Edgar Allan Poe Influences

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Gothic is a term associated with a plethora of authors a few names that arise in the mind when mentioning the genre’s influence on American grounds are William Faulkner (associated with the sub-genre Southern Gothic), Washington Irving and the ever-so-famous Edgar Allan Poe. The latter, Edgar Allan Poe, is known as one of the prominent authors of American Gothicism. Poe, just like every great author, had his influences in Gothicism. First of all, Gothic is a term in literature that describes a combination of two genres: Romanticism and Horror. Along with the details of the genre, most Gothic literature follows a distinct theme, setting and plot; Gothic literature revolves around architecture of the horror nature, supernatural entities or events,…show more content…
A belief that is brought up in “The Fall of the House of Usher: An Adult Study Guide” accompaniment to Hoomes’ play is that the House of Usher was based upon Boston’s own Lewis Wharf, that housed an establishment that was titled “The Usher House”. Where, as the story goes, a seaman and the youthful wife of the owner of the Wharf’s manor were caught by the latter’s significant other only to be entombed within their rendezvous area for their actions. Whenever the Usher House was torn down in 1800, two corpses were found encompassing one another in the cellar (4). Whether this story reigns true is a case, but the connections between the similarities and Poe’s interest in the gruesome Gothic architecture design of threadbare buildings such as the two discussed in “The Casque of Amontillado” and “The Fall of the House of Usher”. Many supernatural or paranormal elements trail themselves in Edgar Allan Poe’s catalog of the macabre, one of the most well-known being “The Masque of the Red Death”. Where the main character, Prince Prospero, has thrown a party in the safety of the walls of his castle. The short story is quite dense if quickly engulfed for all of its literary value. Every room can be considered a…show more content…
One can argue that all aspects of the horror genre in Poe’s literary catalog have been romanticized to create the Gothic because the Gothic is the two literary movements combined together, Romantic and Horror literature (Matterson). These elements can be found in the celebrations explored within “The Casque of Amontillado” and “The Masque of the Red Death”. Although both short stories explore horrifying elements such as death and revenge, romanticizing death and the concept of revenge by trickery. The celebration, and latter commemoration of death, in “The Masque of the Red Death” is romanticized by displaying a party while the Red Death stalks the guest within Prince Prospero’s castle walls. A similar occurrence happens in “The Casque of Amontillado” when Montresor describes the casque of his unique alcoholic beverage from which the title is named, Amontillado, lightens the mood along with their drunken moods of expressing their natures towards one another. These elements of indication of the human nature can also be found in the works not discussed as much such as his poems and more. These romanticizing elements display pieces that Poe may have not meant to share such as constituents to the genre of

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