“It was a dark and stormy night...” Surely you have heard the opening line of Edward Bulwer-Lytton’s novel Paul Clifford’s many times. This line is known for being overused in many stories, and has been parodied countless time. By using this line in the introduction of a story, the uninspired vocabulary and unoriginal concept will be bored as soon as they start the book. Edgar Allen Poe avoids this problem by using advanced, dark diction and strong imagery in the introduction of his book The Fall of the House of Usher to give the reader a clear idea of what the tone of the remainder of the story will be.
Diction is the word choice used in a work of literature. The diction that Edgar Allan Poe uses in The Fall of the House of Usher uses in this has a dark mood, that adds to to theme of the story by showing that the house is sinister and depressing, which is affirmed throughout the work. Since Poe uses such dark vocabulary, the reader can tell that this is going to be a gloomy (gothic) poem. For
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By describing the house and it’s surroundings in great detail, the reader can understand the poem more, and the emotions that are going through the narattor’s head. The poem is also made far more interesting by using strong images. However, the descriptions that Poe uses also leave some to the reader’s imagination, which makes the poem more engaging. For example, in the line “a dull, dark, and soundless day in the autumn of the year” (passage), we all have different experiences with autumn, which gives each reader a different view of the house and it’s backdrops. By using the words “dull” and “dark”, Poe also narrows the view down so the reader is not imagining a crisp sunny day in fall. By using this advanced variety of imagery, Poe sets the stage and mood for the remainder of the poem, as well as making it compelling and enjoyable to