The contemporary piece chosen: The Fall of the House of Usher Netflix tv show that is titled after the Poe Story “The Fall of the House of Usher
WHAT TO WRITE ABOUT:
– What the Story “The Fall of the House of Usher” is about in detail
– What the show/episodes are about in detail
– the differences between the show and the story written by the Poe
GUIDELINES:
For this essay, you will select a piece of contemporary/popular art (from roughly the last 30 years) where you see evidence of Poe’s legacy. You may select a television serial, a comic book/graphic novel, a movie, poetry, a short story, or a novel. You should clearly establish where you see elements of Poe’s writing at work in this piece of art. In doing so, you should also identify how it alters Poe’s aesthetics to achieve its own particular set of ends.
Close reading will still be central to this paper. In order to prove the kind of association between Poe and the work of art you select, you must muster textual evidence from some of Poe’s work as well as provide a reading of the contemporary work of art you selected. This process will require acts of interpretation. If you decide to work with something visual, you might want to include illustrations (though they won’t count toward your page number count).
Structure your interpretation of the passage around a single argument or question. In other words, do not just provide a list of comparisons. These comparisons should add up to something—how should the redeployment of Poe guide our reading of your object of analysis (i.e. the contemporary artwork). You’re not just proving influence; you’re providing an account of how intertextuality produces a particular meaning for the reader. Persuade your reader.
While you don’t have to do so, I would encourage you to make use of the critical vocabulary
Your paper must have a title (please be creative).
