Read the sentence below and answer the following question:

during the whole of a dull, dark, and soundless day in the autumn of the year, when the clouds hung oppressively low in the heavens, i had been passing alone, on horseback, through a singularly dreary tract of country, and at length found myself, as the shades of the evening drew on, within view of the melancholy house of usher. —poe, "the fall of the house of usher"

what has the author done to create a tone of seriousness in this piece?

Read the excerpt from poe’s "the fall of the house of usher." his ordinary occupations were neglected or forgotten. he roamed from chamber to chamber with hurried, unequal, an objectless step. the pallor of his countenance had assumed, if possible, a more ghastly hue -- but the luminousness of his eye had utterly gone out. which statement best describes the effect of the narration on the story? the narration reveals usher’s feelings of discouragement. the narration reveals usher’s absent-mindedness after his loss. the narration suggests usher’s confusion in the wake of his loss. the narration suggests usher’s mental decline after his sister’s death.