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What makes it creepy - the setting of The fall of the house of Usher.

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Introduction

What makes it creepy ----- the setting of The fall of the house of Usher Edgar Allan Poe, one of the most widely read and influential American writers, is especially well known for his short fictions. Usually with the theme of death-in-life, his short fictions are called spine-chillers or thrillers which make him a household name. His insistence on unity of effect in the short stories contributes a lot to the effects of terror and supernatural trapping. The fall of the house of Usher is widely acknowledged to be one of Poe's finest and most representative tales and also a successful example of his theory that in short stories, "unity of effect is everything". From the very beginning of the story to the end, a sort of melancholy, nervous, and frightening atmosphere or mood has been created by a series of desolate objects and some mysterious elements. The setting of The fall of the house of Usher integrates the plot into a whole and helps to push the plot forward to its climax and finally brings about its resolution. ...read more.

Middle

After that, the author put his fingers on the figures in this house, which implies that the whole family is to collapse soon as well. Usher family has a long history and is well known for its sensitivity. Roderick and his twin Madeline are the only surviving members of the family, and have continually lived in the shabby and decay house. Their spirits have been strongly influenced by the outside gloomy sights and inside decay features of the house, which brings about horrible effects. Roderick, the only one left of Usher family, shows a kind of symptom of death either physically or spiritually. "A cadaverousness of complexion", "hair of a more than weblike softness and tenuity" and "floated rather than fell about the face". That's not enough. Roderick is oversensitive to everything. He could wear only garments of "certain texture", and he feels all flowers were "oppressive". His sister's illness also heavily touches his fragile nerves and makes him even more unusual. ...read more.

Conclusion

I tell you that she now stands without the door". Exactly at that time, there did stand the "lofty and enshrouded figure of the lady Madeline of Usher" with the blood all over her white robes. As the narrator ran out of the house, he saw the full, setting, and blood-red moon and that the house of Usher collapsed in a long tumultuous shouting. What a stirring spetacle! On one hand, the author emphasizes the terror of the outside which strike the readers physically; on the other hand, he tracks the narrator's fear to impress the readers spiritually. They two combine together to have great power on leading the readers to experience it themselves. No author is more adept in manipulate the settings than Edgar Allan Poe. He not only provides the details of the settings, but also tells the reader just how to respond to them, which cannot do by direct and plain narration. This has already proved to contribute to the popularity of his fictions. ?? 20010301089 ??013? 1-3 ...read more.

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