Verified Document

Gothic And Macabre: An Explication Term Paper

The unusual event of resurrection is a theme particularly apparent within the stories "The Fall of the House of Usher" and "Ligeia." In the latter story resurrection occurs after the Lady Rowena's corpse finally resurrects itself into the form of Lady Ligeia. In the former story "resurrection" actually occurs when the Lady Madeline, after recovering from her cataleptic state, manages to escape from her tomb. In two of Poe's stories certain unusual and grotesque events occur that are unique to those tales. The story "William Wilson" contains a doppelganger theme, which is unique to it. In the story "The Masque of the Red Death" the uniquely violent and unusual event is the characters unknowingly making an unfortunate encounter with the personification of the Red Death disease while they are busily engaged in their festivities.

Bizarre forms of death are a pervasive feature in Poe's short stories. Nowhere is it more pervasive than in the story "The Masque of the Red Death." Within it all the characters die in a pitifully grotesque manner at the hands of the Red Death disease, which is characterized by its victims spontaneously spewing out blood until they die shortly thereafter.

Bizarre forms of death are apparent within several other short stories, one being "The Fall of the House of Usher." Lady Madeline, despite having "resurrected" herself, dies spasmodically in the end and in the process kills her brother by violently beating him into the ground. Since its fate is intertwined with that of its owners the Usher House eventually "dies" also by crumbling into the tarn below.

The Cask of Amontillado" is another story in which a grotesque death occurs, when Fortunato experiences...

The most unusual form of death is in the story "William Wilson," in which the narrator himself dies after repeatedly stabbing his double, whose death is eventually supposed to lead to his own.
The only story in which death of any form is not the inevitable end is in "Ligeia," in which the narrator's beloved first wife seems to have resurrected herself. This action reveals her defiant attitude towards the notion of dying. This defiance is apparent from the very beginning of her encounter with death, when up till her dying moments she tries to persevere and extend her life longer even by just a minute. Through her action she wanted to make it apparent that the "Conqueror Worm" could not always be successful in subduing humanity.

Works Cited

Poe, Edgar a. "Ligeia." E.A. Poe Society of Baltimore. Oct. 23, 1999. Retrieved April 16, 2007:

http://www.eapoe.org/works/tales/ligeiab.htm

Poe, Edgar a. "The cask of Amontillado." E.A. Poe Society of Baltimore. Nov. 22, 1998. Retrieved April 16, 2007:

http://www.eapoe.org/works/tales/caska.htm

Poe, Edgar a. "The fall of the House of Usher." E.A. Poe Society of Baltimore. Oct. 23, 1999. Retrieved April 16, 2007:

http://www.eapoe.org/works/tales/usherb.htm

Poe, Edgar a. "The masque of the Red Death." E.A. Poe Society of Baltimore. Sept. 19, 2000. Retrieved April 16, 2007:

http://www.eapoe.org/works/tales/masqueb.htm

Poe, Edgar a. "William Wilson." E.A. Poe Society of Baltimore. Oct.23, 1999. Retrieved April 16, 2007:

http://www.eapoe.org/works/tales/wilwilc.htm

Sources used in this document:
Works Cited

Poe, Edgar a. "Ligeia." E.A. Poe Society of Baltimore. Oct. 23, 1999. Retrieved April 16, 2007:

http://www.eapoe.org/works/tales/ligeiab.htm

Poe, Edgar a. "The cask of Amontillado." E.A. Poe Society of Baltimore. Nov. 22, 1998. Retrieved April 16, 2007:

http://www.eapoe.org/works/tales/caska.htm
http://www.eapoe.org/works/tales/usherb.htm
http://www.eapoe.org/works/tales/masqueb.htm
http://www.eapoe.org/works/tales/wilwilc.htm
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

"House of Sand and Fog": Comparison Between Novel and Film
Words: 587 Length: 2 Document Type: Book Report

House of Sand and Fog" book and movie compare and contrast "House of Sand and Fog" -- comparison between novel and film Andre Dubus III's novel "House of Sand and Fog" presents a story involving two protagonists who end up in a chain of trouble and deaths as a consequence of fighting over ownership of a house. Kathy Nicolo loses her house to the authorities as a result of an error

Fall of the House of
Words: 928 Length: 3 Document Type: Essay

As Poe builds this emotional tension in the reader on through his construction of the sentences, he also does it on the level of the narrative itself. The sense of dramatic tension within the narrative is created by Poe's masterful use of foreshadowing and delay. A prime example of this occurs early in the story, when the narrator explains his presence at the Usher mansion. He reveals that the occupant

Domestic Violence: A Bleak Reality
Words: 1882 Length: 6 Document Type: Research Paper

By doing so right now, we are not only making a societal and human investment in today's citizens and today's crime rate, but we are improving the quality of life of entire families as well as working toward the reduction of future perpetrators of violence against women since the sons will see appropriate models of behavior and wil not be apt to become violent in the future. References A programme for

Fall of the House of Usher
Words: 550 Length: 2 Document Type: Essay

Poe's The Fall Of The House Of Usher Of all the authors to employ use of the Gothic style in their poetry or prose, none mastered the craft more than Edgar Allen Poe. The classic American fiction writer specialized in fostering a unique sense of dread and terror for his readers by successfully using elements of the Gothic genre such as the grotesque, or distorted imagery and setting, mysterious circumstances and

Metonymics in Little Dorit Metonymy
Words: 5420 Length: 12 Document Type: Essay

One cannot build the right sort of house -- the houses are not really adequate, "Blinds, shutter, curtains, awnings, were all closed and drawn to keep out the star. Grant it but a chink or keyhole, and it shot in like a white-hot arrow." The stare here is the metonymic device -- we assume it is stranger, the outside vs. The inside, but for some reason, it is also

Charles Dickens the Nineteenth Century
Words: 3154 Length: 8 Document Type: Term Paper

His clothes were untidy, but he had a commanding short-collar on." (Charles Dickens (1812-1870): (www.kirjasto.sci.fi/)Dora, David's first wife, expires and he marries Agnes. He seeks his vocation as a journalist and later as a novelist. (Charles Dickens (1812-1870): (www.kirjasto.sci.fi/) GREAT EXPECTATIONS in 1860-61 started as a serialized publication in Dickens's periodical All the Year Round on December 1, 1860. The story of Pip or Philip Pirrip was among Tolstoy's and

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now