The Fall of the House of Usher

"'The Fall of the House of Usher' is a short story by American writer Edgar Allan Poe, first published in 1839 in Burton's Gentleman's Magazine, then included in the collection Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque in 1840. The short story, a work of Gothic fiction, includes themes of madness, family, isolation, and metaphysical identities. The story features an unnamed narrator's visit to the decaying mansion of his childhood friend Roderick Usher and his sister Madeline. There, he learns of Roderick's illness and attempts to keep him entertained. Madeline dies and is buried and the narrator assists in putting her body in the family tomb within the mansion. Madeline, however, was still alive and escapes her tomb to seek revenge on her brother. The narrator flees the house as it collapses on the final members of the family." [The Fall of the House of Usher, Wikipedia]

John Conrad considered "The Fall of the House of Usher" to be one of the three master horror tales. [REH Children (online text)]

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