FREDDIE ROLPH UNIT 2: SPACE ONLINE GREEN LIGHT REVIEW

Author Biography
Edgar Allan Poe was born in Boston Massachusetts on January 19th 1809 with the name Edgar Poe, orphaned from a young age due to the untimely death of his mother Poe was unofficially adopted by John and Frances Allen and so he in turn adopted the name Allen into his own.

Poe was one of the earliest writers to live solely off the money he earned through his writing thus leading to a difficult life and career. However his popularity exploded soon after his unfortunate premature death in 1849 of unknown circumstances. Poe is considered to be the inventor of the Detective Fiction genre and is renowned for his ability to create deep emotional tone within his work, specifically feelings of fear and guilt which are most noticeable in his more famous works which include The Raven, The Fall of the House of Usher and The Pit and The Pendulum.

Poes work has influenced American literature and literature worldwide as well as many philosophical theories and theories of Cosmology (Cosmology is the discipline that deals with the origin, structure, and space-time relationships of the universe or a theory or doctrine describing the natural order of the universe) and Cryptography (Cryptography is the practice and study of techniques for secure communication in the presence of third parties). For my second Unit I was given The Fall of the House of Usher and The Pit and The Pendulum which are considered to be two of Edgar Allen Poes more dark and gothic writings. The setting and the period of these pieces allow me to have very stylised and almost fantastical approach to this project.

The Fall of the House of Usher

Plot Synopsis
The Fall of the House of Usher is considered by many critics to be the best example of Poes literary capabilities. The story begins and we are introduced to an unnamed narrator who has received a letter from a boyhood friend, one Roderick Usher, asking for assistance in light of an illness that he has succumbed to. We arrive at the House of Usher to find it in a state of disrepair. We find out that Rodericks twin sister, Madeline is also ill, and can sometimes fall into curious deathlike trances. During one of these trances Roderick tells the narrator that his sister has died and needs to be entombed in the family vault before being buried properly. At this point in the story the narrator begins to read a novel in order to calm Roderick but as the story progresses ripping and cracking sounds are heard in the house, and as it reaches its climax screams are heard echoing through the house. Roderick becomes hysterical and insist that the noises they are hearing are in fact made by Madeline who is still alive down in the family tomb. The story concludes with the death of both Roderick and Madeline and the narrator fleeing from the house turning just in time to see the house falling into the tarn that surrounds it (a tarn is a large pool formed by Glacial erosion.)

There is a huge amount of description in this book specifically when describing the house itself upon the narrators approach to the House of User. I am very much interested in capturing this scene in particular as it is the first time we are introduced to this house of which this whole story is built around. During the story Roderick Usher expresses to the narrator his beliefs that the house is sentient and that walls, ceilings and even the plant life that surrounds the property all share the same sentience.

Another scene that I am keen to tackle is the interior where we first meet Roderick Usher. Deep within the house we find ourselves inside a huge hall with incredibly high windows and bookcases adorning the walls, musical instruments littering the floor, tattered antique furniture inhabiting the floor space. The whole scene has an air of gloom about it and a remarkable sense of an organised mess where the place is tidy but still dusty and old and somewhat infirm as though no one actually lives there. The narrator describes Rodericks paintings with reference to British Painter HenryFuseli who was originally born in Sweden (17411825.)

Adaptations and Appearances in popular Culture

Films

La Chute de la maison Usher (France, 1928) by Jean Epstein. The Fall of the House of Usher (US, 1928) by James Sibley Watson and Melville Webber. The Fall of the House of Usher (UK, 1949) directed by Ivan Barnett. House of Usher (a.k.a. Fall of the House of Usher and The Mysterious House of Usher) (1960) by Roger Corman with Vincent Price. The Fall of the House of Usher Starred Denholm Elliott and Susannah York in the UK ITV series Mystery and Imagination (1966) (TV). '"Znik domu Usher" (The Fall of the House of Usher) (1980) (animated version by Jan vankmajer). "Histoires extraordinaires: La chute de la maison Usher" (1981) (TV) with Mathieu Carrire. Revenge in the House of Usher (1982). The Fall of the House of Usher (1982) (TV) with Martin Landau and Ray Walston. "El hundimiento de la Casa de Usher'" (1983) by Jess Franco with Howard Vernon. The House of Usher (1988) with Oliver Reed. Usher (2004) by Robert Leatherwood. The House of Usher (2006). House of Usher (2008) by David DeCoteau. The Fall of the House of Usher (short film) (2011) by Nathan Wrann.

Plays

The Fall of the House of Usher (1974) adaptation by Steven Berkoff The Fall of the House of Usher (2009) musical adaptation written by Brent Cirves and composed by Mike Johnson for the 2009 Capital Fringe Festival and the New York International Fringe Festival

The Pit and The Pendulum

Plot Synopsis
Following the Edgar Allen Poes Theme we are introduced to an unnamed narrator who is being held captive during the Spanish inquisition. He is placed before a bench of judges and brought to trial. We are given no indication as to the nature of the circumstances that lead to this mans arrest or why he is being trialled nevertheless he is condemned to death and he finds himself inside a pitch black room which we later find out to be a cell with a deep pit at the centre. After losing consciousness several times the narrator awakens to find the room now has a faint light about it and that he is bound by the wrists and ankles to a table as he draws his gaze upwards he sees a vicious looking scythe-like pendulum swinging back and forth above him and getting ever so slowly lower with each swing. Fortunately however the narrator is able to attract some rats with some leftover bits of food, the rats chew through the bonds just as the pendulum is about to slice into his chest he breaks free of the ropes and watches as the pendulum is drawn back to the ceiling. Then suddenly the walls start moving in, pushing him to the centre of the room and towards the pit. The narrators fate seems inescapable as he nears the brink of the pit, the walls give him no more footholds. As he begins to fall into the pit, he hears voices. The walls rush back and an arm catches him. The French Army had entered Toledo. The Inquisition was in the hands of its enemies.

Adaptations and Appearances in popular Culture

Le Puits et le pendule (France, 1909) Dir. Henri Desfontaines. The Pit and The Pendulmum (England, 1913), Dir. Alice Guy-Blach. The Pit and the Pendulum (1961) Dir. Roger Corman. A novelization of the film was written by Lee Sheridan adapted from Richard Matheson's screenplay in 1961 and published by Lancer Books in paperback. The Pendulum, the Pit and Hope (1983) Dir. Czech Surrealist Jan vankmajer. The Pit and The Pendulum (1991) Dir. Stuart Gordon. In 2006 an award-winning stop-motion animated adaptation of the story was produced under the 'Ray Harryhausen Presents' banner. The Pit and The Pendulum (2009) Dir. David DeCoteau. Benders Big Game : Futurama (2008) Parody scene.