| Roderick Usher | |
|---|---|
 | |
|
Real Name |
Roderick Usher |
|
First Appearance |
The Fall of the House of Usher (1839) |
|
Original Publisher |
Burton's Gentleman's Magazine |
|
Created by |
Edgar Allan Poe |
Origin[]
Illustration by Arthur Rackham for "The Fall of the House of Usher" by Edgar Allan Poe
Roderick Usher is the twin of Madeline Usher and one of the last living members of the Usher family. Roderick writes to the narrator, his boyhood friend, about an ongoing illness. When the narrator arrives, he is startled to see Roderick's eerie and off-putting appearance.
Roderick Usher is a recluse. He is unwell both physically and mentally. In addition to his constant fear and trepidation, Madeline's catalepsy contributes to his decay as he is tormented by the sorrow of watching his sibling die.
According to Terry W. Thompson, Roderick meticulously plans for Madeline's burial to prevent "resurrection men" from stealing his beloved sister's corpse for dissection, study, or experimentation as was common in the 18th and 19th centuries for medical schools and physicians in need of cadavers.
Roderick and Madeline are twins and the two share an incommunicable connection that critics conclude may be either incestuous or metaphysical, as two individuals in an extra-sensory relationship embodying a single entity. To that end, Roderick's deteriorating condition speeds his own torment and eventual death.
Like Madeline, Roderick is connected to the mansion, the titular House of Usher. He believes the mansion is sentient and responsible, in part, for his deteriorating mental health and melancholy. Despite this admission, Usher remains in the mansion and composes art containing the Usher mansion or similar haunted mansions. His mental health deteriorates faster as he begins to hear Madeline's attempts to escape the underground vault she was buried in, and he eventually meets his death out of fear in a manner similar to the House of Usher's cracking and sinking.
Public Domain Appearances[]
All published appearances of Roderick Usher from before January 1, 1931 are public domain in the US.
Some notable appearances are listed below:
Public Domain Literary Appearances[]
- The Fall of the House of Usher (1839) in Burton's Gentleman's Magazine
- Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque (1840)
Public Domain Film Appearances[]
- La Chute de la maison Usher (1928)
- The Fall of the House of Usher (1928)
Public Domain Stage Appearances[]
- La chute de la maison Usher (1908-1917)