The Fall of the House of Usher (Magill Book Reviews)
At a glance:
- Author: Edgar Allan Poe
- First Published: 1839
- Type of Work: Short Story
- 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
Whether one reads this story as metaphysical speculation on the identity of matter and spirit, or as a psychological study of the powerful influence a deranged mind may have on a sane one, or even simply as a Gothic horror chiller, it remains a genuine masterwork of American fiction.
The narrator of the story tells of an autumn visit to the House of Usher, the family home of his boyhood friend, Roderick Usher. He finds the house to be old and decaying, with a minute fissure zigzagging down from the roof to the waters of a stagnant tarn at its foundation. The gloomy landscape, the...
[The entire page is 571 words long]
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
Navigate
See Also
