Poe's Magic

Paper Summary:

In "The Fall of the House of Usher" and "The Black Cat", the author explains how Poe presents stories that are both haunting and disturbing to the reader and how, through a variety of techniques he creates a sense of dread that draws the reader in and flows throughout the story. Along with this, the author explains that there is a sense that the events are beyond what is real and more supernatural in focus. The paper uses examples from these novels to examines these claims.

From the Paper:

"The stories intrigue the reader for the purpose of allowing them to look at life and humanity on a deeper level. By the disturbing nature and by the supernatural slant, the reader is able to experience and consider that which is beyond what is real and observable. Poe sets the scene as disturbing from the beginning of his tales, creating an atmosphere of dread. In the opening of The Fall of the House of Usher, he uses words such as "dull," "dark," "dreary," "desolate," and "depression." All these words have a sense of foreboding and the alliteration of the repeated "d" only adds to the mood. This alliteration makes the scene almost poetic and also gives it a dreamlike quality. After creating this feeling in the reader, Poe even describes it saying, "I can compare to no earthly sensation more properly than to the after-dream of the reveller upon opium" (1). "

More papers on Poe's Magic:

• Comparison Essay # 73911 : "Edgar Allan Poe"
• Analytical Essay # 141207 : "Dream and Magic in "A Midsummer Night's Dream"
• Analytical Essay # 27709 : "Edgar Allen "The Bells"

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