Similarities Between Washington Irving And The Fall Of The House Of Usher

Washington Irving and Edgar Allan Poe were both writers who embodied the writing style of the Romantic era. In comparison, each of the writing styles of Washington Irving and Edgar Allan Poe are very similar, in regard to their extensive use of descriptive passages. But they are vastly different due to the settings they use to develop their stories. “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”, written by Washington Irving and “The Fall of the House of Usher”, written by Edgar Allan Poe, are both tales in which setting plays a powerful role. The setting helps create the central mood and tone, adds to the conflict and forms the symbolism in each short story. In “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”, the setting is described as having “a drowsy, dreamy influence” where “some say that the place was bewitched by a high German doctor, during the early days of the settlement; others, that an old Indian chief, the prophet or …show more content…
For instance, it is expressed that “the prevalence of supernatural stories in these parts, was doubtless owing to the vicinity of Sleepy Hollow” and that “there was a contagion in the very air that blew from that haunted region” which brought forth an “atmosphere of dreams and fancies infecting all the land…” (page number). This conveys its symbolism to the reader by describing the effect that the atmosphere of the town has on its inhabitants, both new and old. Another example of this would be the line that expresses that “the chief part of the stories, however, turned upon the favorite spectre of Sleepy Hollow, the Headless Horseman” (page number). This further conveys its symbolism to the reader by expressing that the inhabitants of Sleepy Hollow are secluded enough that their interests in supernatural concepts and mythical philosophies are not affected by newcomers and still hold prominence over their conscious