12/18/2023 0 Comments The fall of the house of usher pdfIf you had to evoke feelings of terror simply by describing a natural setting, how would you go about it? In only two sentences, try to describe a landscape in ways that would inspire feelings of fear and anxiety. Because of the heavy use of symbolism, and other literary devices, this piece also works well as part of a lesson on the conventions of writing.ĭetermine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details provide an objective summary of the text.Īnalyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme.ĭetermine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language evokes a sense of time and place how it sets a formal or informal tone).ĭemonstrate knowledge of eighteenth-, nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century foundational works of American literature, including how two or more texts from the same period treat similar themes or topics. This piece is perfect as part of an introductory lesson on Edgar Allan Poe, American Romanticism, and portrayals of mental illness in literature. Throughout this process of decay, the fate of the house of Usher-the ancestral home itself-becomes inextricably tied up with its living inhabitants. Through Roderick’s mental and moral disintegration, Poe explores the relationship between mind and body. ![]() Roderick’s delicate constitution and sensibility of temperament, traits usually lauded by Romantics, in this case, are responsible for his physical and mental deterioration. Roderick Usher provides Poe with another vehicle to explore the dark side of Romanticism. Upon entering the house of Usher, Poe introduces the character of Roderick Usher. In other words, the only recognizable emotions that Poe inspires are terror and fear. While normal Romantic writers generally view scenes of nature as emblems of the interconnectedness of all things-that inspire feelings of elation-Poe’s view of nature shares some elements of the sublime, but with all the positive connotations curiously absent. Like Poe’s protagonist, the reader soon finds him/herself being snuck up on by feelings of diffuse agitation. As his protagonist ponders the Usher estate, he is overwhelmed by feelings of intense anxiety that he is unable to account for. Poe, in particular, was interested in these themes, but was also interested in the psychology of the macabre.įrom the very outset of “The Fall of The House of Usher,” Poe cultivates an atmosphere of dread that is infectious. The works of Edgar Allan Poe, however, like the works of Herman Melville and Nathaniel Hawthorne, are often grouped into a subset of Romanticism known as “Dark Romanticism.” In contrast to the Romantics, who believed in the transformative power of the imagination and espoused a general sense of optimism, the dark Romantics emphasized human fallibility, and man’s expansive capacity for sin. While heroes of the enlightenment valued reason, logic, and empiricism, the Romantics valued the irrational, intuition, and the poetic imagination. Romanticism, in many ways, was a response to-and rejection of-the Enlightenment thought that dominated the previous century. Poe’s writing generally falls under the category of “Romanticism,” a cultural movement that blossomed in the beginning of the 19th century. ![]() Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Fall of The House of Usher” is widely regarded as one of Poe’s finest works of prose.
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