The Fall of the House of Usher is a short story produced by Edgar Allan Poe, a
famous writer who is known for short stories and poems. The story, featuring
Gothic style, narrates the collapsing of an ancient noble family. Since it is
an ancient and male-dominated family, it features feudalism and patriarchy.
Under such circumstance, it is inevitable that Madeline, the only woman of this
family, is oppressed by her male counterpart Roderick and her life is
manipulated by him. Despite sufferings in the Usher family, Madeline the
oppressed develops herself from a traditional woman who totally relies on her
male counterpart and the family to a progressive one who finally fights for
herself. Meanwhile, the feminist movement sweeps out the West and Madeline, as a progressive woman, can be regarded as a
representative of the movement. This essay intends to, from the
perspective of feminism, analyze Madeline’s status in the Usher family, her
subversion and her characteristics.
References
[1]
Chang, Y. H. (2019). The Paradox of Edgar Allan Poe’s Feminine Ideal. In International Conference on Advanced Education, Management and Humanities (Vol. 1, pp. 265-269). Atlantis Press. https://doi.org/10.2991/aemh-19.2019.50
[2]
Dayan, J. (1994). Amorous Bondage: Poe, Ladies, and Slaves. American Literature, 66, 239-273. https://doi.org/10.2307/2927980
[3]
Dougherty, S. (2001). Foucault in the House of Usher: Some Historical Permutations in Poe’s Gothic. Papers on Language and Literature, 37, 3-24.
[4]
Hayes, K. J. (2004). The Cambridge Companion to Edgar Allan Poe. Cambridge University Press.
[5]
Johanyak, D. (1995). Poesian Feminism: Triumph or Tragedy. College Language Association Journal, 39, 62-70.
[6]
Li, X. W., & Liu, L. H. (2014). On the Multi-Identities of the Beauties in Stories by Allan Poe. Foreign Language Education, 35, 77-81.
[7]
Peeples, S. (2004). The Afterlife of Edgar Allan Poe. Camden House.
[8]
Poe, E. A. (1840). Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque. Lea and Blanchard.
[9]
Poe, E. A. (1846). The Philosophy of Composition. Graham’s Magazine, 28, 163-167.
[10]
Stovall, F. (1925). The Women of Poe’s Poems and Tales. Studies in English, 5, 197-209.
[11]
Timmerman, J. H. (2003). House of Mirrors: Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Fall of the House of Usher”. Papers on Language and Literature, 39, 227-244.
