Vocabulary in The Fall of the House of Usher

So extreme or overwhelming that it cannot be endured or tolerated; here describing a crushing, unbearable sense of gloom that seizes the narrator the moment he sees the house.

Spread through every part of something completely, the way a smell fills a room; here the gloom soaks into the narrator's entire spirit rather than touching only part of it.

Robbed of courage or composure, leaving a person shaken and unable to think steadily; the narrator cannot explain what has stripped away his sense of calm.

The act of looking at or thinking carefully and steadily about something; here the narrator's sustained, troubled gaze at the mansion itself.

Made worse or more intense; here the narrator's dread is deepened and sharpened by a half-pleasant, poetic feeling that normally accompanies gloomy natural scenes.

Completely empty of warmth, life, or comfort; bleak and forsaken in a way that produces deep sadness in anyone who looks upon it.

A small, dark, still mountain lake or pool; here the black, stagnant body of water that lies directly in front of the Usher mansion and eventually swallows it.

A complete absence of feeling, interest, or energy; a settled, unshakeable indifference to everything around one, described here as one of Madeline's chief symptoms.

Lasting only a very short time before passing away; here describing episodes of Madeline's illness that come and go rather than remaining constant.

Relating to catalepsy, a condition in which the body becomes rigid and unresponsive, mimicking death, while the person may still be alive and conscious inside.

Completely defeated or stumped; here Madeline's disease has resisted every attempt by her doctors to understand or treat it, leaving them without answers.

A disease or illness, especially one that is serious, lingering, or hard to diagnose; used here to refer to the mysterious condition that has been killing Madeline.

Pushy and intrusive in a way that draws unwanted attention; here describing the doctors' inquiries as aggressive and prying rather than simply professional.

Hard, exhausting physical effort; here the difficulty and strain required to climb back up through the oppressive lower passages of the house after sealing the vault.

Fastened tightly shut by turning screws into place; here the act of sealing Madeline's coffin lid so it cannot be opened from the inside or outside without tools.

Dangerously thin and wasted away, with flesh visibly reduced to almost nothing; here describing Madeline's body after her ordeal of being buried alive and fighting free.

A long, narrow crack or split running through a solid surface; here the crack in the wall of the Usher mansion that rapidly widens until the entire structure collapses.

Loud, chaotic, and violently disordered; here describing the roaring, crashing sound that accompanies the final destruction of the house.

A sphere or circular body; here referring to the full moon, whose entire round disk suddenly blazes into the narrator's view through the widening crack in the house.

In older usage, a heavenly body that orbits another, specifically the moon orbiting the Earth; here used as a formal, archaic term for the moon itself.

A firm decision reached after deliberation; here the decision Roderick has made to place Madeline's body in the vault rather than in the family's exposed burial ground.

Empty inside, producing a dull, echoing sound when struck or moved; here emphasising that the coffin is an enclosed, resonant space in which Madeline's faint movements could be heard.

A state of extreme, uncontrollable emotional agitation, often involving wild fear or excitement that overwhelms rational thought; here describing Roderick's escalating mental breakdown.

A violently rotating column of wind; here part of the unnatural storm that tears at the house in the final scene, contributing to its destruction.