Setting in The Fall of the House of Usher Dark romance was very popular in 19th century America. It is a literary genre that emerged from Romanticism and Transcendentalism. The principles of transcendentalism included seeking God in nature and seeing beyond the physical world. Dark Romanticism examines the conflict between good and evil and the psychological effect of sin and guilt on the human mind. A very famous dark romantic writer is Edgar Allen Poe. Poe is well known for his many poems and short stories. He is also known for the recurring theme of death in his short stories and poems. In the short story "The Fall of the House of Usher" by Edgar Allan Poe, the setting is used to create the atmosphere of the story, foreshadow future events and to portray the characteristics of the characters and show who they really are.Edgar Allan Poe uses the setting to create a melancholic and dark atmosphere in the story. The story begins with an unnamed narrator who is traveling on a “dull, dark, silent day” (Poe 1). The story already has a dark atmosphere, without mentioning Usher's house. Before the narrator enters the house, he describes it as “inverted images of the gray sedge, the hideous tree trunks, and the empty, eye-like windows” (Poe 2). Usher's house looks dilapidated, scary and dark, like a haunted house. The setting in the first two pages creates this sad and scary mood throughout the rest of the story. Poe uses words like “black, empty, decayed, gray, gothic, and slow” to set the mood. This creates a very effective atmosphere in the entire story and the story revolves around the atmosphere in its entirety, showing that this is no ordinary house and that there is evil involved. Edgar Allan Poe uses settin...... middle of paper .. ....uses the setting of the story, "The Fall of the House of Usher", to set the overall mood of the story, to foreshadow what will happen at the end of the story and to show character traits. Poe creates a dark and melancholy atmosphere at the beginning of the story and it is already known that this is not just any house, as it is located in a squalid part of the countryside. As the narrator approaches the house and enters, it is evident that some sort of evil will be involved. The crack in the wall suggests that there will be a tragic end to the story. The setting also reveals the character traits of the Ushers. The narrator sees that they have created their own world and are obsessed with death. Edgar Allan Poe uses the setting of this story to its fullest extent, creating a dark atmosphere, foreshadowing the end of the story and establishing the general character traits..