Reflection on "Fall of the House of Usher"

I missed class on the day we discussed Edgar Allen Poe's "Fall of the House of Usher."  As a make-up assignment, I examined Poe's use of foreshadowing in the tale. I was asked to place this reflection on our class blog.

Edgar Allen Poe is one of the most
well know authors in this genre.
His works heavily feature Gothic
tropes such as madness and death.

One thing I noticed about this story is that there is a lot of symbolism. Foreshadowing is pretty common within this genre, and Poe himself is a heavy user of foreshadowing, but there seems to be even more than the usual amount in this story. The story opens with a large dose of foreshadowing, as the narrator recollects the vague but persistent aura of uneasiness which plagued him from his very first glimpses of the House of Usher. His mention of Roderick’s letter, which he says speaks to his old friend’s obvious state of mental agitation, also serves to foreshadow things to come. His scrutiny of the dilapidated and structurally unsound appearance of the house, and even the very title of the story serve to foreshadow the literal fall which comes to the House of Usher.
The narrative perspective, like that of most of the other works we have read thus far, is in the first person. This narrative perspective works exceptionally well for this tale, because it allows the reader to witness the catastrophic demise of the House of Usher both as insiders and as outsiders. Since our narrator is not a member of the Usher clan, we witness the events that unfold as outsiders. Neither our heritage, nor the heritage of the narrator is at stake here, so we can approach the disaster with a more unfettered view of the decadence and corruption which has led to this destruction. On the other hand, though, since the narrator is a close family friend of the last members of the House of Usher, we gain a better understanding of the history of the family and the forces which have been at play in undermining the foundation of the House of Usher for centuries. Being able to see the situation from both sides like that really made the tale engaging.