A obsessão em Edgar Allan Poe: um olhar psicocrítico sobre “Berenice”, “O Coração Delator” e “A Queda da Casa de Usher”.

Abstract

This study investigates obsession as a central and multifaceted element in the work of Edgar Allan Poe, focusing on the short stories “Berenice,” “The Tell-Tale Heart,” and “The Fall of the House of Usher.” The research analyzes how obsession develops and impacts the characters, articulating with themes such as madness, guilt, and death. Using a psychocritical approach, the study dialogues with psychoanalytic concepts such as “fixed idea” (Esquirol) and “The Uncanny” (Freud), revealing Poe’s pioneering intuition about the functioning of the unconscious. The adopted methodology is qualitative, interdisciplinary, and bibliographic, with critical analysis of the texts and grounding in primary and secondary sources. The results demonstrate that obsession transcends mere characterization, acting as a narrative engine that drives characters to ruin and reflects the deep conflicts of the human psyche. It is concluded that the gothic setting and aesthetic elements intensify the obsessive state, consolidating Poe’s legacy at the intersection of literature, psychoanalysis, and philosophy.