Had to read this for an online class I am taking. I'm glad I didn't read it as a teenager, as it probably would have freaked me out somewhat. Now for some reason* all I can see is how campy it is...the possibilities for parody are endless. It truly has ALLLL the Gothic elements, and also, some random guitar playing and spontaneous songwriting.

*Ok, the reason is, my main knowledge of Poe comes from Shipwrecked's video series on YouTube: Edgar Allen Poe's Murder Mystery Dinner Party. This is why I giggled through The Fall of the House of Usher. ( )

Oh come on, how is this not fun. Read on a dark night, one when the lights are out because there is a furious storm beating on your rooftop and windows, it would make you shudder indeed.

It is not my first reading, but it might be my most appreciative one. I reveled in the description, the careful choice of words, the building agitation of our narrator. I picked up on one tidbit I might have missed before. Very early on in the narrator's description of Roderick Usher (who doesn't love that name?), we are told his "family had been noted, time our of mind, for a peculiar sensibility of temperament, displaying itself, through long ages, in many works of exalted art..." As an artist who seriously teetered on the edge of madness himself, I wonder how completely Poe connected art and insanity; how much he feared that the very sensitive and artist personality might succumb to it.

Having just finished a historical (biographical) novel of Poe, [b:Mrs. Poe|16130398|Mrs. Poe|Lynn Cullen|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1420462099s/16130398.jpg|21955711], I had an itch to revisit some of his tales. I was tickled that this one was picked for a group read. Now, off to see what others are saying about it. ( )

There's not really a story here. There's a setup and an abrupt ending. Also, the location and the ending were based on real events (creepy) rather than something Poe came up with himself. He seemed more focused on building atmosphere and tension - which he definitely succeeds at - and maybe a little character exploration. It was pretty tedious for such a short read but I found his gothic fascination with the macabre charmingly campy, especially when expressed with self awareness and a sense of humor.

Update: I'm currently reading [b:Darkly: Black History and America's Gothic Soul|53001279|Darkly Black History and America's Gothic Soul|Leila Taylor|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1571296958l/53001279._SX50_SY75_.jpg|69982124] by Leila Taylor and she connects Poe's recurring ruminations on guilt with slavery. I found her exploration of that to be an eye-opening window into Poe's work and American history and culture at large. ( )

Poe's penchant for florid narrative and the fact that his works were written almost two centuries ago simply don't work for me. I find his style difficult and sometimes tedious.

However, the actual storyline is compelling and for that he deserves credit.

Worthwhile, but overrated. ( )

2.5 stars ( )