Compare And Contrast The Fall Of The House Of Usher

“The Fall of the House of Usher” is written by Edgar Allan Poe. In the short story, the narrator receives a letter from Roderick Usher, an old friend, saying he is sick and asking him to visit. As time goes on, Roderick’s health gets worse. “House Taken Over” is written by Julio Cortázar and is about siblings that live together but their house gets taken over by something. Each story has it’s own particular setting that relates to the literary style. In each story, they also have specific elements in the setting that are common, and different. Both stories take place in large, old houses. Poe’s story takes place in an old, roomy castle. In the story it’s described as, “very large and lofty” (Poe 16). The narrator goes on and explains that

The narrator talks about the house as he’s walking through it saying, “Its principal feature seemed to be that of an excessive antiquity” (Poe 15). Showing the fact that the house is quite old. Similarly, in Cortázar’s story the house is an aged, old house. The narrator describes the house as, “old and spacious” (Cortázar 37). The narrator goes on and explains how this house has been past down generation from generation. Another similarity between the stories is how the literary style affects the reader. Poe’s story, “The Fall of the House of Usher,” uses Gothic literature. One element that shows if a story is Gothic is using a dramatic description. In the story, the narrator is on his way to visit Roderick Usher’s house. He describes his feeling with the words, “a sense of insufferable gloom pervaded my spirit” (Poe 13). This dramatic description causes an eerie mood early on in the story