The Fall Of The House Of Usher
Written by Edgar A. Poe
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“The Fall Of The House Of Usher” is a Gothic horror, short story written by the American writer Edgar A. Poe first published in Burton’s Gentlemen’s Magazine then in Tales Of The Grotesque And Arabesque a year later. It remains one of the greatest examples of the Gothic Horror genre and continues to influence literature and storytelling today in film, TV, online series, theater and music.

The Fall Of The House Of Usher, Poe Museum webpage

The Fall Of The House Of Usher, Gutenberg Project webpage

Edgar A. Poe, Goodreads webpage

“The Fall Of The House Of Usher” tells the story of the unnamed narrator going to visit his friend from childhood named Roderick Usher. He visits his best friend Roderick after receiving a letter from him asking for his help. Upon arriving at Roderick’s estate the narrator notices it has fallen into disrepair. The state of the house essentially mirrors the state of the remaining members of the Usher family. Both Roderick and his sister Madeline are suffering some strange affliction that seems to have elements of the supernatural. The house is haunted and the Usher Family are cursed. But the nature and origin of the curse are not known. Furthermore, the role that the house plays in the curse of the siblings is also not clear. Did the family somehow offend some supernatural force? Were they playing with sinister magic or the occult? Or is it a generational curse passed down from generations previous? Also, is there anything Roderick is not telling his friend maybe out of shame? That seems to be the biggest question for me. After all, how many great stories have characters in need of serious help but solving the problem involves coming to the truth first? One thing is true that the Usher Family are a cursed bunch and that is all we really know for sure.

One fantastic element in this story is the gothic world it takes place in. The big mansion that is falling apart is full of family history, family secrets that just add to the mystique. The narrator is in many ways a detective (maybe even paranormal detective) trying to solve a mystery of a house and its family. He is in over his head and does his best to at least cheer up his friend. I don’t see how anyone else could have done better, unless you consider people like Professor Abraham Van Helsing from the “Dracula” novel or the American comic figure Dr. Strange: Master of The Mystic Arts. In storytelling the supernatural is often the line where the everyday person is in over their heads and this is no exception.

I see this story as a kind of ride through the world of a family cursed by the supernatural. The story develops, or more precisely unravels, as things get worse and stranger for everyone. I loved the way the author placed us, the reader, right next to the narrator as things unravel so that we are as clueless as he is. We really are on a kind of supernatural ride through a horror story. This works very well for stories that are investigations like this one.

Otherwise, read “Fall Of The House Of Usher” and enjoy it. It’s well worth the read.

John Ink2Quill

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