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The Fall of the House of Usher and Other Writings
Set in the dark and gloomy atmosphere of the Usher House, this is the story of the last survivors of a prestigious family. The writer delves into the personality of the protagonist to comment on the deterioration faced by him. This is a probe into the individual's life through which a psychological depth is imparted to the narration.
ebook, 0 pages
Published
January 1st 2006
by ReadHowYouWant
(first published October 1st 1839)
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I wrote this review a while ago. What was I thinking? Now I'll have to explain myself. Anyway, here it is...
I go through phases where I think Poe was the greatest writer that ever lived. They usually pass in 2-3 weeks or so, once I've had time to read and re-read his best stuff and be appalled by his worst. For the most part, this collection sticks to the best. There's not much of it. 200 pages would probably do it. Maybe 12 stories, some poems ('The Raven', 'Annabel Lee'). But page for page I d...more
"From childhood's hour I have not been
As others were — I have not seen
As others saw — I could not bring
My passions from a common spring ... "
—Edgar Allan Poe, "Alone"
I wonder what percentage of those who cheer for the Baltimore Ravens football team realize that they are supporting the only major North American sports franchise whose name is derived from a a great work of literature. I'm guessing it would be pretty low.
Reading this book, which I did some time ago, gave me a lasting appreciation f...more
As others were — I have not seen
As others saw — I could not bring
My passions from a common spring ... "
—Edgar Allan Poe, "Alone"
I wonder what percentage of those who cheer for the Baltimore Ravens football team realize that they are supporting the only major North American sports franchise whose name is derived from a a great work of literature. I'm guessing it would be pretty low.
Reading this book, which I did some time ago, gave me a lasting appreciation f...more
Reading this whole book really expanded my conception of Poe. First of all, the introduction was interesting in that it downplayed the things you usually hear about Poe (married his young cousin, was an alcoholic, etc).
As for the guts of the book went, I have to say I suffered through most of the poetry, but the tales were great. Who knew that Poe basically invented the detective story? His are great! And the "Gold Bug" is such a fun story. (I remember reading it as a kid, though I didn't remem...more
As for the guts of the book went, I have to say I suffered through most of the poetry, but the tales were great. Who knew that Poe basically invented the detective story? His are great! And the "Gold Bug" is such a fun story. (I remember reading it as a kid, though I didn't remem...more
I only really read this for the tales, the short stories. I wrote a few lines about each tale: ...
Ms. Found in a Bottle : A great story about a man caught in a shipwreck. Fantastic imagery of a man beyond his limits.
Ligea: The narrator tells of his love for a woman called Ligea and his devastation over her death. He gets married again and the new wife also dies but is then re-born as Ligea. Bit of a WTF moment and nobody is really sure what Poe was trying to do with this story. The heartbreak i...more
Ms. Found in a Bottle : A great story about a man caught in a shipwreck. Fantastic imagery of a man beyond his limits.
Ligea: The narrator tells of his love for a woman called Ligea and his devastation over her death. He gets married again and the new wife also dies but is then re-born as Ligea. Bit of a WTF moment and nobody is really sure what Poe was trying to do with this story. The heartbreak i...more
Poe je pro mě jedním velkým nepříjemným překvapením.
Nečekal jsem avizované horory (dá se u čtení bát? To člověk asi musí mít hodně divokou fantazii, nemusí?), víme jak to před sto léty chodilo, ale to, čeho se mi dostalo...
"Když� jsem se jednou vnoci vracel značně opilý zjedné zmých
oblíbených putyk kdesi ve městě, vzal jsem si do hlavy, �že se mi kocour
schválně vyhýbá. Popadl jsem ho aon ze strachu, ž�e mu ublí�žím, se
mi lehce zahryzl do ruky. Okam�žitě mne posedl ďábelský vztek. Vtu
chvíli jsem...more
Nečekal jsem avizované horory (dá se u čtení bát? To člověk asi musí mít hodně divokou fantazii, nemusí?), víme jak to před sto léty chodilo, ale to, čeho se mi dostalo...
"Když� jsem se jednou vnoci vracel značně opilý zjedné zmých
oblíbených putyk kdesi ve městě, vzal jsem si do hlavy, �že se mi kocour
schválně vyhýbá. Popadl jsem ho aon ze strachu, ž�e mu ublí�žím, se
mi lehce zahryzl do ruky. Okam�žitě mne posedl ďábelský vztek. Vtu
chvíli jsem...more
Un grande, superbo scandagliatore dell'animo umano e dei recessi più sordidi della mente. Racconti legati tra loro da fili conduttori "cari" (amaramente cari) alla vita e all'anima stessa di Poe - come l'ossessione di essere sepolto vivo, la Bellezza della donna inevitabilmente destinata a sfiorire vittima della malattia, l'istinto puro e atavico del male, del sadismo gongolante, della vendetta fine a se stessa - e sicuramente permeati di una visione allucinata e onirica, che non si può far a me...more
The Balloon-Hoax - Wow. That was really boring.
Ms. Found in a Bottle - Good suspense, but the ending confused me.
A Descent into the Maelstrom - Not too memorable.
The Murders in the Rue Morgue - A rather silly Holmes-esque mystery tale.
The Purloined Letter - Not bad, but far too wordy.
The Black Cat - Deliciously disturbing.
The Fall of the House of Usher - Not as interesting as his others, but good atmosphere.
The Pit and the Pendulum - A delightful tale of suspense.
The Masque of the Red Death - Me...more
Ms. Found in a Bottle - Good suspense, but the ending confused me.
A Descent into the Maelstrom - Not too memorable.
The Murders in the Rue Morgue - A rather silly Holmes-esque mystery tale.
The Purloined Letter - Not bad, but far too wordy.
The Black Cat - Deliciously disturbing.
The Fall of the House of Usher - Not as interesting as his others, but good atmosphere.
The Pit and the Pendulum - A delightful tale of suspense.
The Masque of the Red Death - Me...more
I decided Poe would be a good book on my shelf to read during the week of Halloween.
This wasn't bad. I put it in kind of three sections, myself. The first three stories seem to be in the vein of "Characters encounter some odd kind of natural disaster and then tell someone else about it - usually in a not-quite traditional way," then we move into odd/strange, more typical (or at least what I typically thought of) when it comes to Poe. This section contains some of the classic stories, a few of wh...more
This wasn't bad. I put it in kind of three sections, myself. The first three stories seem to be in the vein of "Characters encounter some odd kind of natural disaster and then tell someone else about it - usually in a not-quite traditional way," then we move into odd/strange, more typical (or at least what I typically thought of) when it comes to Poe. This section contains some of the classic stories, a few of wh...more
Poe was most deffinitly a master of the english language. Even his stories are written as though meant to be poetry. What I love most about The Fall of the House of Usher is the imagery. Poe takes so much time to describe the extrerior and the interior of the house, not just how it looks but how it feels. And how he describes Usher himself, how he is slowly decaying and wilting into mostly a madman. I read this story in middle school at some point, but reading it again now that I'm older is a lo...more
Penguin active reading, lebel 3
Time 11/2: 15min 11/5: 30min 11/6: 20min 11/7: 30min
7-word summary
5stories-fear - blood- madness- friend- kill- unhappy
Q1. Do you beleive that there are departed spirits?
A1. Yes, I do. In first story, the main character can see a departed spirit. I haven't seen them before, but I think they exsist.
Q2. Have you ever been betrayed by your friends?
A1. I don't remember the memory. Maybe there were small betrayals, but it was not important for me. I don't want to be bet...more
Time 11/2: 15min 11/5: 30min 11/6: 20min 11/7: 30min
7-word summary
5stories-fear - blood- madness- friend- kill- unhappy
Q1. Do you beleive that there are departed spirits?
A1. Yes, I do. In first story, the main character can see a departed spirit. I haven't seen them before, but I think they exsist.
Q2. Have you ever been betrayed by your friends?
A1. I don't remember the memory. Maybe there were small betrayals, but it was not important for me. I don't want to be bet...more
First I shall have to admit that although I read all the poems and the prose, I did not however read all of the essays as I fancied some lighter reading. I will however, go back to them at some point though not in the immediate future.
The first thing I noticed while reading was that his style of writing just led my eyes to glide over the words. Unfortunately if I wasn’t concentrating fully on what I was reading then I had no idea what happened and I had to read at least a couple of the stories...more
The first thing I noticed while reading was that his style of writing just led my eyes to glide over the words. Unfortunately if I wasn’t concentrating fully on what I was reading then I had no idea what happened and I had to read at least a couple of the stories...more
This book is a collection of Poe’s short stories and his only full length novel. I have read Poe’s poetry before but this was my first time with his stories. Most of the titles are recognizable from pop culture or movies made about them. The groundbreaking first detective stories were in this collection as well. Reading these spooky old stories reminded me what horror can be. The stories leave out the gory descriptions and keep the reader guessing. The story was actually the focus rather than th...more
What can you say about Poe? A few words come to mind-haunted-likes to hide bodies, body parts-well anything really in walls, floor boards or crypts sometimes they are dead and sometimes they are not-or is it just a figment of a demented imagination?? I guess we will never know. I'm sure you can look up a literary critic to get all the fancy schmancy reflections on this work and then there's me...It's a good, quick read of a longstanding classic. I see a repetitive nature in Poe's work but no one...more
This is my favorite of all Poe's stories. (Which considering my love for him, was not an easy choice to make.) I have read it several times over, numerous times out-loud and in scary voices to entertain my little brother :). It's incredible how Poe can write in this helter skelter fashion so that you really don't know exactly what's going on-- and then in one final paragraph, or even the final sentence, he brings it all together and has you so thoroughly creeped out and simultaneously blown your...more
Hearing your name given to literary characters is a weird experience. I guess I should be thankful I don't have a more common name, like Sarah or Kate or whatever. Sharing a name with a fictional character doesn't happen to me often - the last one I can remember is The Departed, where the single female character was named Madeline but it didn't really matter because she got called by name a whopping one time - but when it does it's weird.
Especially when you're reading this story by Poe, and the...more
Especially when you're reading this story by Poe, and the...more
My overall impression was that Poe is a rambler. In most of the stories, he spends a lot of (in my opinion, necessary,) time setting the scene before launching into the story.
The stories in which Poe ‘got on with it’ and didn’t waste pages detailing useless descriptions, i found the most enjoyable—unsurprisingly. It was when i read ‘William Wilson’ (the fifth story in the book) that i was suddenly hooked. Suddenly i didn’t feel like i was forcing myself to keep reading. Suddenly the pages were f...more
The stories in which Poe ‘got on with it’ and didn’t waste pages detailing useless descriptions, i found the most enjoyable—unsurprisingly. It was when i read ‘William Wilson’ (the fifth story in the book) that i was suddenly hooked. Suddenly i didn’t feel like i was forcing myself to keep reading. Suddenly the pages were f...more
Well, that was a long, hard slog through a broad range of fiction, but it's finally over. And with it, I'm proud to say, I've completed my stack of classic fiction from the Great Writers Library! Thenk yew, thenk yew.
This book is probably the first time I've read Poe since high school (aside from occasionally running into The Raven). I saved it until last in this stack of books I've been reading, because I expected to really enjoy it. I was disappointed. Poe's painfully purple style and last-thr...more
This book is probably the first time I've read Poe since high school (aside from occasionally running into The Raven). I saved it until last in this stack of books I've been reading, because I expected to really enjoy it. I was disappointed. Poe's painfully purple style and last-thr...more
Aug 03, 2009
Emanuela
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
compulsory-readings,
to-read-again
I had an old selection of Poe's masterpieces, but this present edition is a wider collection of his works. I have already read almost everything presented in this volume, both during high school, university and even later on in my life.
I adore Poe because he is one of the few writers who is really able to scare the hell out of me in just three or four words.
The Tell-Tale Heart and were the first two stories of Poe's I've read (I was about 12 back then)and the memory of the fright and goosebumps...more
I adore Poe because he is one of the few writers who is really able to scare the hell out of me in just three or four words.
The Tell-Tale Heart and were the first two stories of Poe's I've read (I was about 12 back then)and the memory of the fright and goosebumps...more
Jan 06, 2011
jzhunagev
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to jzhunagev by:
the "Voice"
Inspired Madness
A Book Review of Edgar Allan Poe’s The Fall of the House of Usher and Other Tales
There’s no denying that much of modern horror fiction — as we know it anyway — grew out of the gloomy, chaotic depth of the 19th century when a few demented souls were churning out tales of things that go bump in the night. These were writers who were dubbed freaks during their time and, as if the patina of age hasn’t wore off, are still considered as such today. They broke taboos, infringed establis...more
I read most of these stories in anthologies in middle school, but revisiting them, I found myself trapped in Poe's imaginative grip. "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" "The Pit and the Pendulum" "The Masque of the Red Death" "The Tell-Tale Heart" "The Fall of the House of Usher" Don't the titles themselves plunge you into terrible remembrance?
From "The Black Cat": "Who has not, a hundred times, found himself committing a vile or stupid action, for no other reason than because he knows he should not...more
From "The Black Cat": "Who has not, a hundred times, found himself committing a vile or stupid action, for no other reason than because he knows he should not...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
In The Fall of the House of Usher, we know that the narrator receives a letter from an intimate childhood friend, Roderick Usher. Roderick writes that he is emotionally and physically ill ushering the narrator to visit. During his travel the narrator informs us of the singular incestuous nature of the Usher family. Only one member has survived from generation to generation. Once inside the narrator discovers Roderick has a sister and when they temporarily bury her he sees that she is his twin! T...more
For the longest time, I stayed away from Poe. Maybe because he always seemed as though he would have fit in with an Iggy Pop-like band if there had been such a thing in the 19th century. Having grown a bit wiser as the years have passed, Poe now seems like one of the family. These are TALES, as tales should be told. Preferably on an autumn evening, with candles flickering and shadows betraying. Tales of fate and heartbreak...and why did we lose Poe at such a young age.
Book Season = Autumn
Book Season = Autumn
A compilation of Poe's most famous work. This text features short stories, poetry, literary criticism, philosophy, and reviews from the mind of Edgar Allen Poe. Poe's relentless obsession with the macabre and the melancholic impresses itself upon the reader; He is an emissary of a living darkness, bestowing upon death a strange beauty, and at other times, an insurmountable grotesqueness. Poe seems less a madman than a capricious ponderer, exposing the contrary forms of death.
Poe’s gothic tale may be understood as an allegory of identification. The two halves of a split consciousness reuniting, the rational and irrational become one and the same. He blurs boundary between the living and the dead, the line between sanity and madness figures prominently. Connecting the metaphor and instrument of the piece definitely made me rethink the way I would structure my own writing. A fascinating mystery, I recommend.
Jul 17, 2012
Katsumi
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
ghosts-creepy-monsters
The Fall of the House of Usher was a dark, morbid, and absolutely creepy short story. It's a tale about a visit to the decaying House of Usher, a house haunted by the Ushers' past evil. In the end, their evil past ultimately becomes to great for the house to hold. Of course some might not agree with me; the story is up to a good deal of interpetation. The story emphasizes the gloomy, foreboding, atmosphere with great detail that never becomes too tiresome. The suspense was excellant. At the clim...more
I think this book shows the best of poes writing creativity it has 16 short tales.When i read this book i actually felt like i was in the book.This book contains his most famous tales like the pit and the pendulam and the tall tale heart.The tell tale heart is my personal favorite although the murder in rue mourge was really good .I strongly reccomend this book.If you are in to mysteries or scary tales you will love this book
Edgar Allan Poe is amazing. Having read "The Pit and the Pendulum" after someone recommended it to me, I decided to buy this book and am thoroughly enjoying it.
His poems don't really come to much, except of course for "The Raven", which is a classic and so well-known you don't need me to tell you about it.
The tales are full of his speciality - suspense - in a way that often leaves you breathless. Their length is perfect for their content - any longer and you'd be going out of your mind. I often...more
His poems don't really come to much, except of course for "The Raven", which is a classic and so well-known you don't need me to tell you about it.
The tales are full of his speciality - suspense - in a way that often leaves you breathless. Their length is perfect for their content - any longer and you'd be going out of your mind. I often...more
-Penguin Readers, level 3
-Time: 80 minutes
-7 Words: terrible, weak, whirlpool, storm, wine, orang-utan, letter
-Discussion Questions:
1. Have you ever seen whirlpool?
No, I haven't. It's very dangerous, but I want to see it once.
2. What do you think people have little dangerous animals?
If they have them safely, it's okay. They have to think other people's safe and live.
-Time: 80 minutes
-7 Words: terrible, weak, whirlpool, storm, wine, orang-utan, letter
-Discussion Questions:
1. Have you ever seen whirlpool?
No, I haven't. It's very dangerous, but I want to see it once.
2. What do you think people have little dangerous animals?
If they have them safely, it's okay. They have to think other people's safe and live.
Nadie ha sabido adentrarse mejor en las profundas cavernas de la mente y el terror que él. El torturado escritor dejó para la posteridad una colección de cuentos que dejan huella en el recuerdo, que sentaron cátedra en el terror psicológico literario y en la novela policíaca. Te guste o no que te cuenten estas historias, no podrás dejar de leerlas si las empiezas.
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The name Poe brings to mind images of murderers and madmen, premature burials, and mysterious women who return from the dead. His works have been in print since 1827 and include such literary classics as “The Tell-Tale Heart,” “The Raven,” and “The Fall of the House of Usher.” This versatile writer’s oeuvre includes short stories, poetry, a novel, a textbook, a book of scientific theory, and hundr...more
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“Yet mad I am not...and very surely do I not dream.”
—
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“There are chords in the hearts of the most reckless which cannot be touched without emotion.”
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Aug 31, 2012 07:20am
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