“ I dread the events of the future, not in themselves, but in their results. ”
Edgar Allan Poe, The Fall of the House of Usher (1839). copy citation
| Author | Edgar Allan Poe |
|---|---|
| Source | The Fall of the House of Usher |
| Topic | fear future consequences |
| Date | 1839 |
| Language | English |
| Reference | |
| Note | |
| Weblink | https://www.gutenberg.org/files/932/932-h/932-h.htm |
Context
“He suffered much from a morbid acuteness of the senses; the most insipid food was alone endurable; he could wear only garments of certain texture; the odors of all flowers were oppressive; his eyes were tortured by even a faint light; and there were but peculiar sounds, and these from stringed instruments, which did not inspire him with horror.
To an anomalous species of terror I found him a bounden slave. «I shall perish,» said he, «I must perish in this deplorable folly. Thus, thus, and not otherwise, shall I be lost. I dread the events of the future, not in themselves, but in their results. I shudder at the thought of any, even the most trivial, incident, which may operate upon this intolerable agitation of soul. I have, indeed, no abhorrence of danger, except in its absolute effect—in terror.” source
To an anomalous species of terror I found him a bounden slave. «I shall perish,» said he, «I must perish in this deplorable folly. Thus, thus, and not otherwise, shall I be lost. I dread the events of the future, not in themselves, but in their results. I shudder at the thought of any, even the most trivial, incident, which may operate upon this intolerable agitation of soul. I have, indeed, no abhorrence of danger, except in its absolute effect—in terror.” source
Meaning and analysis
