Edgar Allan Poe was a 19th century American author known for works of the Gothic genre. The Gothic style features bleak or remote settings, macabre or violent incidents, and characters experiencing psychological or physical torment. Poe aimed for a "single effect" in his writing, focusing on creating an intense mood or sensation. The document provides background on Poe and the Gothic style as an introduction for students to analyze his short story "The Fall of the House of Usher".