A Critical Essay on Edgar Allan Poe’s The Fall of the House of Usher (1

The twenty first century author Alexandra Iftodi Zamfir (1986- ) argues that ‘architecture and settings are more important in Gothic fiction than in any other type of literature.’ (Zamfir. 2011: 15). The nature of architectural space performs a significant role within the narrative structure of Gothic fiction as it creates and builds layers of imagery that signify the horrific and gloomy; a construction full of atmosphere and suspense. It was the Gothic writer Horace Walpole (1717-1797) who first illustrated in his Gothic novel The Castle of Otranto (1764) an example symbolic to the nature and power of architectural space explored through the nature from his own â€Å"†¦house in Strawberry Hill which was the most complete neo-Gothic structure of the time. His mansion, as the author admits, stands at the base of†¦architectural design†¦shapes, decors, landscapes, were all under one form or another, elements of Gothic construction.† (Zamfir. 2011 : 18). This critical essay will explore and analyse the nature of Gothic architecture deployed as a vehicle of Gothic construction within the narrative structure of the American author Edgar Allan Poe’s (1809-1849) macabre and fictional prose The Fall of the House of Usher (1839). (Poe. 1987: 1). I shall present and argue how the artistic effects deployed in the narrative structure create an atmosphere of tension and suspense, through the exploration and investigation of Gothic architecture, demonstrating a close reading and analysis from key passages of the text applying psychoanalytical examples from the nineteenth century theorist Sigmund Freud (1856-1939). (Chiriac: 1998-2011). The Fall of the House of Usher was written by the American author and poet Edgar Allan Poe, it first feat... ...gn_of_Space_in_Gothic_Architecture. [Accessed 11th May 2012] Giordano, R. (2005-2011) Poestories.com: An Exploration of Short Stories by Edgar Allan Poe. [On-line] Available from: http://www.poestories.com/. [Accessed 24th September 2011] Gunn, A.G. (1997-2002) Cyclopaedia of Ghost Story Writers. [On-line] Available from: http://www.jb.man.ac.uk/~agg/ghosts/#poeea. [Accessed 24th September 2011] Hallqvist, C. (2001) The Poe Decoder. [On-line] Available from: http://www.poedecoder.com/. [Accessed 24th September 2011] Montagna, J.A. (2006) The Industrial Revolution. [On-line] Available from: http://www.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/1981/2/81.02.06.x.html. [Accessed 11th May 2012] Pridmore, J. (1998-2011) Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849). [On-line] Available from: http://www.literaryhistory.com/19thC/Poe.htm. [Accessed 24th September 2011]