Three Short Gothic Romanticism Stories

One of the interpretations of "The Fall of the House of Usher" by Edgar Allan Poe is that Usher's nervousness and weakness is a result of Madeline Usher being a vampire. This interpretation could possibly stem from Madeline Usher's unusual behavior. Usher mentions a "constitutional and a family evil, and one which he despaired to find a remedy"(Poe 235). This shows that something is going on and Usher is trying to hid it the best he can, the quote is speaking of a disease in which had infected his family and he wishes to get rid of. The fact he is not bluntly stating it and that no doctor can cure it adds the suspension of something more supernatural, since it is Gothic Romanticism this is well expected of Poe to add a supernatural element into his stories.  Also with Madeline not even acknowledging the fact that there is a guest in the house and just strolls on away like nothing is going on gives her a real zombieish, undying feel, she doesn't even care what is going on and just continues on completely unaffected by the current events. During the storm we see the narrator slowly becoming more and more anxious and weary and Usher becoming more insane and mad. Whenever the narrator is reading the story he starts hearing different noises and Usher waits till the end until he rambles on about hearing the noises for a very long time.When the narrator final gets out of the house and looks back upon the house he witnesses the fall of the house of Usher.

Gothic Fiction writers expresses criticism of human nature mostly indirectly by showing the insanity or the obliviousness of people. While they emphasize on insanity and more mock the obliviousness it is still a criticism none the less. In "The Fall of the House of Usher" by Edgar Allan Poe Usher kept rambling on about how he "heard them-many, many days ago- yet I dared not-I dared not speak. And now- to-night- Ethelred- ha! ha!- ..." (Poe 245). This shows the insanity of Usher and how he is becoming more and more mad as the story progresses to the point he isn't making direct since but vaguely  explaining what is happening. It appears that most Gothic Fiction writers express a general idea of human nature. Their idea could conclude that people are insane and completely irrational. Human nature is depicted as spontaneous and completely irrational thus giving off the since of insanity.

Southern Gothic Romanticism and Life Saving and a gal names Emily

What is Southern Gothic Romanticism?

Southern Gothic Romanticism is a writing style that is a version of Gothic Romanticism but in the more Southern parts of America. It is generally darker, more mysterious, and talks about the parts of life that at the time most people tried to ignore (Example would be death). Southern Gothic Romantic authors took what is generally seen and took it to much deeper levels. These two works, "The Life You Save May Be Your Own" and "A Rose for Emily", show Southern Gothic Romanticism writing styles by having a darker love story that is southern based, and show a more grotesque side.
In "A Rose for Emily" she shows a darker side to love by keeping her deceased husband on a bed upstairs, and every night she goes to sleep next to his corpse. Emily, in "A Rose for Emily", is an elderly women who gets away with more crimes than most. She has been in the town for generations and no others remain from her generation. Faulkner stated "Alive, Miss Emily had been a tradition, a duty, and a care; a sort of hereditary obligation upon the town...". This quote not only explains why the townsfolk don't make her pay her taxes but also how she is to the town. Not so much as she is sneaky and being sly but mostly because the towns people felt sorry for "Poor Emily". Emily doesn't leave her house very much, the only person that comes to or from her house is Tobe, her servent.
Flannery O'Connor, author of "The Life You Save May Be Your Own", is the typical Romantic author, with a twist. He has the whole hopelessness and  twisted love. The hitchhiker is what makes it different and darker. The hitchhiker "makes the story work" because he adds the sense of mystery to the story. The hitchhiker, in the end, is unknown if alive or dead, or even what is wrong with him, why he snapped or the reason he acted so oddly. These questions we cannot answer as the reader all we can go off of is O'Connor saying "A cloud, the exact color of the boy's hat and shaped like a turnip, had descended over the sun, and another, worse looking, crouched behind the car." So what happened to the boy and who he was is a mystery to the reader and we must decide it for ourselves.