Edgar Allen Poe
Edgar Allen Poe is an author unlike most other of his time, and furthermore of any other time in history. His writing style of combining dark horror with immense details does wonders in attracting readers into his stories. Specifically Poe’s “The Fall of the House of Usher” is a mind trip into the deepest expanses of what can be seen as real, supernatural, or human imagination. Poe’s immense use of detail throughout the story really gives the house a life of itself. "The Fall of the House of Usher" is often considered Poe's masterpiece” (Bleiler 2), an opinion held by most critics for the short story. I can agree with this statement based on Poe’s vivid use of descriptive language in explaining the setting. The house is so representative of the characters themselves in the way it is described in great detail of being a gloomy and uninviting place to be living.
First off a little background on Poe to possibly understand how he became such a twisted minded man. It was said that Edgar’s birth father was a “mediocre actor and heavy drinker who was soon to desert his wife and vanish forever” (Asselineau 1). The statement might account for some of the loneliness and tragedy Poe portrays in so many of his stories, and especially in “The Fall of the House of Usher”, as a brother can kill his sister. Poe was born in Boston, but it was said, “The South became Poe's first love and Richmond the city he called home” (Thompson 1). This knowledge of both living in the north and south could be cause for many of his writings to have such varied opinions on them. Although he was talented in many things, “Poe never achieved a status among his schoolmates that made him feel completely at home in Richmond” (Dameron 1). This feeling of always being an outsider could have lead to some serious psychological effects on Poe explaining much of the grim topics he chose to write on. It is said, “For a time he apparently flourished in the military, but longing for greater... [continues]
Edgar Allen Poe is an author unlike most other of his time, and furthermore of any other time in history. His writing style of combining dark horror with immense details does wonders in attracting readers into his stories. Specifically Poe’s “The Fall of the House of Usher” is a mind trip into the deepest expanses of what can be seen as real, supernatural, or human imagination. Poe’s immense use of detail throughout the story really gives the house a life of itself. "The Fall of the House of Usher" is often considered Poe's masterpiece” (Bleiler 2), an opinion held by most critics for the short story. I can agree with this statement based on Poe’s vivid use of descriptive language in explaining the setting. The house is so representative of the characters themselves in the way it is described in great detail of being a gloomy and uninviting place to be living.
First off a little background on Poe to possibly understand how he became such a twisted minded man. It was said that Edgar’s birth father was a “mediocre actor and heavy drinker who was soon to desert his wife and vanish forever” (Asselineau 1). The statement might account for some of the loneliness and tragedy Poe portrays in so many of his stories, and especially in “The Fall of the House of Usher”, as a brother can kill his sister. Poe was born in Boston, but it was said, “The South became Poe's first love and Richmond the city he called home” (Thompson 1). This knowledge of both living in the north and south could be cause for many of his writings to have such varied opinions on them. Although he was talented in many things, “Poe never achieved a status among his schoolmates that made him feel completely at home in Richmond” (Dameron 1). This feeling of always being an outsider could have lead to some serious psychological effects on Poe explaining much of the grim topics he chose to write on. It is said, “For a time he apparently flourished in the military, but longing for greater... [continues]
Cite This Essay
- APA
-
(2010, 09). Edgar Allen Poe "Fall of the House of Usher". StudyMode.com. Retrieved 09, 2010, from http://www.studymode.com/essays/Edgar-Allen-Poe-Fall-Of-The-418772.html
- MLA
-
"Edgar Allen Poe "Fall of the House of Usher"" StudyMode.com. 09 2010. 09 2010 <http://www.studymode.com/essays/Edgar-Allen-Poe-Fall-Of-The-418772.html>.
- CHICAGO
-
"Edgar Allen Poe "Fall of the House of Usher"." StudyMode.com. 09, 2010. Accessed 09, 2010. http://www.studymode.com/essays/Edgar-Allen-Poe-Fall-Of-The-418772.html.
