The one time im ready to turn in a responsive paper...and I didn't even need it!
Edgar Allan Poe's short story "The Masque of the Red Death" was first published in 1842. In the orginial publication the title was given the English spelling of "mask", yet it was changed in masque. According to dictionary.com, mask comes from: French masque, from Italian maschera, from Medieval Latin masca, specter, witch, mask. Interesting..
In this macabre tale, a Prince Prospero seals himself and a thousand of his friends into the abbey of a castle in order to protect them from a deadl pestilence--The Red Death--that is ravaging the country. But when the group indulge in a lavish costume ball in order to distract themselves from the suffering and death outside their walls, the Red Death, disguised as a costumed guest, enters and claims the lives of everyone present. The story is narrated in a manner which gives it the quality of a myth, allegor, or fairy tale, exploring themes of man's fear of death, sin, madness, and the end of the world.
This tale is a prime example of Poe's Gothic horror fiction. Poe evokes a dark and eerie mood in a story that focuses on images of blood and death, while the personification of the Red Death lengs an element of the supernatural. "The Masque of the Red Death" embodies Poe's mastery of the short story; in addition, it illustrates his literary philosophy. According to Poe, a short story should be tightly focused so that every word, from beginning to end, contributes to the overall effect. In "The Masque of the Red Death," powerful imagery and an illusive narrative voice are tightly woven into a macabre tale of horror with insight into the human condition.
Neha,
I'd have o go back and re-read it to get that indepth. I'll post examples in the actual blog entry. Right now, though, I'm just focused on getting my blog portfolio done to be honest.
"...powerful imagery and illusive narrative." Good phrasing. But what was the point in the story that you found most powerful in terms of imagery? Images are not necessarily synonymous with imagery.
Posted by: Neha at September 26, 2005 01:59 PMI love Poe. His stories are creepy, but I like them. I didn't know that mask meant all those things. Poes work always has such interesting twists to it. They lock themselves in to protect themselves, but they die anyway.
Posted by: Dee Pruett at September 25, 2005 09:03 PM