The Fall of the House of Usher is a short story by Edgar Allan Poe, first published in 1839. It tells the story of the Usher family, a once-great and wealthy family that has fallen into decline. The narrator visits the Usher family estate, where he meets Roderick Usher, the last surviving member of the family. Roderick is a strange and melancholic man, and he tells the narrator of his family's curse, which he believes is responsible for their decline. The narrator soon discovers that the Usher family is haunted by a mysterious and malevolent force. Roderick's twin sister, Madeline, is also afflicted by the curse, and she soon dies. Roderick and the narrator attempt to bury her in the family crypt, but she returns from the grave and causes the house to collapse, killing Roderick in the process. The narrator escapes, and the Usher family is no more.
By Edgar Allan Poe · First published 1839 · Genre: Gothic Fiction, Romanticism, Horror