The aim of this essay is to give an explicit overview of the gothic elements in the short story “The Fall of the House of Usher”. The main point of interest concerns the haunted house which is a typical feature of gothic literature. At the beginning the readers is introduced to the story through a summary. This will be followed by a general explanation of the gothic genre and its typical features. Furthermore the outer appearance of the mansion and the thereby upcoming unpleasant feelings will be discussed. And finally there will be a paragraph about the inside of the house and the connections between the homeowner and the house.
1. “The Fall of the House of Usher” summary
When the unnamed narrator receives an important letter from his boyhood friend Roderick Usher, he decides to visit him immediately. The letter is concerning the narrator, because Usher spoke of acute bodily illness aswell as mental disorder. Filled with a feeling of uncomfortableness and utterly depression the narrator arrives at the creepy old house and finally reunites with the proprietor Roderick Usher, who has not left his human- like mansion in years. After a little while the narrator finds out, that Ushers sister …show more content…
While riding his horse towards the house, the narrator assesses that the features of the house must be very old, with almost no more color on the walls. Through all these details we can determine that the whole building is in a state of extreme dilapidation. This leads over to the next point which is concerned with the fact that it seems as if the house had a direct connection to Usher and his sister.
4. Interior of the house in connection with the