adapted from The Fall of the House of Usher
by Edgar Allan Poe
During a dull, dark, and soundless day in autumn, when the clouds
hung oppressively low, I had been passing alone, on horseback, through a
singularly dreary tract of country. At length I found myself, as the shades of
the evening drew on, within view of the melancholy House of Usher. I know
not how it was but, with the first glimpse of the building, a sense of
insufferable gloom pervaded my spirit. I looked upon the scene before
me-upon the mere house, upon the vacant eye-like windows, upon a few
rank marsh plants, and upon a few white trunks of decayed trees with an
utter depression of soul which I can compare to no earthly sensation. There
was an iciness, a sinking, a sickening of the heart-an unredeemed
dreariness which no goading of the imagination could transform into
something sublime. What was it, I paused to think, what was it that so
unnerved me about the House of Usher?
3
Select the correct answer.
Why does Poe choose to begin the story in this way?
O A.
To establish both the physical setting and the mood of the story.
B.
To quicken the pace of the narrative.
C.
To challenge the audience's expectations about what the house is like.
D.
To provide background information about the history of the house.