The City In The Sea Poem Explained: What Verna’s Warning To Madeline Means

Verna recites Edgar Allan Poe’s The City in the Sea poem to Madeline in The Fall of the House of Usher — its significance in the show’s overarching story is deeper than it seems. In its eight-episode runtime, Mike Flanagan’s The Fall of the House of Usher features several references to Edgar Allan Poe’s poems and stories. While some of these are mere name-drops, not adding any heft to the series’ storylines and character beats, others play a crucial role in adding layers to the show’s thematic explorations of mortality and morality.