Expressive means and sylistic devices

The story under analysis is rather big, that is why E. A. Poe used a lot of different stylistic devices. The very beginning of the story the starts with the word “DURING”, which is capitalized, because the author wanted to emphasize, that the narrator saw the house of Usher during his ride on the horse and he was going there to meet his old friend. But there are some other evidences of capitalization in the story like “FEAR” or “HOUSE OF USHER”. The capitalization of “HOUSE OF USHER” is used at the very end of the story to denote, that it is the end of its existance

To emphasize the whole utterance the writer uses enumeration in his story several times : “I had so worked upon my imagination as really to believe that about the whole mansion and domain there hung an atmosphere peculiar to themselves and their immediate vicinity-an atmosphere which had no affinity with the air of heaven, but which had reeked up from the decayed trees, and the gray wall, and the silent tarn--a pestilent and mystic vapour, dull, sluggish, faintly discernible, and leaden-hued.” “The windows were long, narrow, and pointed, and at so vast a distance from the black oaken floor as to be altogether inaccessible from within.” “An air of stern, deep, and irredeemable gloom hung over and pervaded all.” “A small picture presented the interior of an immensely long and rectangular vault or tunnel, with low walls, smooth, white, and without interruption or device.”

Of course to stress and to draw the eaders attention to something important the writer uses inversion: “Such, I have long known, is the paradoxical law of all sentiments having terror as a basis.” “The room in which I found myself was very large and lofty.” “The words of one of these rhapsodies I have easily remembered.” I say that even their exceeding density did not prevent our perceiving this--yet we had no glimpse of the moon or stars--nor was there any flashing forth of the lightning.” “Here, it will be remembered…”

To describe the setting, the main characters and generally to describe the development of the events in the story, the writer provides epithets: “entire family”, “individual stones”, “original title”, “vivid force”, “ebon blackness” and others.

While reading the story we come across  a rhetorical question: “There can be no doubt that the consciousness of the rapid increase of my superstition--for why should I not so term it?” E. A. Poe uses this stylistic device to develop the idea and to continue the utterance.

The author also uses repetitions: “It was this deficiency, I considered, while running over in thought the perfect keeping of the character of the premises with the accredited character of the people, and while speculating upon the possible influence which the one, in the long lapse of centuries, might have exercised upon the other--it was this deficiency, perhaps, of collateral issue, and the consequent undeviating transmission, from sire to son, of the patrimony with the name…” “The now ghastly pallor of the skin, and the now miraculous lustre of the eve, above all things startled and even awed me.” “Thus, thus, and not otherwise, shall I be lost.” (ordinary repetition) “His ordinary manner had vanished. His ordinary occupations were neglected or forgotten.”( anaphora)In such a way the writer wanted to stress the emotional state of Mr. Usher. His sister died and he lost the only relative. He was so sad, that he could do even some ordinary things.“"And you have not seen it?" he said abruptly, after having stared about him for some moments in silence--"you have not then seen it?”. It was at night and it seemed to Roderick as if he saw his sister. He was so shocked, that he repeats the same question to the narrator to make sure, the he saw the same.

The use of polysyndeton is also present in the story: “A striking similitude between the brother and sister now first arrested my attention; and Usher, divining, perhaps, my thoughts, murmured out some few words from which I learned that the deceased and himself had been twins, and that sympathies of a scarcely intelligible nature had always existed between them.” “. I will read, and you shall listen;--and so we will pass away this terrible night together.” The author uses this stylistic device to create some rhythmical arrangement and to make the narration more dynamic and tense.
The narrator haven't seen his friend for a long time and, of course, Roderick Usher changed very much. In his description we come across asyndeton, which makes this description more tense and dynamic. It seems like a constant flow of thoughts, because the narrator was rather surprised:
"A cadaverousness of complexion; an eye large, liquid, and luminous beyond comparison; lips somewhat thin and very pallid, but of a surpassingly beautiful curve; a nose of a delicate Hebrew model, but with a breadth of nostril unusual in similar formations; a finely moulded chin, speaking, in its want of prominence, of a want of moral energy; hair of a more than web-like softness and tenuity; these features, with an inordinate expansion above the regions of the temple, made up altogether a countenance not easily to be forgotten."

The author uses litotes to convey our doubts as to the exact value or significance of the object of speech. In this particular example he wants to convey our doubt about Madeline:  “These appearances, which bewilder you, are merely electrical phenomena not uncommon--or it may be that they have their ghastly origin in the rank miasma of the tarn.”

From the first sight it seems, that this is an example of simily, but "web-like" is an epithet based on simily, which the author uses to in the description of Roderick, when the narratior describes him:“…hair of a more than web-like softness and tenuity; these features, with an inordinate expansion above the regions of the temple…”