Edgar Allen Poe and "The Fall of the House of Usher"

Journal #6
Posted By Melissa Veum
Engl 48A
10-08-09

"The general furniture was profuse, comfortless, antique, and tattered. Many books and musical instruments lay scattered about, but failed to give any vitality to the scene. I felt that I breathed an atmosphere of sorrow. An air of stern, deep, and irredeemable gloom hung over and pervaded all (Poe, 1555)."

Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before (Poe, brainyquote.com)."

In this passage Poe demonstrates his ideal intelligence and perception to give the reader a visual look into the world of "The House Of Usher" as it glooms onward. The perception Poe demonstrates is extraordinary. It is interesting that everything in this room which he describes gives off a vitality except for the musical instruments and books, which i think do give a room it's vitality. I think maybe in the way they were scattered and maybe not taken care of was the reason for them being this insignificant. I liked how The furniture was described as "profuse, comfortless, antique, and tattered", it shows that you probably wouldn't want to sit in any of this furniture and that in this huge mansion, there is not the comfiest of chairs in this main room of Usher's. It also gives depth to the voice of the stories' feeling of imagery upon entering by using the word antique and tattered all in the same sentence. This shows the furniture has not been cared for and probably not sat in in awhile.

The speaker says that "he breathed an air of sorrow" which meant that there was gloom throughout the mansion. It could be felt in the air. When gloom hits your lungs, so to speak, it is very chilling and not ultimately the kind of air one wants to inhale. He speaks of the gloom taking over everything almost instantly and that it hung over the room. This gives us the image of a very dark, lonely home that seems almost inhabitable. Who wants to live in a place surrounded by doom? Even the outside is gloomy with the cracks and haze and tarn all around. Not a place I would like to visit anytime soon.