Edgar Allan Poe Flashcards
Key themes of the fall of the house of usher
evil isolation madness mystery/the supernatural family identity
Key themes of the raven
madness love the supernatural human imagination loneliness/ isolation
What is without a doubt poe’s most famous poem
the raven
when was the fall of the house of usher first published
september 1839 in magazine
short story
Who are the main characters in fall of the house of usher
3 human characters ( the narrator, Rodrick, Madeline)
but also an inhuman force that shapes events just as much if not more than the humans involved: the house of usher
in the fall of the house of usher what does the narrator continually insist about attempts to portray the weird events at usher
ultimately all attempts are futile
“I should fail in any attempt to convey..”
“I lack words to express the full extent”
What is surprising about the tone of the house of usher
one would expect the abnormal and horrfic details to be relayed in some form of frantic mania. However, telling the tale in retrospect Poe’s story unfolds in a calm and controlled manner which in itself is horrifying
Poe makes frequent use of what device in the fall of the house of usher
anaphora
“upon the” when describing the house especially its ‘eye like’ windows
According to Edward H Davidson how can the fall of the house of usher be interpreted
as a detailed account of the derangement and dissipation of an individuals personality
How is the Raven structured
carefully organised poem -uses internal rhyme, end rhyme and alliteration to create melancholic musical effect
18 stanzas
What has the raven been criticised for
some reviewers in Poe’s day including walt whitman critcised the poem for its sing song, highly emotional quality. the poem is still criticized and parodied for the same reason today
What is the tone of the raven
intense, almost frantic
this intensisty is what makes the speaker so captivating
Which English Romantics did Poe admire from his youth
Byron and Keats
in what ways can the Gothic be seen as exerting a tremedous influence on Poe’s work
through use of setting,gendered relationships and the internal workings of the human mind
What is seen by many as an inspirational model for the fall of the house of usher
Horace Warpole- the castle of Ontranto
Poe had read this and warpole supernaturaism seen as definite inspirational model for the collapse of the mansion in the fall of the house of usher
What is Poe credited for introducing to American literature
The gothic
detective story
science fiction
What was Poe’s literary reputation overshadowed by for a long time
his biography -married his cousin ,had regular drinking binges and died under mysterious circumstances
how did Poe put his own take on the gothic
when it crossed the Atlantic into the hands of Poe it took on a psychological, cerebal slant
summary of Raven
speaker sits in his room mourning the loss of the beautiful lenore , hears knocking but no one is there. Raven enters through open window. Every time the narrator speaks the raven replies with nevermore
some gothic features of his story
settings that feature dark medieval castles or decaying ancient estates
charecters that are insane- male
female - beautiful and dead
plots that include
murder
live burials
physical and mental torture
