The-Fall-of-the-House-of-Usher

-------ZhouQinTHEFALLOFTHEHOUSEOFUSHER2020/5/11THEFALLOFTHEHOUSEOFUSHER2•TheHouseofUsher,itselfdoublyreferringbothtotheactualstructureandthefamily,playsasignificantroleinthestory.Itisthefirstcharacterthatthenarratorintroducestothereader,presentedwithahumanizeddescription:itswindowsaredescribedaseye-liketwiceinthefirstparagraph.ThefissurethatdevelopsinitssideissymbolicofthedecayoftheUsherfamilyandthehousediesalongwiththetwoUshersiblings.ThisconnectionwasemphasizedinRoderick'spoemTheHauntedPalacewhichseemstobeadirectreferencetothehousethatforeshadowsdoomTHEHOUSEOFUSHER2020/5/11THEFALLOFTHEHOUSEOFUSHER3•WelearnthattheNarratorandUsherwerechildhoodfriends.Recently,theNarratorreceivedaletterfromUsher.Intheletter,Roderickdescribedacertainmentaldisorderthatwasplaguinghim,andhecommunicatedadesperatedesiretoseehisoldcompanion.Duetotheurgenttoneoftheletter,theNarratorneverthoughttwice;withouthesitationheobeyedthisverysingularsummons.“NARRATOR2020/5/11THEFALLOFTHEHOUSEOFUSHER4Roderickusher（罗德里克.厄舍）Usher,wasalwaysexcessivelyreservedandwassomewhatmysterious.Hebelongstoanancientfamilythathasneverputforthanenduringbranch.Therearehintsofincestovertheyears,butmoreimportantisthefactthatUsherisnowtheonlymaledescendantoftheline.Tellingly,helivesnotwithawifebutwithhissister,Madeline.2020/5/11THEFALLOFTHEHOUSEOFUSHER5Madelineusher（玛德琳.厄舍）ThenMadelinedies,andeverythingchanges.EvenwhentheNarratorandUsherburyherinthevault,theNarratornotesthemockeryofafaintblushuponthebosomandtheface,andthatsuspiciouslylingeringsmileuponthelipwhichissoterribleindeath.ItisalmostasifMadelinewerealreadymockingdeath(orisinsomewaystillalive),andasthoughsheisalreadymockingherbrotherandhisfriend.Itwouldbepossibletosaythatshedoeshavethelastlaugh,breakingfreefromthevaultandkillingtheravingRoderick--ifthisironywerenotsoharrowingandtragic.2020/5/11THEFALLOFTHEHOUSEOFUSHER6Usherwrotealettertothenarrator,askingthenarratortoaccompanyhimforhismentaldisease.Thenarratorarrivedatthehouseandenteredintothemansion,havingatalkwithUsherInthenextfewdays,hedidhisbesttocheerupUsher.Theypaintedandread.Onedayevening,UshertoldhimMadelinehasdie(actuallynot),thentheyputthecorpseintothecoffin,whichwasplacedinthevault(地窖)Inthefollowingdays,Ushertookonevenpalerhue,andthenarratorwasunabletosleepbecauseofnervousnessOnenight,Madelinewalkdoutfromhercoffin,thenUsherwasscaredtodeathwithMadelineenbraced.Thenarratorescapedfromthefallingmansioninablood-moonnight.Plotsummary2020/5/11THEFALLOFTHEHOUSEOFUSHER7THEWRITINGSTYLEOFTHETALEGoth(哥特式)哥特式（Goth）最早是文艺复兴时期被用来区分中世纪时期（公元5-15世纪）的艺术风格，以恐怖、超自然、死亡、颓废、巫术、古堡、深渊、黑夜、诅咒、吸血鬼等为标志性元素。哥特式风格用黑暗、恐惧、孤独、绝望的艺术主题，来往于内心世界神圣与邪恶的边缘，描绘在爱与绝望之间的挣扎，嘶叫的痛苦和清醒。2020/5/11THEFALLOFTHEHOUSEOFUSHER8POE’SGOTHICISMDecadent(颓废)contentGrotesque(怪异)imagesAbnormalpsychesMelancholy（忧郁）SupernaturalelementsOthergothicelements(oldtemple,darkandgloomcellar,coffin,deadwoman….)2020/5/11THEFALLOFTHEHOUSEOFUSHER9ELEMENTSOFGOTHICWRITING•EmphasisonsettingExterior:landscapeInterior:houses•Castle-likearchitecture•Charactersarebrooding,secretive•Buriedfamilysecrets•Longhistoryoffamilytiedtoplace2020/5/11THEFALLOFTHEHOUSEOFUSHER10SYMBOLISMThecollapsingmansion:FalloftheUsherfamily.Thebridgeoverthetarn:ThenarratorandUsher’sonlylinktotheoutsideworldThenameUsher:Anusherisadoorkeeper,inthiscase,RoderickUsheropenedthedoortothefrighteningworldforthenarrator.Thestorm:Theturbulentemotionsexperiencedbycharacters.2020/5/11THEFALLOFTHEHOUSEOFUSHER111.Thedesiretoisolatethemselvesfromtheoutsideworld.2.TheimageofrealitywhichthenarratorandRoderickperceive(感知);thoughthewaterofthetarnreflectsthedetailsexactly,theimageisupsidedown,leavingtheopeningpossibilitythatthenarratorandRoderickseeafalsereality.Thetarn-asmalllakeencirclingthemansionandreflectingitsimage.2020/5/11THEFALLOFTHEHOUSEOFUSHER12POE’STHEORIESFORSHORTSTORYANDITSEMBODIMENTSINTHEFALLOFTHEHOUSEOFUSHERTheshortstorymustbeofsuchlengthastobereadatonesitting(brevity),soastoensurethetotalityofimpression.Theveryfirstsentenceoughttohelptobringoutthe“singleeffect”ofthestory.Nowordshouldbeusedwhichdoesnotcontributetothe“pre-established”designofthework(compression).Ataleshouldrevealsomelogicaltruthwith“thefullestsatisfaction”andshouldendwiththelastsentence,leavingasenseoffinalitywiththereader.(acertainfinality某种结局）2020/5/11THEFALLOFTHEHOUSEOFUSHER13BREVITY•Youwon’tfindmuchthatisirrelevanttotheorganicwholeofthestory.2020/5/11THEFALLOFTHEHOUSEOFUSHER14•Duringthewholeofadull,dark,andsoundlessdayintheautumnoftheyear,whenthecloudshungoppressivelylowintheheavens,Ihadbeenpassingalone,onhorseback,throughasingularlydrearytractofcountry;andatlengthfoundmyself,astheshadesoftheeveningdrewon,withinviewofthemelancholyHouseofUsher.•那年秋天，一个阴沉、昏暗、岑寂的日子，乌云低垂，厚重地笼罩着大地。整整一天，我孤零零地骑着马，驰过乡间一片无比萧索的旷野。暮色四合之际，令人忧伤的厄榭府终于遥遥在望。SINGLEEFFECT2020/5/11THEFALLOFTHEHOUSEOFUSHER15•Ilookeduponthescenebeforeme-uponthemerehouse,andthesimplelandscapefeaturesofthedomain-uponthebleakwalls-uponthevacanteye-likewindows-uponafewranks-anduponafewwhitetrunksofdecayedtrees-withanutterdepressionofsoulwhi