Literary Analysis Of Edgar Allan Poe

For almost two-hundred years, Edgar Allan Poe has been enticing readers with his spine-tingling gothic tales. Poe is one of the faces of 17th century literature. He was one of the pioneers of modern writing, as he was not afraid to compose pieces related to controversial themes. In his stories, “The Cask of Amontillado”, “The Fall of the House of Usher”, “The Tell Tale Heart”, and “Annabel Lee” Poe uses different elements of author’s style to add suspense and create a mood. The eerie mood apparent in Poe’s writing is conveyed by his use of unsettling imagery and suspenseful syntax. Poe’s life began on January 1, 1809. As a child, Poe’s father left his family and his mother passed away. He was orphaned at a young age and was taken in by the Allan family. His life was plagued with poverty and alcoholism. Poe had the reputation of having a bad temperament, behaving irresponsibly, and being a heavy drinker. His dark, tragic life may have led to him writing such thrilling, gothic stories about death, murder, and revenge. Poe uses unsettling imagery in his writing, which is vital to his style. In the short story, “The Fall of the House of Usher”, the narrator visits a house out in the country. At the beggining of the story, he describes the area as “During the whole of a dull, dark, and soundless day in the autumn of the year, when the clouds hung oppressively low in the heavens.” In this example of imagery, Poe uses unsettling diction while describing the setting to convey an