Twenty-first century author Alexandra Iftodi Zamfir (1986- ) argues that “architecture and settings are more important in Gothic fiction than in any another type of literature…all the architectural elements are closely connected to the Gothic protagonists and the plot.” (Zamfir. 2011: 15). This critical essay will first consider and analyze this statement and investigate the style, language and form of American author Edgar Allan Poe's (1809-1849) macabre and gothic fictional prose The Fall of the House of Usher (1839) (Poe. 1987 : 1). I will present and discuss how the artistic effects deployed in the narrative structure create an atmosphere of tension and suspense, through the exploration of architectural space demonstrated in a careful reading and analysis of key passages of the text. The Fall of the House of Usher was written by the American author and poet Edgar Allan Poe, first appearing as a Gothic short story in Burton's Gentleman's Magazine in (1839) (Hayes. 2002: xvii). Poe was writing in a time of immense changes in social, economic, and cultural conditions following the technological advances of the Industrial Revolution (1750-1850). His work on The Fall of the House of Usher can be said to show an impact of Western society internal and external fragmentation. (Mountain: 2006). As stated by Zamfir “the universe portrayed in the House of Usher is Poe's most sublime work... in humanizing a dwelling to portray the inner self of the Gothic hero, but it also represents an investigation of the self in a state of disintegration." (Zamfir. 2011: 62). This process of disintegration is reflected both in the architectural structure of the house itself; as the building gradually corrodes, in addition to that of the ps...... middle of paper ......_of_Space_in_Gothic_Architecture. [Accessed 11 May 2012]Giordano, R. (2005-2011) Poestories.com: An Exploration of Short Stories by Edgar Allan Poe. [Online] Available from: http://www.poestories.com/. [Accessed September 24, 2011]Gunn, A.G. (1997-2002) Cyclopedia of ghost story writers. [Online] Available from: http://www.jb.man.ac.uk/~agg/ghosts/#poeea. [Accessed 24 September 2011]Hallqvist, C. (2001) The Poe Decoder. [Online] Available from: http://www.poedecoder.com/. [Accessed 24 September 2011]Montagna, JA (2006) The industrial revolution. [Online] Available from: http://www.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/1981/2/81.02.06.x.html. [Accessed 11 May 2012]Pridmore, J. (1998-2011) Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849). [Online] Available from: http://www.literaryhistory.com/19thC/Poe.htm. [Accessed 24 September 2011]