Cover of The Fall of the House of Usher

The Fall of the House of Usher

by Edgar Allan Poe

First published
1928
Reading level
Fairly demanding
Price
Free

About the book

"The Fall of the House of Usher" by Edgar Allan Poe is a short story first published in 1839. A narrator visits his ailing childhood friend Roderick Usher at his decaying family mansion. There he encounters Roderick's mysterious twin sister Madeline, who suffers from a strange illness. As the atmosphere grows increasingly oppressive, the house itself seems alive with malevolent energy. When Madeline is entombed within the estate, terrifying sounds begin echoing through the halls, building toward a shocking climax that binds the fate of the twins to their ancestral home.

  • Short stories
  • Horror tales
  • Gothic fiction

Updated September 2026. Public domain in the USA. Text and summary from Project Gutenberg eBook #932. The Fall of the House of Usher on Wikipedia.

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