Edgar Allan Poe's "The Masque of the Red Death" provides various symbols of transience in connection with the lack of morality in human behavior

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Edgar Allan Poe's "The Masque of the Red Death" provides various symbols of transience in connection with the lack of morality in human behavior

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Seminar paper from the year 2021 in the subject American Studies - Literature, grade: 1,0, Humboldt-University of Berlin (Amerikanistik/Anglistik), course: Paradigms of American Literature: E.A. Poe, language: English, abstract: In this paper, I will examine the numerous symbols of transience Poe uses in "The Masque of the Red Death" and analyze what they represent and how they contribute or influence the plot of the story. Therefore, I will refer to the work of various literary and social scientists and critics such as Jeffrey Meyers and Sabrina Laurent, but also other scholars from different fields. In addition, I will depict that the events within the short story are intended to give an insight into the negative behavior of humans in order to serve as an example of what morally reprehensible behavior can result in.

Nowadays it is common knowledge that Edgar Allan Poe is one of the most famous representatives when it comes to the involvement of personal experiences and the placement of hidden symbols in short stories and poems. The Masque of the Red Death is no exception and also represents one of Poe's most popular tales. It first appeared in Graham's Magazine in May 1842 and, due to the time it was written, was part of the so-called "Masquerades" along with three other of Poe's stories.

The short story contains a decent amount of symbolism and has therefore often been interpreted differently by many literary scholars over the past years. It was investigated where the origins of the story may lie, which parallels can be drawn to the real world, what basically inspired the story and what morals can be derived from it. But many attempts have also been made to identify the true nature of the disease of the same name. Therefore, the variety of publications on this work is very broad and thus offers different answers and analysis approaches. Still, it is certain that the short story follows many traditions of Gothic fiction and is often analyzed as an allegory about the inevitability of death.