Analysis on Gothic Images of the Horror Atmosphere in The Fall of the House of Usher
Abstract
Gothic fiction is a literary genre that combines literary elements of horror and romance. Edgar Allan Poe's Gothic novels both inherit
and develop the traditional Gothic style of writing. This essay focuses on Edgar Allan Poe's inheritance and development of the Gothic novel
through a comprehensive analysis of Poe's classic Gothic work The Fall of the House of Usher, thus further confirming Edgar Allan Poe's
unique position in the history of American literature and his world-renowned reputation as a writer. The story takes place in a bleak and dark
castle, it describes the tragic fate of the twin siblings of a down and out aristocrat in isolation, as the last vestige, the brother Roderick is mentally deranged, and the sister Madeleine is suffering from a serious illness for a long time, and finally the two siblings die in the stormy night,
and the House of Usher collapses in the storm. The whole work is full of horror, grotesque and death, which is creepy. Most of the buildings
in the work are Gothic, such as decaying castles and mansions, church basements or family tombs filled with corpses, new cemeteries, etc.
Poe strives to create a thrilling, frightening and emotionally powerful effect and the gothic style of writing vividly illustrates his deep fear and
repression.
and develop the traditional Gothic style of writing. This essay focuses on Edgar Allan Poe's inheritance and development of the Gothic novel
through a comprehensive analysis of Poe's classic Gothic work The Fall of the House of Usher, thus further confirming Edgar Allan Poe's
unique position in the history of American literature and his world-renowned reputation as a writer. The story takes place in a bleak and dark
castle, it describes the tragic fate of the twin siblings of a down and out aristocrat in isolation, as the last vestige, the brother Roderick is mentally deranged, and the sister Madeleine is suffering from a serious illness for a long time, and finally the two siblings die in the stormy night,
and the House of Usher collapses in the storm. The whole work is full of horror, grotesque and death, which is creepy. Most of the buildings
in the work are Gothic, such as decaying castles and mansions, church basements or family tombs filled with corpses, new cemeteries, etc.
Poe strives to create a thrilling, frightening and emotionally powerful effect and the gothic style of writing vividly illustrates his deep fear and
repression.
Keywords
Gothic novels; Gothic image; Scary atomsphere
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PDFReferences
[1] Chion, M. The Voice in Cinema [M]. New York: Columbia University Press, 1999.
[2] Poe, Edgar Allan. The Works of Edgar Allan Poe: VI, Literary Criticism, E. C. Stedman and G. E. Woodberry [M]. New York: Scribner
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[3] Alfred, Kazin. An American Procession Massachusetts[M]. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1996.
[4] George, Perkins & Barbara, Perkins. The American Tradition in Literature[M]. Washington: McGraw Hill Publishing Company, 1999.
[5] Schafer. The Soundscape: Our Sonic Environment and the Turning of the World[M]. New York: Knopf, 1977.
[6] Whalen, Terence. Poe and the American Publishing Industry[M]. Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press. 2000.
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.70711/wef.v4i4.9914
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