Edgar Allan Poes Use of Gothisism - 891 Words

Edgar Allan Poe is a well-known fixture in American literature; whose stories have made sizeable contributions to the Gothic literary element. Many of Poe’s stories contain more than one Gothic element. â€Å"The Fall of the House of Usher† is a prime example of this. In this story Poe presents the themes of death and the accompanying supernatural. Poe often uses his proficiency in Gothic to invoke deep reading. For many, this proficiency causes Poe’s stories to be difficult to fully understand at first glance. One of the many noticeable themes that entangle the Gothic fiction of Edgar Allan Poe is death and the accompanying theme of decay after death. Death is by far one of the most prominent themes in Gothic writing. â€Å"In nearly all of Poe’s stories, at least one, if not more than one of the characters has died or is being mourned (Gothic).† â€Å"This mournful theme sets the quintessential gloomy tone found in many of Poe’s works (Ligeia).† For instance, in â€Å"Ligeia† by Edgar Allan Poe, the narrator’s lover has recently passed away and the narrator is left struggling to adjust to a life without her by his side. The narrator does however move on with his life and finds another woman to marry. After their marriage the narrator realizes that his new bride does not truly love him. Just as unexpectedly as Ligeia became ill, so does his new bride. Soon, just as the last, the narrator’s bride dies. As with many of Poe’s writings th e plot makes an unexpected twist and although the woman has