Although Edgar Allan Poe’s short story, The Fall of the House of Usher was written in 1839, the theme can be compared to Kate Chopin’s The Story of an Hour, written almost five decades later. The former is regarded as an early and paramount example of the Gothic horror story while the latter purely belongs to Realism. Both literary movements emerged during a time of US expansion and swift social changes such as the improvements in transportation, urbanization, the rise of manufacturing and the scientific revolution during the first half of the century. Regarding the second half, the nation experienced the Reconstruction as well as a wave of inventions, migration and industrialisation. In accordance with these changes, the legal position of
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She is a key element in the story because of how she moves the plot forward. She is the cause of her twin brother Roderick’s madness. Nevertheless, Madeline is portrayed as a sick and evil woman whose presence is only confined to a house and who is the victim of her brother’s oppressive actions. The description of how she was buried, "half smothered in its oppressive atmosphere”, reflects how women were smothered in Victorian society. In similarity with Madeline, Mrs. Mallard suffers from a disease- “heart trouble”, in this case- and her presence is restricted to the four walls of a house. In The Story of an Hour, the protagonist is a female and she is the first one to be mentioned, while the male characters come afterwards. Nonetheless, the action is lead by the news she receives about her husband’s death and not hers. Therefore and again, this shows how patriarchy rules society, included Mrs. Mallard’s house. In terms of the literary works of the period, American writers were extremely influenced by European arts and by the 19th century Gothic elements were used by Melville, Hawthorne, Irving but most importantly Poe. American Gothic writers reflect in their works their preoccupation with the individual and the interest in mental processes. With the exception of The Fall of the House of Usher, American Gothic writers reflect the society’s anxieties of that time, produced after the Second …show more content…
On the one hand, Lady Madeline embodies Gothic horror conventions considering that she is portrayed as a sick, ghostly and paranormal creature whose presence is rarely seen, but felt. Poe offers no physical description of her but at some point she is described as having “the mockery of a faint blush upon the bosom and the face, and that suspiciously lingering smile upon the lip which is so terrible in death”, which stimulates a sense of mystery and terror. On the other hand, Louise Mallard exemplifies several Realist features: an indoors middle-class woman who is emotionally trapped in an ambiguous relationship. Furthermore, Chopin’s aim is to have the reader focused on the protagonist’s mental processes. The absence of dialogue helps the author promote the importance of perception; consequently, the reader can only understand Louise’s thoughts and desires through the narrator. She represents a 19th century woman with no agency, no freedom, and a deeply pessimistic view towards her marriage and her life. When she discovers her husband supposedly died, Mrs. Mallard has a completely new perception to life. Connected to Realism, the story exhibits a great amount of irony when, at the end, Mr. Mallard is alive and she is so shocked that she dies “out of joy”. With respect to natural elements, The Fall of the House of Usher exemplifies Dark Romanticism features in
She is a key element in the story because of how she moves the plot forward. She is the cause of her twin brother Roderick’s madness. Nevertheless, Madeline is portrayed as a sick and evil woman whose presence is only confined to a house and who is the victim of her brother’s oppressive actions. The description of how she was buried, "half smothered in its oppressive atmosphere”, reflects how women were smothered in Victorian society. In similarity with Madeline, Mrs. Mallard suffers from a disease- “heart trouble”, in this case- and her presence is restricted to the four walls of a house. In The Story of an Hour, the protagonist is a female and she is the first one to be mentioned, while the male characters come afterwards. Nonetheless, the action is lead by the news she receives about her husband’s death and not hers. Therefore and again, this shows how patriarchy rules society, included Mrs. Mallard’s house. In terms of the literary works of the period, American writers were extremely influenced by European arts and by the 19th century Gothic elements were used by Melville, Hawthorne, Irving but most importantly Poe. American Gothic writers reflect in their works their preoccupation with the individual and the interest in mental processes. With the exception of The Fall of the House of Usher, American Gothic writers reflect the society’s anxieties of that time, produced after the Second …show more content…
On the one hand, Lady Madeline embodies Gothic horror conventions considering that she is portrayed as a sick, ghostly and paranormal creature whose presence is rarely seen, but felt. Poe offers no physical description of her but at some point she is described as having “the mockery of a faint blush upon the bosom and the face, and that suspiciously lingering smile upon the lip which is so terrible in death”, which stimulates a sense of mystery and terror. On the other hand, Louise Mallard exemplifies several Realist features: an indoors middle-class woman who is emotionally trapped in an ambiguous relationship. Furthermore, Chopin’s aim is to have the reader focused on the protagonist’s mental processes. The absence of dialogue helps the author promote the importance of perception; consequently, the reader can only understand Louise’s thoughts and desires through the narrator. She represents a 19th century woman with no agency, no freedom, and a deeply pessimistic view towards her marriage and her life. When she discovers her husband supposedly died, Mrs. Mallard has a completely new perception to life. Connected to Realism, the story exhibits a great amount of irony when, at the end, Mr. Mallard is alive and she is so shocked that she dies “out of joy”. With respect to natural elements, The Fall of the House of Usher exemplifies Dark Romanticism features in