E. A. Poe Society of Baltimore

E. A. Poe Society of Baltimore: "The narrator's comparison of Roderick's state to that of 'the irreclaimable eater of opium, during the periods of his most intense excitement' (III, 279) is, in fact, a positive indication according to Poe's ideas about the 'ultimate' existence. Usher's state resembles the mesmeric trance which Poe describes in 'Mesmeric Revelation,' and which, he says, '. . . resembles the ultimate life; for when I am entranced the senses of my rudimental life are in abeyance, and I perceive external things directly, without organs. . .' (V, 250). Roderick's heightened sensitivity seems to suggest how closely he is approaching his metamorphosis."

E. A. Poe Society of Baltimore

E. A. Poe Society of Baltimore: "The analogies with Roderick Usher's temperament are striking. The extreme acuteness of his senses seems to suggest a straining of his being toward that 'ultimate' state in which the whole body becomes one undifferentiated sense-organ. The painfulness of all but the most restrained sensations makes it appear as though the 'circuits' of his 'rudimentary' sense organs are overloaded. This painfulness is to be expected, since Poe considers the pain which man experiences to be integral to human experience on earth, and believes that 'The pain of the primitive life of Earth, is the sole basis of the bliss of the ultimate life in Heaven' (V, 253)."

YouTube - Reissiger: Weber's Last Waltz / Fairy Waltz

YouTube - Reissiger: Weber's Last Waltz / USHER PLAYED THIS ON GUITAR