The House of Usher is a Gothic novel by Edgar Allan Poe, first published in 1839. The story follows the narrator as he is summoned to the House of Usher, a mansion inhabited by the last surviving members of the Usher family: Roderick and Madeline Usher.
Upon arriving at the House of Usher, the narrator is immediately struck by its atmosphere of decay and gloom. The mansion is described as being in a state of disrepair, with crumbling walls and a general air of neglect. The landscape surrounding the House of Usher is equally desolate, with a stagnant pond and overgrown, untended gardens.
As the narrator enters the mansion, he is greeted by Roderick Usher, a sickly and eccentric man who is the last remaining member of his family. Roderick tells the narrator about the strange illness that afflicts his sister, Madeline, and how he believes the house itself is responsible for her illness. He also speaks of his own peculiar ailments, including a sense of impending doom and a belief that the house is alive and malevolent.
Despite the narrator's attempts to reassure Roderick, the atmosphere of the House of Usher becomes increasingly unsettling. Strange noises and visions haunt the narrator, and he becomes convinced that the house is indeed haunted by some unseen force.
As the story unfolds, the true nature of the House of Usher's curse is revealed. Madeline, it turns out, has been suffering from a rare medical condition that causes her to fall into a deathlike coma, only to awaken later. Roderick, driven mad by his fear of the curse, has locked Madeline in a underground chamber beneath the house, believing that she is already dead.
In the end, the House of Usher itself becomes the victim of its own curse, collapsing in on itself as Madeline, now awakened, escapes from her underground prison. The narrator narrowly escapes with his life, leaving the House of Usher and its occupants behind forever.
The House of Usher is a classic example of Edgar Allan Poe's use of the Gothic genre to explore themes of decay, madness, and the supernatural. Through his descriptions of the house and its occupants, Poe creates a sense of creeping dread and uncertainty that lingers long after the story is over.