What's a good thesis for "The Fall of the House of Usher" as a Gothic story?
There are two points to consider in addressing your question about a thesis for "The Fall of the House of Usher." The first is that a thesis, by definition, must be arguable, which means that the claim, issue or question you assert must give rise to debate, doubt or challenge. In other words, a thesis may not simply claim what is already accepted in the academic community (which in undergraduate studies may sometimes be defined as your classroom....).
The second point is the defining characteristics of Gothic. Some of the defining characteristics of Gothic literature are death, old, crumbling buildings in American Gothic and castles in European and English Gothic, distressed heroines, overpowering villainous men, etc. Therefore your arguable claim, issue or question must relate to some point relevant to Gothic as defined, which might include the value of Gothic, the realism of Gothic, etc.
Based on the...
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above, I can make a couple of suggestions as to what an appropriate thesis might be. For instance, you might assert that even though Usher is not painted by Poe as a villain, such as the villain in The Romance of the Forest by Ann Radcliffe, Usher is nonetheless the Gothic hero of "The Fall of Usher." Another example might be that you could pose a question relating to the literary value of Poe's writing's in the American Gothicgenre, as in: "Considering the pristine vividness of Poe's descriptions of horrors in his stories in the American Gothic genre, as illustrated in "The Fall of the House of Usher," do Poe's Gothic horror stories carry any legitimate literary value?"
An additional example might be to examine the realism in American Gothic genre. A related thesis might be, "Even though the horror of "The Fall of the House of Usher" might make Poe's style seem to be antithetical to realism, one of Poe's foremost literary techniques is, in fact, that of realism." Each of these suggested examples presents an idea that is either open to debate, open to doubt, or open to challenge. Further, each presents an idea that does not yet have a definitive answer within the broader academic community.
What are some thesis ideas for a research paper on "The Fall of the House of Usher"?
For a research paper you might look at "The Fall of the House of Usher" as an example of the uncanny. More specifically, you could read Freud's 1919 essay on "The Uncanny" and outline how, almost a century earlier, Poe explored elements of the uncanny that Freud later systemized, such as the unheimlich, or unhomelike, and the doppelgänger, or twin. It's hard to imagine a less unhomelike setting than the Usher home. Further, Roderick has an eerie twin sister—and is the narrator possibly a psychological, though not literal, twin to Roderick?
A thesis has to be arguable and specific. Therefore, you would want to take a stand—that is, state an opinion—on how the story is uncanny and what this might mean. A research paper must use outside sources beyond the text you are exploring, which is why bringing in Freud is important. You could say something like:
Using Freud's essay "The Uncanny," this paper will show that "The Fall of the House of Usher" exhibits a fascinated attraction toward death, as well as fear of it, and that not only Madeline but also the narrator acts as a doppelgänger to Roderick Usher.
You would then find quotes from the story to support your thesis. It is important that you have both enough quotes to be convincing and quotes that relate closely to your topic. In that way, your support becomes both sufficient and relevant.
There are, arguably, some autobiographical elements of Poe's own life woven into "The Fall of the House of Usher." An interesting research paper could result in noting the similarities between Roderick Usher and Edgar Allan Poe. One could look into Poe's interest and talents in other forms of art besides writing short stories and poetry, particularly drawing and music. Because the story has a theme of incest and its disastrous results, one could research the facts of Poe's marriage and childlessness. The mysterious illness from which Madeline suffered could be related to the deaths of women in Poe's life. Poe's own tastes in literature could be compared to the books in Roderick's library.
For a thesis statement, something along the lines of this example could be effective: Though "The Fall of the House of Usher" is a work of fiction, its protagonist has many of the character traits and interests of Edgar Allan Poe himself, which suggests autobiographical connections.