Edgar Guest

Dropping Like Flies Edgar Allan Poe pens the dark short story, “The Masque of the Red Death” to comment on the new outbreaks of the times. The short story describes a young prince, Prospero, who secludes himself and his guests from the “Red Death” to protect them, but ultimately he fails because everyone dies. It correlates historically to the bubonic plague of the early 1300s. Although Poe does not specify what prompted him to write his short story, he intertwines the historical events such…

We all know it, the feeling that you get when you are immersed in an eerie short story or poem. In some cases, one can even lose track of time when a creepy, dark tale captivates all of their attention. Speaking of dark and creepy tales, Edgar Allen Poe and Joseph Sheridan LeFanu could be considered masters of horror. “The Fall of the House of Usher,” “Masque of the Red Death,” “The Raven,” and “The Black Cat” are all well known works written by Poe. These all have the traditional horror story…

dark romanticism period of several authors such as Nathaniel Hawthorne, Edgar Allan Poe, and Joyce Carol Oates. In their various pieces they have a gothic theme, with many dreary aspects to their setting to intensify the meaning of their pieces and to show the gothic theme. Two of these pieces that are very similar, but also very different at the same time demonstrate a parallel theme, ‘The Fall of the House of Usher’ by Edgar Allan Poe and ‘Where is Here?’ by Joyce Carol Oates. ‘In The Fall of…

Edgar Allen Poe once said, “Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before.” Poe had some horrific experiences throughout his lifetime, and those thoughts show up in his writing. In “The Masque of the Red Death” there is a disease that is spreading throughout the country. The majority of it’s citizens have fallen to this disease and the prince had decided to seclude himself into a castle and throw a party,…

Well-known author and poet, Edgar Allan Poe, was born January 19, 1809, and died October 7, 1849, at age 40. Poe has many different works that vary from dreary short stories to dismal poems. Some may say that his stories were inspired by tragic life events he had went through. Poe’s mother, his wife, and his foster mother, have all passed away from tuberculosis, which could have led to the dark mood and deaths in many of Poe’s stories and poems, which has also led to many of the similarities in…

In the short story, “The Masque of the Red Death” Edgar Allan Poe utilizes symbols to evoke a chilling and doleful mood. Prince Prospero ruled during a time of disease and turmoil. However, instead of mourning for the loss of his dominions, he invited many high ranking elites to a party, and left “the external world to take care of itself” (1). The unfair nature of the matter creates a depressing mood, and Prince Prospero, who symbolizes the end of feudalism, holds responsibility. In addition to…

Red Death by Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe delivers his that no can escape death in his short story “The Masque of the Red Death” through symbolism, setting and narration. The story takes place during the dark ages where the bubonic plague is devastating the land killing off thousands. The bubonic plague is a horrendous disease that cause a gruesome death. The author states that it causes “sharp pains and sudden dizziness and then profuse bleeding at the pores, with dissolution” (Edgar Allan…

Edgar Allen Poe’s Gothic Fiction “Mask of the Red Death” takes place in a kingdom struck by plague in Prince Prospero's abbey. Prospero hosts his party in his isolated abbey to try and protect himself and his rich friends. Eventually a character known as the Red Death shows up and kills everyone. Within Prospero’s abbey there are seven colored rooms which are blue, purple, red, green, orange. white, and finally the black room representing death. The colors of the room’s represent the different…

The macabre mood Edgar Allen Poe is so famous for provoking in his readers is crafted in “The Masque of the Red Death” by utilizing his ominous symbolism. “The Masque of the Red Death” is already presented as an eerie, evil story just within the presentation of the title. The short story is riddled with obvious and not so obvious symbols, all which contribute to the mood and overall effect of the story. The castle itself is an important symbol of wealth and the…

Edgar Allan Poe, a dark and mysterious writer, a poet, a “subsequent” author. Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Poe was left alone at a young age, with the disappearance of his father, and death of his mother early in life. Already we see Poe has been through a seemingly dark life. He published his first book at eighteen and made not a dollar. Went in the military and was dismissed after skipping classes. His life lives on with his writing, not life from the grave.…