When the House Breathes and the Garden Watches: Portrayals of Nature in Edgar Allan Poe and Virginia Woolf

Abstract

This study looks at how literary depictions of nature have changed over time, from emotionally intense reflections of human dread in gothic literature to descriptions of nature as self-sustaining forces in modernist writing. The study examines Edgar Allan Poe’s The Fall of the House of Usher and Virginia Woolf’s Kew Gardens to show how both authors use natural elements not just as settings but also as active characters in their stories. Drawing on an ecocritical perspective, particularly Greg Garrard’s, this project analyzes how narrative voice influences our perception of the role of nature in storytelling. By comparing these two distinct stories, the paper emphasizes a broader literary shift: from viewing nature as a mirror of human emotion to seeing it as an autonomous force. Ultimately, this study argues that applying an ecocritical lens to Poe’s and Woolf’s texts reveals a literary shift in narratives of nature.