77the fall of the house of usher

“TheFalloftheHouseofUsher”EdgarAllanPoe1839“TheFalloftheHouseofUsher”•Thegothiccontextofthetale•Thedoublingmotifofthetale•Thefunctionofsettinginthetale•ThestructuralunityofthetaleTheGothicliterarytradition•BegunineighteenthcenturyEngland•Novelists–HoraceWalpole–AnnRadcliffe–Matthew“Monk”Lewis•PopularforminBritishliteraryjournals•ImportedintoAmericanshortstory-19thcentury•KeyingredientwassensationalismGothicArchitectureinAmerica•StartedinUSabout1840•Steeplypitchedroofs•Pointedarchwindows•Elaboratetrimaroundroofedges•Highdormers•Lancetwindows•Poe’s“houseofUsher”looksmorelikeamedievalcastleorEnglishcathedralinGothicstyle•Thehousemightlooksomethinglikethis(fromaphotographbySimonMarsdeninhisVisionsofPoe)ElementsofGothicWriting•Emphasisonsetting–Exterior:landscape–Interior:houses•Castle-likearchitecture•Charactersarebrooding,secretive•Buriedfamilysecrets•LonghistoryoffamilytiedtoplaceTheDoublingMotif•Inliterarycriticism,thisiscalleda“doppelganger,”fromtheGermanfor“double-goer”•Examplesare:–Dr.JekyllandMr.Hyde(RobertLouisStevenson)–TheSecretSharer(JosephConrad)Whatfunctiondoesthedoppelgangermotifserve?•Representsthedualnatureofman–InPoe,onesideofmanisreason,orthemind–Theotherisemotion,orthebody•RoderickandMadeleinearegeneticallytwins,butpsychologicallytheyarealsodoubles.WhoRepresentsWhat?•Roderick–Anartistfigure(509)–Nervousagitation(509)–Livesindarkupstairsapartment(511)–Cadaverouscomplexion(511)–“wantofmoralenergy”(511)–“excessivenervousagitation”(511-12)•Roderick’smentalconditionisaffectedbyhisenvironment•“Hewasenchantedbycertainsuperstitiousimpressionsinregardtothedwellingwhichhetenanted...Aneffectwhichthephysiqueofthegraywallsandturrets,andofthedimtarnintowhichtheyalllookeddown,had,atlength,broughtaboutuponthemoraleofhisexistence.”(512)•Here,“physique”referstosomethingphysical•And“morale”referstosomethingmental•Roderickisallmindinaweakbody•Herepresentsinonewaythelifeoftheisolatedartist–Paintings–Reading–Guitarplaying•Madeleine–Illnesshasdebilitatedher–Alldescriptionsfocusonthebody–“gradualwastingawayoftheperson”(513)–Roderickandthenarratorscrewdownthelidofhercoffin(518)–Shereturnsfromthetombtoreclaimhertwinbrother,her“double”–“thehugeantiquepanels…threwback”(521)–She“fellheavilyinwardupon…herbrotherand…borehimtotheflooracorpse”WhatisPoe’spoint?•PoeaddressesthedualandconflictednatureoftheSelf•Mindandbodyareatwarwitheachotherineachofus•Wetrytorepressonesideandlivewithoutit•ButwecannotachieveaharmoniousexistenceinthiswayTheFunctionofSetting-Exterior•The“houseofUsher”hastwomeanings1.Thephysicaldwelling2.Thefamilyline,orlineage–“theentirefamilylayinthedirectlineofdescent”•Thehouseisalsoatypeofcharacterinthestory–Likethefamily,itisof“anexcessiveantiquity”(510)–Thelandscapeisovergrownandragged–Onthefrontdownthemiddleis“abarelyperceptiblefissure”goingin“azigzagdirection”(510)InteriorSetting•Gothicarchitecture(511)–“windowswerelong,narrowandpointed”–“feeblegleamsofencrimsonedlight”–“darkdraperies”–“atmosphereofsorrow”•Rodericklivesupstairs(mind)•Madeleineisentombedbelowground(body)StructureandUnity•Poecreatestextswithintexts1.“TheHauntedPalace”(poem)reflectstheUsherfamilylifeinthehouse(515)2.“TheMadTrist”(story)parallelsMadeleine’sreturnfromthegrave3.Thestormoutsideisanalogoustotheturmoilinsidethecharactersinthehouse4.ThebooktitlesinRoderick’slibraryaresymbolicofthethemesofthestoryRoderick’sLibrary•“theChiromancyofRobertFlud,ofJeanD’Indagine”•“theDirectoriumInquisitorum”•“oldAfricanSatyrs,overwhichUsherwouldsitdreamingforhours”(516-17)Poe’sTheoryofLiteraryUnity•Poeearnedhislivingasa“magazinist,”notafictionwriter.•Hewasaneditorandreviewerformanymajormagazines.•Poewroteagreatdealofliterarycriticism,literarytheory,andbookreviews.•HistheoryofliteraryunitywasarticulatedinareviewofHawthorne’scollectionofstories,Twice-ToldTalesin1842•Anauthorshould“conceive,withdeliberatecare,acertainuniqueorsingleeffecttobewroughtout,[and]theninventsuch…eventsasmaybestaidhiminestablishingthispreconceivedeffect.•Inthewholecompositionthereshouldbenowordwritten,ofwhichthetendency,directorindirect,isnottotheonepre-establisheddesign.Unityin“FalloftheHouseofUsher”•Firstandlastparagraphsaremirrorimagesofeachother,creatingsymmetry•Thetexts-within-textreinforcethecentraltheme•Thehouseitselfsymbolizesthesplitinthefamily•Theconstructionofthehousereflectsa“perfectadaptationofparts”(510)