The Fall of the House of Usher

short story by Edgar Allan Poe

The Fall of the House of Usher is a short story by Edgar Allan Poe. It was first published in September 1839 in Burton's Gentleman's Magazine. It was slightly revised in 1840 and published in a collection of Poe's stories called Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque. The poem "The Haunted Palace" is part of the story. Vincent Price and Myrna Fahey starred in a 1960 Roger Corman movie based on the story.

"The Fall of the House of Usher"
Illustration by Harry Clarke, 1919
AuthorEdgar Allan Poe
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Genre(s)Horror
Published inBurton's Gentleman's Magazine
Media typePrint
Publication dateSeptember 1839

This story is by an unnamed narrator who is a friend of Roderick Usher-who believes he is sick and dying. His house is crumbling. Usher has a sister, Madeleine. She falls into a catatonic state. She appears dead.

Roderick knows she is not dead. He places her in the family tomb. On a stormy night, she rises from the tomb. She falls upon her brother. She is dead. Her brother dies from terror. The house crumbles and falls. The narrator flees and sees the spot where the house was has been covered by water.

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