The Fall of the House of Usher概括

对短篇小说的总结和分析

Introduction about the author

Allan Poe is an exceptional nineteenth century American poet, novelist and literature critic.

Poe was born on Boston, Massachusetts on 1809, one of three children born to a couple who toured the East as actors

Before he was three years old, his father had abandoned the family, and his mother had died of tuberculosis.

He was orphaned at an early age and was sent to live with a foster family (the Allan) in Richmond. And was eventually disowned by the family.

With the Allan’s he briefly lived in England , and continued his education in the United States The period in Poe’s life was full of high’s and lows.

In 1826, he started at the University of Virginia, where his reckless habits led to heavy debt, focing him to leave school.

In 1827, He moved to Boston, where he published his first book, Tamerlane and other Poems.

In 1828, He was flat broke and enlisted into the army. John Allan got him an appointment at West Point, but he found the school confining and made sure he was expelled.

Poem the Raven (1845) Annabel Lee To Helen

His works

Short stories Murder in the Rue Morgue, the Gold Bug, The Masque of the Red Death,

The Man of the Crowd

Berenice, Ligeia, The Fall of the Usher

The Black cat, the Tell-Tale Heart

He is regarded as the founder of psychology novels, detective novels and science fiction, the pioneer of aestheticism and one of the initiators of literature critics. So he has become an immotal figure in the history if literature. and he earns his status as the “Father of American Gothic”. He create a variety of forms of symbolist terror with new structure and new forms of narrative tone. So the dark and mysterious style of writing and fancination for blood and death were clearly exhibited in his gothic novels. He is good at depicting people’s inner thoughts, and highlights the theme of moral exploration and humanity controversy. He describes the struggle of good and evil in everybody’ s soul and fear of punishment and death.

.Although Poe’s the first-person point of view is not completely equal to the subjectivity of the narrative on British gothic novels, he used the first-person narrative view to give the reader a true feelings and guide readers through the text of the "I" with extremely subjective language, which belong to a kind of subjective strong narrative method. Poe uses this technique in his novels to show his Gothic writing incisively and vividly, and also show evil incarnate and dark gothic style. Narrator, a friend of the maste of the House of the Usher

Roderick Ushere, the master of the house. He suffers from a depressing malaise characterized by strange brhavior

Madeline Usher, twin sister of Roderick. She also suffers from a strange illness. After apparently dying, she rises from her coffin.

Servant, domestic in the Usher household

对短篇小说的总结和分析

Valet, domestic in the Usher household

Physician, one of several doctor who treat Madeline Usher.

Plot summary

Narrator arrives at the House of Usher. He entered the mansion and talk with Usher. Over the next few days, he does his best to cheer up Usher. They paint and read books. One evening, Usher told him Madeline has died. They put the corpse into the coffin, which was placed in vault.. In the following days, Usher took on an even paler hue. Narrator is unable to sleep because of nervousness. One night, Madeline rises from her coffin, Usher was scared to death. The narrator flees the falling mansion.

Symbolism

The Fungus-Ridden Mansion: Decline of the Usher family

The Collapsing Mansion: Fall of the Usher family

The Tarn, a small lake encircling the mansion and Reflecting its image,(1)Madeline as the twin of Roderick, reflecting his image and personality.(2)the image of reality which Roderick and the narrator perceive; they both see a false reality.(3)the desire of the Usher to isolate themselves from the outside world.

The “Vacant eye-like” Windows of the Mansion:(1) Hollow, cadaverous eyes of Roderick Usher;(2)Madeline Usher’s cataleptic gaze;(3)the vacuity of life in the Usher mansion

The bridge over the Tarn：The narrator as Roderick Usher’s only link to the outside world. The name Usher: An usher is a doorkeeper. In this sense, Roderick Usher opens the door to a frightening world for the narrator.

The storm: The turbulent emotions experienced by the characters.