Roderick Usher- a Gothicprotagonist?
Roderick Usher- a Gothic protagonist? By Charlene Harwood Gothic novels, it is said, were established by Horace Walpole's "The Castle of Otrantro" (1764) and have been continually written soon thereafter. From Bram Stoker's Dracula to Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and to modern day authors like Stephen King, gothic horror is a genre which everyone enjoys. Gothic novels all have certain conventions which make them easily identifiable; they usually focus around a male character that lives isolated from the rest of society and has a "split personality" between a villain and a victim. The American author Edgar Allan Poe wrote a gothic novel in 1839 called "The Fall of the House of Usher" and it was about strange events that are happening in The House of Usher. The main character, Roderick Usher, is a strange, eccentric and possibly mad man who summons a childhood friend to his house to try and cheer him up. During his stay, the friend is faced with the death of Lady Madeline Usher and Roderick Usher's increasing madness. I think that Roderick Usher does follow the conventions of the gothic novel. The story is told from the point of view of "the narrator" whose name is never revealed. This is used to make the reader focus more on Roderick Usher rather than the person who is telling the story. When the narrator first arrives at the House of Usher, he describes in quite excessive
Pre 1900 prose stories : Analysis of “The Black Cat” by Edgar Allen Poe and “The Monkey’s Paw” by W.W.Jacobs
Pre 1900 prose stories : Analysis of "The Black Cat" by Edgar Allen Poe and "The Monkey's Paw" by W.W.Jacobs In this assignment I am going to analyse "The Black Cat" written by Edger Allen Poe, and, "The Monkeys Paw" written by W.W. Jacobs. These two short stories are superb examples of Victorian short horror stories. I am going to compare the narratives with the horror genre from the Victorian period and from at the present time and take note on changes of attitudes in generations. My past experiences of horror films and stories are when I have being told them at sleepovers and around campfires. Also I have read them books and at the cinemas to watch a horror film. Both horror films and stories create an atmosphere of jeopardy, peril and fear that captures the tension intended. The director in films achieves this tension by using spine chilling music and setting it in cold, gloomy and eerie surroundings. Features that are common in horror stories are dilapidated, out of the way run down old houses, which have a reputation for being haunted, and subnormal things have being known to go on in between the walls. Also another feature in a horror stories is that the main character is always alone in the house. Some times at the beginning of horror stories and films you hear about a murderer on the loose or a ghost spotted near by, this adds to the tension and builds up to the
"The Raven" by Edgar A. Poe - oral commentary.
"the raven" by edgar a. poe oral commentary 30/4/04 Edgar allen poe is said to have implied that writing "the raven" was a methodical process, like solving a math problem, and that he wrote the end of it first and filled in the beginning afterwards. He also told one reporter that he had written "the raven" in a feverish passion over a couple of days... and someone else that it had laid on his desk for 10 years. What ever method he used (pause) the poem is regarded as a classic and loved by all age groups which leads me to introduce my guiding question which is: what effect does this poem have on different age groups? But I will answer that (pause) once I summarise the poem for you. Firstly, the poem is written in the first person from the perspective of an unnamed man, which could be referring to Poe himself or a make-believe character. The man is mourning his dead lover. Around the time the poem was published Poe's own wife Virginia was dying of tuberclusosis, which is further proof Poe, could be referring to himself. (sad tone) The narrator is sitting alone in a room (pause) reading many volumes of books in an effort to distract himself. His thoughts however, (pause) continue to roam back to his love Lenore, as he sits in a room she frequented and (watch) which is full of his memories of her. The main theme is one of romantic horror involving many references to the
Compare and contrast the main themes from Edgar Allan Poe’s ‘the tell-tale heart’ and Ray Bradbury’s ‘the fruit at the bottom of the bowl’.
Katie Clifford Compare and contrast the main themes from Edgar Allan Poe's 'the tell-tale heart' and Ray Bradbury's 'the fruit at the bottom of the bowl'. The two stories both contain crime, punishment and murder. The two stories both contain two men who become obsessed with either his own or someone else's body part. They seem very similar but they are actually quite the opposite... The writers both build up tension in there stories they make this clear by adding something about the item in nearly every line, which makes the reader clear of what is going on. Ray Bradbury tries to give us a clue in his title what the story is about, before you have read the story the title is not clear but after you have read the story it becomes clearer, the man in the story murders someone and gets obsessed with cleaning, as he wants to get rid of the evidence. The author uses the metaphor 'the fruit at the bottom of the bowl' to emphasise that the man is so obsessed with the evidence and what can be seen he has forgotten about the things that are deeper than the surface what the eye can't see, like the fruit that is at the bottom of the bowl. In this story we are not given a name, sex or given any kind of information about the character, which is rather strange. Edgar Allan Poe does the same kind of thing with his title 'the tell-tale heart' this as well is not clear to us until we have
The stories of mystery and suspense you have read present improbable events - How have the writers of these stories engaged and sustained your interest? Which of the two stories did you find more successful?
The stories of mystery and suspense you have read present improbable events. How have the writers of these stories engaged and sustained your interest? Which of the two stories did you find more successful? Refer closely to the text and offer quotation to support your ideas. The stories themselves are not scary to a modern audience but to the audience at the period that the stories were written the stories would have been horrific. Although a modern audience would still be scared of these concepts for example "fear of the unknown" or the "fear of a random logical murderer." I am to contrast these short stories "The tell tale heart" by Edgar Allen Poe and "The sea raiders" by HG Wells. Poe's "Tell tale heart" opens with the exclamation of a mad man, which adds to the mystery and suspense, as we don't know whether or not to believe the mad mans logic and also the protagonist uses repetition of language such as "will you say I am mad?" Attempting to convince the reader that he is not insane but actually he confirms that he is insane by exclaiming lines like the afore mentioned. This use of language puts doubt about the characters sanity into the readers mind. He also adds suspense to the story as he involves the reader and the reader becomes a voyeuristic accomplice. This adds to the suspense as the reader feels like a key element in the murder and they get a view into
How is tension created in 'The tell tale hearts' and 'The black cat'?
How is tension created in 'The tell tale hearts' and 'The black cat'? In this essay I am going to study the short stories 'the black cat' and 'the tell tale heart' written by famous writer Edgar Allen Poe and see how tension is created in the two tales. Both tales are written in a gothic horror genre and Poe's intention for this was to chill and unsettle the reader, to make them anticipate what was going to happen next, as if it was really happening. Poe succeeds in doing this by the content of the tales, partly being the supernatural and the tension he creates, which plays a major role in both. He creates this tension by using several different techniques including plot, characterisation and many stylistic devices. One way that Poe creates tension is the plot of the story and where is it set. 'The tell tale heart' is set in the middle of nowhere and late at night, when it is dark outside. This automatically makes the reader uneasy, as nighttime and darkness is symbolic of dark and bad deeds. Poe mentions more than once that it is set 'about midnight' and that it is dark, 'black as pitch', he keeps reminding the reader of this, as he knows it is symbolic and the reader will be wary of this. Criminals will often act upon this time, as they are more likely to get away with the crime, as they cannot be seen as easily. People are most wary of little things, sounds and sights
Read the “Tell tale heart” by Edger Allen Poe. How does Poe create horror and suspense? How does it compare to modern day horror stories.
The Tell Tale Heart Read the "Tell tale heart" by Edger Allen Poe. How does Poe create horror and suspense? How does it compare to modern day horror stories. In order to assess how the narrator, Edger Allen Poe creates horror and suspense I will look at, the use of language which is used, the narrator and how he uses direct address and how this horror story differs from a modern day equivalent. In the very first line Poe uses punctuation. 'True! - nervous - very, very dreadfully nervous' This creates a very slow start to the story and it and it makes one want to read on. Also the use of language and repetition in the first line creates a very high tense situation in the reader mind, before the reader knows of any characters it is already apparent that something mischievous is happening. Poe also uses direct address throughout his story with great effect. 'how calmly I can tell you the whole story' The use of direct address is a very powerful way of attracting the readers' attention and making them feel apart of the story. When I was reading the story the use of direct address gave me a very unsettling feeling. The narrator frequently says that he is not mad, he thinks that the very idea of him being mad is obscene and he laughs at the idea. 'Ha - would a madman have been so wise as this?' Here the narrator says that he is not but in the first paragraph he says.
The Gothic form of writing
The Gothic form of writing is generally held to have started in the Eighteenth century with the publication of "Castle of Otranto" by Horace Walpole. This form of writing developed over the next two centuries, utilising the realms of the supernatural and the fantastic, while creating an atmosphere of gloom and decay. Edgar Allan Poe was the founder of the modern detective story and one of the greatest exponents of the Gothic novel. His "Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque" published in 1840, included perhaps the epitome of the Gothic genre, "The Fall of the House of Usher". In order to assess whether the passage given is typical of the Gothic and detective novel, it is necessary to examine both "The Fall of the House of Usher" and "The Murder in the Rue Morgue". The Gothic novel exists both in a dark and unreal world and a world of normality, encouraging a co-existence between the natural and the unnatural. As the story of "The Fall of the House of Usher" unfolds, the mood and tone of the novel are enhanced by the bleak, isolated and ominous description of the house and its surroundings. This conveys to the reader the sensation that a mystery is about to take place, while also allowing one to become mindful of the pervasive feeling of trepidation and suspense. As the narrator draws nearer to the gloomy and forbidding home of the Ushers, he is unnerved by the house and its
Examine the overtones of Gothic horror in Edgar Allen Poe's tale The Fall of the House of Usher
Examine the overtones of Gothic horror in Edgar Allen Poe's tale The Fall of the House of Usher The Gothic genre is an English genre that was most popular in the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. It is characterised by an atmosphere of mystery and terror. In order for a novel or poem to be considered as gothic, it must include some of the vital ingredients of the gothic genre. These characteristics include- the use of the supernatural (ghosts/spirits etc), use of dark and vast imagery, the theme of revenge (notably, the dead seeking justice), and a sense of foreboding (giving a hint of what's to come later). "The Fall of the House of Usher", by Edgar Allen Poe, can be described as a Gothic novel in that it demonstrates many gothic characteristics, specifically in terms of setting and character. In gothic novels, the setting of a haunted house or castle is often used. It is usually an old, dark and decaying castle plagued by a curse. The motif of a haunted house is used prominently in the "The Fall of the House of Usher", and indeed the castle is the main setting of the story, and the centre of activity. From the start, we become aware of the dark and desolate nature of the house, as the unnamed narrator provides us with his first impressions. He informs us "I know not how it was: but, with the first glimpse of the building, a sense of insufferable gloom pervaded
Romanticism in "The Fall of the House of Usher"
Romanticism in "The Fall of the House of Usher" In Edgar Allan Poe's short story, The Fall of the House of Usher, Roderick Usher seems to have gone insane being kept in his house for what seems to be an eternity. Usher has obtained characteristics of the house and along with his friend, he is unsure of his state of mind. Poe mainly based this short gothic horror story on the beliefs of Romanticism. Romanticism is best displayed in the Fall of the House of Usher by nature/human connections, the characters' imagination, and the supernatural. The scenery at the beginning of the story is described as dark and mysterious. Poe describes the outside of the Usher House as tall, dark and how it has vacant eyelike windows and ghastly tree stems. As someone would enter the house they would notice the gothic like antique furniture including the dark draperies. When the reader is first introduced to Usher, he is described with features resembling the house, very distinctive and has a gloom over him. Since Usher has never left his house he has taken on the same personality and characteristics of it. After Usher and his sister both die falling, the house collapses also. The two of them are somehow deeply connected with the house. Not only does the house have an effect on Ushers appearance but also makes him go mad. Usher's sister, Madeline is sick and is eventually thought to be dead.