Laura’s Reviews > Selected Tales > Status Update

The Fall of the House of Usher – I think there’s too much atmosphere and not enough substance; I don’t quite get what happened or why, and feel I’m missing some information to fully understand the ending. As with the other tales, I reckon that if I read some analysis and go back over it, I’ll start to appreciate it more, but at first glance I didn’t really like this one very much.

Eleonora – erm, what?? I don’t think I’ve understood a thing. Am I missing some pages? Right from the start, he tells you that he is an unreliable narrator, but that doesn’t help you understand the ending; it seems to me there’s so little information that there’s nowhere to look to find out whether what’s happening is true or not. What was the point of this?

The Man of the Crowd – Didn't care for it. What annoyed me most is that the opening premise – about some secrets which do not permit themselves to be told, and consciences burdened so heavy in horror that they can be thrown down only into the grave – held so much promise; it was very intriguing, but ultimately I don’t think it delivered. What a disappointment (though perhaps that’s the point).

Ligeia - Although I am aware that Poe preferred Ligeia, it seems to me that Morella (clearly its younger sibling, given the striking similarities) is more well-rounded and tightly-plotted, without wishing to go into further detail about the plot. I did, however, really enjoy the descriptions of the bridal chamber in the abbey.

Morella - A crash course in metempsychosis. I have enjoyed delving into some analyses and possible interpretations; it's not the most unsettling (I thought Berenicë was more haunting) but it's so short that it lets you reread it to really savour the details (though Eddie, mate, was is necessary to say ‘two lustra’? Just say a decade!)

Berenicë - I used an audio narration to make sure I sticked to this for 20 minutes straigh (only parcially succeeded) but appreciated what I'd call the main "horror element" (which was more specific this time) much more than the previous story.

MS. Found in a Bottle - Didn’t enjoy it all that much; I didn’t really get into the atmosphere, so the horror aspect went a bit over my head.