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Edgar Allan Poe Mental Illness Essay

991 Words4 Pages

Gothic Literature as a genre is not particularly new, for it has been around since the mid-1700s and continues to make its mark on present day media. Gothic Literature compose of several topics, such as but not limited to mental illness, gothic elements, arabesque storytelling, and narration/point of view. Several short stories and novels include these topics and themes, but most fail to be quintessential representatives of this genre. Only a few authors throughout modern history manage to become key representatives of this genre. One of the greatest examples of this feat of genre representation is the late Edgar Allan Poe. Throughout his decorative and short career, his plethora of short stories manage to become keystones of the gothic literature …show more content…

In “The Fall of The House of Usher”, the unnamed narrator receives a letter from his distant friend, Usher who has fallen to an unknown bodily illness. This unknown illness affects his friend both physically ,but more importantly, mentally which ultimately drives Usher mad throughout the short story. According to several critics during and after Edgar Allan Poe’s time, it is a common theory that the author receives many of his mind disorder references from his draw towards medical studies. However, Edgar Allan Poe reveals himself that many of his references are taken from his interest of psychological fiction. His knowledge of psychological fiction and medical studies is openly displayed in “The Fall of The House of Usher” as well as several other literary works. according to Mere Household Events: The metaphysics of Mania, Roderick Usher’s mental disorder shares the same characteristics of someone suffering from monomania. Despite Usher’s mental state, the narrator himself is possibly also a victim of some of mental illness. According to Charles E. May’s Abnormality and the confusion of Life and Death, controversial yet popular critic of the short story is that either Usher or the unnamed narrator is suffering from madness. Lastly. Edgar Allen Poe also heavily implies that both Roderick and Madeline are having an ancestral relationship with one another. Though incest itself is not defined as a mental disorder, the plethora of reasons for why incest occurs can correlate with other mental

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