had on many different phases of his literature. The heart breaking losses he endures throughout his life are responsible for many of the topics he addresses in his stories. His writing will forever remain a reflection of his inner self.

Porges, Irwin. Edgar Allan Poe. New York: Chilton Books, 1963.

Edgar Allan Poe's works are somewhat strange and unusual. These works clearly

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Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1519
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)

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