Edgar Allan Poe was a great American Gothic writer of the 1800s. There is virtually no mention of early American literature that does not praise for his work. Of his literature, The Fall of the House of Usher has a certain air of chilling tones and intense storytelling. Walter Evans breaks down this popular story and shares Poe's motivation and theory behind this dark tale. In this, he states the main themes and parts of the story and compares the fundamental principles to the elements of Poe's theory and statements. He compares Poe's work to Hawthorne's and shows how the two share similarities in their writings but are also very unique. It gives a good overview of Poe's writings and how he is able to create dark, detailed images within the pages and bring them to life. He skims over some events that might be considered more major to leave more room for the careful detail he places in the text describing the surroundings.Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay Throughout the pages of The Fall of the House of Usher, Poe almost loses himself in his descriptive writing. The events that occur take a back seat as the writing goes into great detail about describing a room or location. Evans states that "the incidents Poe uses seem almost lost in the descriptive passages. For example, he barely mentions an event that, in a story based on incidents and arrangements, would logically deserve much more attention: Madeline's supposed death before her burial. The entire episode receives only thirteen words ("one evening abruptly informing me that Lady Madeline was no more", 287), far, far fewer than the narrator's description of Roderick's room, of the underground vault or the house and its reflection in the tarn. »(139). In The Fall of the House of Usher, the incidents are not as descriptive as they could be and are skimmed over throughout the narrative. It's almost as if Poe is trying to downplay the events, even though they could have a bigger place and unfold just as well. Experts have described Poe's strengths in his writing as atmosphere or mood, because it leaves a lasting impression. He is known for his strong images and also has a certain style in writing. In the text there is such description and imagery that it almost overwhelms the actions. The general flow and lyrical style of the story have no relation to the plot, but add strongly to Poe's style. “Poe obviously composed the body of the story from elements central to the lyrical method but largely unrelated to the plotted narrative progression; he clearly subordinated the combined incidents to structured images. (140). Logically, events such as the death of an important character would require detailed development and time dedicated to the narrative. However, they are described briefly, in a quick sentence. From the first sentence, Poe heightens the reader's sensitivity to the story by captivating the audience with frightening and suspenseful passages. It opens with a quote that presents a "vivid picture of the lyrical protagonist" (143) and offers just the right amount of suspenseful anticipation for the right kind of readers. He then introduces the symbolic metaphor of the House of Usher using grotesque details. "A presentation of the house and the surrounding landscape in terms which could have been interpreted as a portrait of Usher himself, or even of Poe, whose own, ofless in the popular imagination, is dominated by "dark" cheeks, huge eyes, a "row" and slightly bushy moustache, the painstakingly crafted image is then duplicated and inverted...quite significant in terms of form and content of history” (143). Poe's principles in the story are different from what he later states in his theory. He focuses so much on the details of obscure events and environments throughout the text that the reader may lose sight of what the message should be. In The Fall of the House of Usher, the narrator is an interesting piece to dissect. The anonymous, limited, and precise narrator takes readers deeper into the history of the house itself rather than focusing on the individual telling the story. He is just a person trying to convey a story as accurately as possible and focus all his attention on the events and descriptions of the story rather than on his thoughts, feelings, and well-being. He is vague about himself; he remains anonymous. He constantly repeats that the situation and events are too difficult to put into words and that the house itself is simply strange. The beginning reveals nothing about the narrator. It simply indicates that he was going on a trip and managed to come across Usher's melancholy house. It opens with a sad picture painted of a dark and boring day where an anonymous person on horseback encounters this house. The painted scene does not focus on the narrator or his travels at all, they are only stated neutrally. The images are from the description of the house and the type of day. This sets the tone for the whole story. A dark spell is cast over the reader by the narrator's apprehension and feelings for the house: "from the first glimpse of the building, a feeling of unbearable sadness invaded my mind. I say unbearable; for this feeling was not relieved by any of those half-pleasant, because poetic, feelings with which the mind habitually receives even the severest natural images of what is desolate or terrible” (702). Some of the most common words of description used by the narrator are dark, gloomy, and dull. These are used from the beginning until the very end and keep the story in the same depressing and dark mood. The narrator and Poe himself were not so focused on the events that took place in the story. Many of the events that happened were glimpsed and barely mentioned, even though they might have had some importance. Instead, a lot of time and energy was spent describing the house itself, the rooms, and the general mood and feelings received. The events could have happened in an instant rather than being developed since the narrator was chosen to speak of the general sadness. He mentions several times that the events that occurred were so dark that his words could not describe them. He hides from the grotesque details of the events and instead focuses on the darkness of the rooms and the cold feeling of sadness. He shudders at the thought of restating certain events and refuses to share them, seeing them as something too horrible to reveal, "...an influence whose supposed force has been expressed here in terms too obscure to be restated (705). failing in any attempt to give any idea of ​​the exact character of the studies or occupations in which he involved me (706). I would try in vain to extract more than a small part which should be within the limits of a simple written word (706). I lack words to express the full extent, or sincere abandon, of his persuasion (709). »Poe stating that the story is even more.. 2014.