Edgar Poe "Masque of the Red Death" and other stories

The Masque of the Red Death

1. Full tittle

The original tittle was “The Mask of the Red Death”, but in 1845 it changed to “The Masque of the Red Death”.

2. Type of work

This story is written as a short narrative.

3. Genre

It belongs to the genre of mystery and horror.

4. Time and place written

It was written in 1842 in Philadelphia, where Poe lived during a short period of time.

5. Publisher (both the original and abridged stories)

The story was first published in 1842 in Graham’s Magazine¸ where he worked as editor. However, a few years later, in 1845, a revised version was published in the Broadway Journal. The abridged version was published in 1997 by Burlington books.

6. Narrator (who tells the story)

This story is narrated by an omniscient narrator, who tells the story but doesn’t belong to it.

7. Point of view (first-second, third point of view)

It was written in a third point of view.

8. Tone (How the story is told, i.e. formal, informal, serious, ironic)

Its tone is serious when it’s talking about the Red Death and the suffering that it causes, but also uses an ironical tone when describing the happy ignorance and carelessness of Prince Prospero and his friends.

9. Tense (Use of present, past or/and future tenses)

The tense used in the narrative is the past tense, as the narrator tells it like it happened a long time ago.

10. Protagonist or protagonists

As the tittle indicates, the main protagonist is the Red Death. The other could be Prince Prospero, because he is the reason why there is a party in his castle.

11. Themes

The main themes are the lack of concern of the rich people towards the suffering of the poor, and death itself.

12. Symbols

One symbol is the different colors of the rooms representing different types of personalities. Prince Prospero’s castle, at first it’s a building to protect the guests from the Red Death, but in the end it’s like a prison where no one can escape death. The moral of this story could be “you get what you deserve”, explaining the fatal end of Prospero and his friends, punished for being indifferent to others’ suffering.

The Pit and the Pendulum

1. Full tittle

The tittle is “The Pit and the Pendulum”.

2. Type of work

Like the masque of the red death, this is a short story.

3. Genre

The genres are horror and mystery.

4. Time and place written

It was written in 1842 in Philadelphia.

5. Publisher (both the original and abridged stories)

It was first published in 1843 in The Gift: A Christmas and New Year's Present and a second time in 1845 in the Broadway Journal. The abridged version was published in 1997 by Burlington Books.

6. Narrator (who tells the story)

The story is narrated by the main character.

7. Point of view (first-second, third point of view)

The narrative is in a first point of view.

8. Tone (How the story is told, i.e. formal, informal, serious, ironic)

It’s told by a very serious tone, due to the fear of the main character of death.

9. Tense (Use of present, past or/and future tenses)

It’s narrated in a past tense.

10. Protagonist or protagonists

The main character is the man sentenced to death by the Inquisition, although his name is unknown. Another character is the Inquisition.

11. Themes

The themes are death as a punishment, and the terror of the protagonist through the story, knowing his fatal fate.

12. Symbols

The pit represents the fate he cannot escape, death. He avoids the pendulum, but not the pit. He knows that he will die there. The pendulum could be the Inquisition itself, trying

...