Edgar Allan Poe The Father of Horror The Fall of the House of Usher 11th grade English

Brief Objectives Understand and appreciate a classic Gothic short story by creating a literary analysis Identify, understand, and create mood in a short story Understand, write, and use complex sentences in your own writing.

Poe’s Philosophy on Writing “-the writer of a literary work must plot the work out completely before beginning to write-” - “The Philosophy of Composition” (1846)

Poe’s Particular Genius His stories were crafted to create: Unity of Effect Every part, detail, etc. designed to contribute to a single overall feeling

How it was done… Displays 3 mood-building techniques Detailed descriptions of settings through imagery and figurative language Precisely chosen words and phrases Use of a narrator who observes and participates in the events

Use of Sentence Structure Uses several complex sentences to pile detail upon detail describing scenes conveying emotions

What is a complex sentence? Has one independent clause Has a subject, verb, and complete thought Can stand alone as a sentence Has one or more subordinate clauses Will have a subject and verb, but NO complete thought Can’t stand alone as a sentence.

How to find a SUB. Clause Often begins with a subordinating conjunction such as: after, although, because, if, since, when, where, wherever, or while Can also be introduced by relative pronouns such as: who, whom, whose, which, or that

For Practice, You try a few… Which sentences in the following paragraph are complex? How do you know?

Kublai Khan, who was the Mongol emperor of China, invited Marco Polo to be his guest. He remained there for 17 years until he started traveling abroad again. Although Polo visited the kingdom of Samara on the island of Sumatra, he objected to the people’s religious practices and to their powerful ruler. As long as the winds remained contrary, he was forced to stay. With a party of some 2000 men, he dug a huge, deep ditch that would serve as a defense against any danger. The ditch, which was strengthened with several wooden forts, ended in the shipping port. Polo, who thought the natives were threatening savages, lived securely in his ditch with his party for five months.

Understanding Complex Sent. In writing… Look for the main idea. Locate the subject and verb that form the basic sentence. If subject and verb are inverted, rearrange them.

Throw out anything that is not crucial to the true meaning of the sentence. If you don’t need it to understand the sentence, it is a modifier and can be thrown out. Read further. Sometimes confusing sentences are followed by one or more sentences that provide clarity.

Vocabulary Affinity Aghast Insipid Alleviation Insoluble Annihilate Deficiency Emaciated Fitfully Futility Insipid Insoluble Interment Narrative Obstinate Terrestrial Vivacious

The Fall of the House of Usher Written in 1839 Is a classic Gothic horror story Narrator’s ability to rationalize situations contrasts with the main character, Roderick Usher’s, dark and mystical frame of mind.

Nothing to FEAR??? Roderick Usher, the main character, claims that his greatest fear is that he will lose his life and sanity to fear. Some believe that when fear takes over, it prevents a logical, effective reaction. Have you ever witnessed a situation in which someone showed fear? How did the fear affect the person’s judgment and ability to handle the situation?