The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allan Poe | Summary & Analysis

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Course Hero Literature Instructor Russell Jaffe provides an in-depth analysis of the plot, characters, symbols, themes, and motifs of Edgar Allan Poe's short story "The Fall of the House of Usher."

Download the free study guide and infographic for "The Fall of the House of Usher" here: https://www.coursehero.com/lit..../The-Fall-of-the-Hou

Edgar Allen Poe's short story "The Fall of the House of Usher" traces the parallel demises of a literal house and the incestuous line of the Usher family.

The short story has all the elements of a quintessential Gothic tale: a haunted house, a pair of strange siblings, and a naive narrator who enters the scene only to be terrorized.

Poe's evocative descriptions of the narrator's arrival at his friend's decaying mansion and his induction into the mysteries of its inhabitants are key to the novel's enduring appeal. It builds to a climax replete with a supernatural storm and a risen corpse.

Troubled American writer Edgar Allan Poe's "The Fall of the House of Usher" was first published in 1839. His use of subtly creepy description and allusions to hereditary madness continue to inform the horror genre today.

The short story contains many powerful symbols, such as eyes representing the spirit of a person, weather representing the horror and chaos inside the house, and the House of Usher representing the decay brought on by mental and physical health issues. Other motifs include claustrophobia, fear, illness, and sounds.

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