The Masque of the Red Death
| The Masque of the Red Death | ||||||||||||
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Illustration by Abigail Larson. |
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The Masque of the Red Death is a short story written by Edgar Allan Poe and first published in 1842. This story is in the public domain.
It tells the tale of a prince who locks himself and all his friends behind the walls of an abbey during a pandemic, where they can party the days away until the infection known as the red death dies down.
Personal
| Own? | No. |
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| Read? | Audiobook read by Basil Rathbone. |
| Finished | 2017-11-14. |
I read this story as part of my goal to better familiarize myself with classic authors.
Review
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Overall: |
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— This section contains spoilers! —
Good
- The masquerader in the red death plague is a pretty interesting character.
- The story has a pretty creepy plot.
Bad
- Overall, I found the story to be kind of dull and predictable. The moment I read that the prince was trying to weather the plague by locking himself and his friends in an abbey, I knew they were all going to become infected, although I have to admit, the stranger in the masque was an unexpected vector.
- I don't get how the prince dies in the end. Is it simply from attempting to touch the ghostly form?
- I'm assuming Poe was trying to teach a moral lesson by punishing the wealthy prince for thinking he was above the plague and partying while everyone else was dying, rather than use his wealth to research a cure or treatment or at the very least being humble and thankful for his relative safety. However, the reality is, holing up during a pandemic really is a wise and effective way to prevent becoming infected.
Ugly
- Nothing.
Media
Illustration by Jeff Davis. Mixes in a seven deadly sins theme.
Illustration by Somniferum.
Illustration by Nahrin Sarkisova.
Links
