Edgar Allan Poe’s Mockery of Transcendentalism in “The Fall of the House of Usher” Throughout the development of our culture there have been a large number of literary movements. From existentialism to naturalism, humanism to surrealism, they all play an important role in the development of the literature we read today. One important movement during the nineteenth century is known as the transcendentalist movement. Transcendentalism is a form of idealism. In philosophy and literature, …showed first 75 words of 1318 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1318 total…the transcendentalists strongest beliefs is that more important than a concern about the afterlife, should be a concern for this life. Death is never to be feared. Poe directly attacks this belief. The theme of “The Fall of the House of Usher” is that humans share a universal fear of death. This is displayed directly through Roderick and somewhat indirectly through the narrator. Poe emphasizes that nothing in life will escape time, death, or decay.