TITLE:
A Feminist Interpretation of The Fall of the House of Usher
AUTHORS:
Nanwei Zeng
KEYWORDS:
The Fall of the House of Usher, Feminist Criticism, Edgar Allan Poe
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Social Sciences,
Vol.11 No.5,
May
30,
2023
ABSTRACT: 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.