Poe and The Masque of the Red Death

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An 8 page research paper/essay that examines Edgar Allan Poe’s short story “The Masque of the Red Death.” This short story has been extensively interpreted as an allegory by scholarship. Situated within a canon that is renowned for its chilling effect on the reader, as well as Poe’s often enigmatic plots, “The Masque of the Red Death” can also be viewed as representing the apex of this thematic trend in Poe’s work as this story can be interpreted as the embodiment of humanity’s instinctive reaction against the knowledge that everyone will eventually succumb to death’s ultimate dominion. This interpretation becomes evident by examining the structure of the narrative, the characterization and, most prominently, by the way in which Poe suggests the identity of the narrator. Bibliography lists 6 sources.