Essay written by Henry George
             When reviewing Nathaniel Hawthorne's Tales, Edgar Allen Poe pronounced that the
             short story, if skillfully written, should deliver a single preconceived effect- an effect
             upon which incidents be fashioned to accommodate that effect. Edgar Allen Poe was
             indeed a skillful writer. His short story, "The Fall of the House of Usher" is a flawless
             example of a story in which all elements contribute to the delivery of a single emotional
             effect. Poe accomplishes this by achieving a perfect tone, developing suspense and
             unifying stylistic elements thereby meeting his own criteria.
             In his pronouncement Poe also wrote that "In the whole composition there should be no
             word written, of which the tendency, direct or indirect, is not to the one
             pre-established design." Thus, in "The Fall of the House of Usher" Poe creates a perfect
             tone critical to the delivery of his preconceived effect. The senses of "insufferable
             gloom," "utter depression of soul" and " sinking, sickening of the heart" which pervade
             the narrator's spirit immediately establish the tone. The narrator's description of the
             scene as "dull," "dark," "bleak," "desolate" and "terrible" all function in communicating
             the tone. These concrete and denotative words ensure a clear and solid tone is
             conveyed to the reader thereby contributing to the overall effect of terror. The regular
             use or repetition of the words "dark," "gloomy" and "oppressive" in some form serves
             function to further define and emphasize a perfect tone. It also perceivable that Poe's
             choice in the narrator's role being the participant supports his intent to communicate
             consistent feelings; hence consistent tone. In order to strengthen his already
             established tone, Poe selectively uses imagery in scenes of terrible nature. The imagery
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