Philosophy of Composition Pure Intellect:Pure Intellect: the rational, logical, scientific aspects of the mind Moral Sense:Moral Sense: conscience, duty and the soul Taste:Taste: charm, beauty and sentiment-- feeling (but not passion which debases) þ residing between Intellect and Moral sense, Taste deals with what is beautiful and elevating
C. Search for Identity / The Doppelganger / Destruction of the Self “The Haunted Palace” Description of House & RoderickDescription of House & Roderick Aspects of the mind: the characters –Roderick/Imagination –Madeline/Soul –Narrator/Reason or Rational Mind
“The Haunted Palace” echoes the theme of the doppelganger and begins to clue the reader into the theme of the destruction of the self. (Pages )
“The Haunted Palace” I. “In the monarch Thought’s dominion…” II. “Banners yellow…on its roof did float”II. “Banners yellow…on its roof did float” III. “two luminous windows saw…” IV. “with pearl and ruby…palace door” / through which a “troop of echoes”…[saying] “the wit and wisdom of their king”IV. “with pearl and ruby…palace door” / through which a “troop of echoes”…[saying] “the wit and wisdom of their king” V. “But evil things…assailed the Monarch’s high estate” VI. “red-litten windows”VI. “red-litten windows”
Doppelganger House of Usher: “both the family and the family mansion” (236) House ItselfHouse Itself –“vacant & eyelike windows” (234) –“excessive antiquity” –“minute fungi …in a fine tangled webwork” –“barely perceptible fissure” –“sullen waters of the tarn” (236) RoderickRoderick –“eye large, liquid, and luminous” –“hair of a more than weblike softness and tenuity” (237) –the mental instability of Rod.
Doppelganger motif reinforced by the tarn reflecting the House (mirroring Roderick). Thus the House and Roderick are one and the same.
Aspects of the mind: the characters Roderick/Imagination Madeline/ SoulNarrator/Reason Boyhood companion Barely visible Unable to describe wild paintings (240) Sick & needs help from Narrator Feminine Constantly rationalizing Artist: all that it encompasses N. appalled at her appearance (238) Has no name & is called for help by R his boyhood companion
Destruction of the Self Roderick calls the Narrator a madman as if looking into a mirror Madeline falls “heavily inward on the person of her brother…”Madeline falls “heavily inward on the person of her brother…” House collapses into its own image Narrator says his “brain reeled”Narrator says his “brain reeled”
Left without Soul and Imagination, Pure Reason is left function alone. (Romantics/Transcendentalists believed in integrating all parts of the human psyche.)
Rod(or)Rick & Mad-Line