Setting/Mood
What is the tarn?
The lake next to the house
What does he do to keep Roderick company?
They read books together, they paint/discuss paintings, they conversate
Who is the author?
Edgar Allen Poe
Who is Roderick to the narrator?
His childhood friend
What does the House of Usher look like?
Crumbling stones, fissure through the center, next to a muddy lake, fungi covering the exterior, older architecture, spiderwebs, etc...
What happens to Madeline?
They entomb her alive
What traumatic events shaped Poe's early life?
Death of mother from tuberculosis, adoptive family hated him
What is strange about their bloodline?
Incest/inbreeding
How does the narrator feel when he looks at the old house?
Depressed, gloomy, feeling that something is not right, unease, the air is oppressive, feels like coming down from an opium high
What happens at the end of the story?
Madeline kills Roderick, ending the family line
The house collapses over the tarn
What condition did Poe struggle from?
Alcoholism
What are Roderick's symptoms?
Nervousness/anxiety, pale skin, large watery eyes, grumbling voice, feelings of dread, disconnect from surroundings, senses are sensitive (food tastes bad, clothing is uncomfortable, music is too loud)
What two things does the House of Usher refer to?
The physical house and all of its family members
When Madeline is coming back, they confuse the sound of her breaking out of the tomb as the sounds from which story?
The Mad Trist
Why was Poe's death mysterious?
He was passed out in the street alone, barely conscious, wearing someone else's clothes, calling out "Reynolds" (unknown person)
What are Madeline's symptoms?
Ghost-like, episodes of catalepsy, looks dead, struggling to move, gradual wasting away
What shape are the windows?
What happens to the narrator the longer he stays at the House?
He starts to experience some of the weird symptoms (more anxiety)
What types of literature did Poe write?
Short stories and poems
What do we learn about Roderick and Madeline's relationship?
They're twins