Edgar Allan Poe and Stephen King: an encounter through the gothic

Abstract

This study sheds a light in two narratives written by authors who belonged to different contexts and historical times: Edgar Allan Poe, a nineteenth century writer, and Stephen King, a contemporary writer. The objective is to analyze Poe’s “The Fall of the House of Usher” and King’s “1408”, by taking into consideration the gothic elements present in both narratives. The methodology is exploratory/qualitative due to the text analysis in which the research is done. One of the most important similarities found between the short stories are the supernatural horror elements, such as: the paranoia and the use of sets and plots that cause horror and fear to readers. We also find some differences, due to the centuries and the style of each writer, such as an ironic style used by King and not by Poe.