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The Fall of the House of Usher (Cyclopedia of Literary Characters)

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Characters Discussed

Roderick Usher, a madman. Excessively reserved in childhood and thereafter, Usher is the victim not only of his own introversion but also of the dry rot in his family, which because of inbreeding has long lacked the healthy infusion of vigorous blood from other families. His complexion is cadaverous, his eyes are lustrous, his nose is “of a delicate Hebrew model,” his chin is small and weak though finely molded, his forehead broad, and his hair soft and weblike. (The detailed description of Usher’s face and head in the story should be compared with...

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