Journal for Poe

Jessie Akers-Bell
English 48A
Journal for Poe
10/12/11

The Gothic Author and Vampire

 Author Quote: "I looked upon the scene before me-- upon the mere house, and the simple landscape features of the domain-- upon the bleak walls-- upon the vacant eye-like windows-- upon a few rank sedges-- and upon a few white trunks of decayed trees," (Norton 1553).

Internet Quote: "He is seen as a morbid, mysterious figure lurking in the shadows of moonlit cemeteries or crumbling castles,"(Poe Museum).

Summary: In the author's quote the Poe is describing what has happened to a  houses of a wealthy man, and the destruction he caused to it by ignoring it for what ever reason. Making it a house fit for animals that like dark, dank places. In the quote from Poe you get to see what has happened to Usher's house. In the second quote Poe is found to be a mysterious man, but more importantly you get to see a big connection to "The Fall of the House of Usher". You also get a taste for what Poe's characters are like, dark and sinister, creatures that belong to the night.

My Ideas:  The quote about Poe fits what I see what Usher is like in many ways. A creepy, secretive, wild man that roams his house looking for a cure to his illness with no avail. I also get goose bumps just from picturing a house so neglected and haunted feeling. It makes me think of a vampires lair, or some other mythical creature that I would not want to run into in a dark place. In the internet quote I feel a close connection with it to Poe's short story "The Fall of the House of Usher". It makes me think of Usher in his wild state roaming his house, and being  a vampire or some other undead creature.