The Fall of the House of Usher (Cyclopedia of Literary Characters)
At a glance:
- Author: Edgar Allan Poe
- First Published: 1839
- Type of Work: Short fiction
- Type of Plot: Gothic
- Time of Work: Nineteenth century
- Setting: The House of Usher
- Genres: Short fiction, Gothic fiction, Horror literature
- Subjects: Love or romance, Supernatural, Nineteenth century, Friendship, Incest, Mental illness, Fear, Sisters, Death or dying, Good and evil, Storms, Sick persons, Houses, mansions, or manors
- Locales: Earth
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...
[The entire page is 611 words long]
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