The Fall of the House of Usher（厄舍府的崩塌）

The tale opens with the unnamed narrator arriving at the house of his friend, Roderick Usher, having received a letter from him in a distant part of the country complaining of an illness and asking for his comfort.

爱伦·坡：美国著名的诗人、小说家和批评家，在世界文学史上占有重要地位，是恐怖小说、科幻小说、侦探小说的鼻祖，其作品对二十世纪西方文学产生重要影响。他最有影响的是恐怖小说，如《厄舍府的崩塌》、《黑猫》、《“红死病”的化装舞会》，这些小说往往有离奇的情节、神秘怪诞的故事、浓重的恐怖气氛。