"The Fall of the House of Usher" is a short story full of ambiguity, uncertainness and uncanniness. According to Poe’s “The Philosophy of Composition”, a good story needs “the totality, or unity, of effect”. This unity is created through the use of dualism.
Oppositions and literary doubling are the fundamental frame of this tale. Thus, it is explicable why there are still so manifold interpretations to various themes and motifs today. The aim of this paper is to elabo-ate the effects of doubling on the homodiegetic narrator. It will be made the attempt to support the thesis that the narrator could be seen as a doubled person himself.
Firstly, it is necessary to point out important psychological concepts and perspectives concerning doubling and so-called doppelgangers. Apart from the psychoanalysts Jentsch and Freud, who have made basic contributions to the term Doppelgängertum, also the results of Webber and Thompson will be helpful to find an appropriate frame to own interpretations and text work. After having analyzed the efects of a doubled narrative structure in the text, the narrator will be observed as a personified duality of a therapist and a patient. This thesis will be part of the next chapters, which focus on the doubling relationship between the narrator and the house respectively Roderick.
The intention of this paper is not to restrict on a single issue of doubling, but to encounter narrative structures, effects of uncanniness, a therapist-patient role and the dualism of reason and madness. By covering so many fields, it will be shown that doubling itself is the essential and unifying effect of the tale.
Table of Contents
1 Introduction
2.1 Doubling and its effect on the psyche
2.1.1 Doppelgangers and literary doubling
2.1.2 Psychological dimensions
2.2 The effect of the narrative structure
2.3 Narrator as therapist and patient
2.3.1 The house as a mirror
2.3.2 A doubled relationship to Roderick
3 Conclusion
Research Objectives and Themes
The primary objective of this study is to examine the effects of literary doubling in Edgar Allan Poe’s "The Fall of the House of Usher," specifically arguing that the homodiegetic narrator functions as a doubled figure himself. The paper explores the psychological and narrative manifestations of this duality to demonstrate that doubling is the central unifying effect of the tale.
- The psychological concepts of the "doppelganger" and their application to the text.
- The influence of the narrative structure on the reader's perception of reality and madness.
- The shifting roles of the narrator as both a therapist and a patient in relation to Roderick Usher.
- The house as a mirror of the narrator's own subconscious and internal mental state.
Excerpt from the Book
2.3.1 The house as a mirror
Right at the beginning of the tale the narrator is confronted by the face-like appearance of the house. According to Freud’s definition of “heimlich”, a house is something very familiar to us and it is more than that, a place of security and convenience. On the contrary, the “dreary tract of country” (Baym 654) which is described as “dull, dark and soundless” (Baym 654) is opposed to the idea of a shelter and place to feel safe. Nevertheless, it is the narrator’s contemplation of the house which makes him feel ill at ease:
I know not how it was – but, with the first glimpse of the building, a sense of insufferable gloom pervaded my spirit. I say insufferable; for the feeling was unrelieved by any of that half-pleasurable, because poetic, sentiment, with which the mind usually receives even the sternest natural images of the desolate and terrible (Baym 654)
At this point, the narrator even alludes to his other half, the poetic and sentimental side of the human psyche. He attributes to it a certain method which can relieve and calm the mind even when we face horrible things. By confessing that he is not capable of being sensible of any such a sentiment, he emphasizes his reason and logic he wants to rely on. This again shows an inward self-division, because he is aware of it and reflects on this dilemma:
Summary of Chapters
1 Introduction: This chapter outlines the thesis that the narrator in "The Fall of the House of Usher" is a doubled figure, setting the stage for a psychoanalytic reading of the story.
2.1 Doubling and its effect on the psyche: This section explores historical and psychological theories of the doppelganger and how these concepts manifest in Poe's characters.
2.1.1 Doppelgangers and literary doubling: This chapter delves into the definitions provided by Jean Paul Richter and Webber, linking physical embodiments of the self to the relationship between Roderick, the house, and the narrator.
2.1.2 Psychological dimensions: This chapter applies Freudian and Jentschian theories of the "uncanny" to the narrator's mental state and his perception of the house.
2.2 The effect of the narrative structure: This chapter analyzes how the first-person perspective contributes to the ambiguity and sense of doubling within the text.
2.3 Narrator as therapist and patient: This chapter explores the frequent role changes of the narrator, who shifts between attempting to help Roderick and falling into a state of madness himself.
2.3.1 The house as a mirror: This chapter posits that the house serves as a psychological mirror reflecting the narrator's subconscious and fragmented mental state.
2.3.2 A doubled relationship to Roderick: This chapter examines the evolving, intimate, and often disturbing connection between the narrator and Roderick Usher.
3 Conclusion: This final chapter synthesizes the arguments made throughout the paper, reinforcing the idea that duality is the fundamental structural principle of the short story.
Keywords
Edgar Allan Poe, The Fall of the House of Usher, Doubling, Doppelganger, Uncanny, Psychoanalysis, Narrator, Roderick Usher, Narrative Structure, Subconscious, Duality, Gothic, Madness, Mirror, Identity
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this paper?
The paper examines the theme of literary doubling in Edgar Allan Poe's "The Fall of the House of Usher," specifically focusing on the idea that the narrator himself is a doubled figure.
Which central themes are discussed?
The central themes include the uncanny, the duality of the human psyche, the role of the narrator as both therapist and patient, and the symbolic nature of the house.
What is the main research question or objective?
The objective is to elaborate on how the narrator's internal state reflects a personified duality and to demonstrate that doubling is the essential, unifying effect of the entire story.
What scientific methods are utilized?
The work employs a literary and psychoanalytic approach, incorporating theoretical frameworks from Sigmund Freud, Ernst Jentsch, Otto Rank, and G.R. Thompson to interpret the text.
What does the main body of the work address?
The body covers psychological theories of doubling, an analysis of the narrative structure, and a deep dive into the mirror-like relationship between the narrator, the house, and Roderick Usher.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
The work is characterized by terms such as doppelganger, uncanny, psychoanalysis, duality, and homodiegetic narration.
How does the author define the "house as a mirror"?
The author argues that the house represents the narrator's own subconscious, with its physical state mirroring the narrator's mental decay and division between reason and madness.
What is the significance of the narrator's role as both therapist and patient?
This duality highlights the narrator's loss of control; while he initially approaches Roderick as a helper, he inevitably becomes infected by Roderick's madness, blurring the boundary between observer and participant.
- Arbeit zitieren
- N. Felicissimus (Autor:in), 2014, The doubled narrator. Uncanny doubling in "The Fall of the House of Usher", München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/377802
