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?
A. To quicken the pace of the narrative.
B.
C.
To provide background information about the history of the house.
To challenge the audience's expectations about what the house is like.
OD. To establish both the physical setting and the mood of the story.
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