Never too Late to Read Classics discussion

The Masque of the Red Death (1842), is a short story by Edgar Allan Poe

The story follows Prince Prospero's attempts to avoid a dangerous plague, known as the Red Death, by hiding in his Abbey. He, along with many other wealthy nobles, hosts a masquerade ball within seven rooms of the Abbey, each decorated with a different color. In the midst of their revelry, a mysterious figure disguised as a Red Death victim enters and makes his way through each of the rooms. Prospero dies after confronting this stranger, whose "costume" proves to contain nothing tangible inside it; the guests also die in turn.

Your Host/Discussion Leader is our Moderator Rafael!

This sounds fun.

This story is found in Poe's Tales of Mystery and Imagination.
For years I was afraid to read the stories of Edgar Allen Poe, and I am glad I finally did. He is a very witty writer, with well-crafted stories-including The Masque of the Red Death.

This short story it's a great one. Poe it's a great author and who read his creations would definitely spend a good time.

Everyone find it easily online? If someone did not in the Project Gutenberg webpage (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1064) you will find it in several format options.

I hope you enjoy this read as I like do!

Can we talk about other Edgar Allen Poe stories, Rafael?

Rafael wrote: "This short story it's a great one. Poe it's a great author and who read his creations would definitely spend a good time.

Everyone find it easily online? If someone did not in the Project Gutenber..."

Thank you, Rafael. I've just found a free Kindle version on Amazon. I haven't read anything by Poe before, so this will be an interesting challenge.

One of my favourite Poe stories is The Purloined Letter.

A superb analysis of Poe by a fellow writer who himself is no slouch (DH Lawrence).
http://xroads.virginia.edu/~HYPER/LAW...
Just one of many wonderful essays available.

Poe is also discussed at length by Edmund Wilson in his collection of essays on symbolist literature: Axel's Castle: A Study of the Imaginative Literature of 1870-1930;

and he also is analyzed wonderfully by legendary horror writer HP Lovecraft in his unusual 1927 essay 'the Supernatural in Literature':
http://www.hplovecraft.com/writings/t...

Finally, a savory study of Poe's early years and development as a writer by poet WH Auden is found in this collection of some of his literary criticism: Forewords and Afterwords

'Red Death' is one of my personal faves because it is overall, so lurid and set in such an abstract fantasy-environment; the bleak landscape outside and the garish outpost of the castle keep standing in it alone. I'd probably name it one of my top 3 rather than his stories set in France, or elsewhere in our familiar world.

Rosemarie wrote: "Can we talk about other Edgar Allen Poe stories, Rafael?"

I guess we can. But I guess we should focus in this short story, what not means we only talk about this one.

I finished The Masque of the Red Death last night. I read it twice just to "see" all the "visual" again. It's one of those stories where I can picture everything--the dancers, the ebony clock, the black room with blood-red light. I loved the story and want to read more of Poe.

I have just reread this and am amazed at the visual impression created by Poe in such a short time. Those rooms must have been strange, especially the red and the black. A spooky setting for the unmasking of the uninvited guest.
The people living there thought they could escape the doom of the unfortunates who were not guests of the duke- but that was not to be.

One thing Auden points out (and I agree with) is that with Poe --as with almost no other author-- the most well-known of his stories are often not usually even his best. 'Masque' is an exception to the rule but in general, yeah. Everyone knows 'The House of Usher' and 'Pit and the Pendulum' because they are always anthologized first. But he's got scads of forgotten gems.

I thought that The Premature Burial, despite its title, was witty and I really enjoyed the ending.

I guess that The Black Cat was a great story, very frightening one. Poe's genius was so bizarre and macabre that I've been thinking how he could create such horrid stories. It's awesome.

This one was very engrossing. The ticking of the clock made me want to revisit the Tell Tale Heart. I just find Poe's Prose to be so much better than the poetry. However, I'll admit that I'm not a poetry fan.

Poe is a mix bag for me while I enjoy some of his works others not so much.

I read Tales of Mystery and Imagination and fell in love with Poe's gothic tales right then and there.
I love the way Poe can suggest with only a few words that the chime of the clock in the seventh room makes everyone stop... until the chime fades, and there is a light laughter and the ball gets back underway. How spooky would that be?
You have to wonder with Masque - is the figure real, or is it death walking amongst them?
The prince and his thousand courtiers had been enclosed in the abbey for 5 or 6 months - how did the Red Death get in?
So fascinating. And the Red Death stalking through the waltzers? Chilling.

I read this today, the first time I've read anything by Poe. I can see why people think it's a clever story, but I had expected much more from such a well-known writer. Perhaps I just don't really like short stories & prefer to see characters & their stories develop.

Well, it's unfortunate but all Poe does are short stories --one play, one novel--essays--and a good many very elaborate, ornate poems with rich, classical language. Perhaps that's all his fitful, wayward lifestyle allowed him. He constantly struggled for money and recognition, suffered a severe drinking problem (absinthe, as I recall?); and he worked as the humble staff editor of a magazine reviewing other author's stories. For more fully-evolved American novels written in that era...h'mmm...it was still early days yet. Nothing much to recommend except Herman Melville. Twain was still a long ways off. There were the adventure novels of James Fenimore Cooper but any work of Poe puts Cooper well in shadow. I encourage you to read more of his titles; after all, they're short and succinct; and you might begin to discern a subtle and intricate pattern begin to form as you take them together. This author is one of the few American men-of-letters who was genuinely influential around the world; in this case he was responsible for a profound and long-lasting trend in European literature (the symbolist movement). He's always talked about in the same degree as the very highest ranked European authors of the same 150 yr period. We don't have very many names like this; Poe is always well-deserving of our thoughtful exploration. A cause for pride, (to my way of thinking anyway). The 1800s didn't yield a lot of American authors but the few we can boast of (Melville, Poe, Twain) are as good as it gets anywhere on the globe. Just thinking out loud here, hope no one minds my enthusiasm...

Feliks, thanks for the interesting information about Poe. I'll be reading more of his short stories. I so enjoyed the language of Masque.

You're very welcome. It's always a treat to discuss this man. You know what? During most of his career (the early part, anyway) he was mostly scorned and laughed at, even by his own family. As Auden puts it, (and I'll paraphrase) Poe was perceived by many as a kind of clumsy, socially-awkward, tongue-tied, brooding, "ne'er-do-well" whom today we would label a 'loser'. Someone 'going nowhere'. His family was embarrassed by him; he seemed to have no prospects; he could barely hold a job. He spent his free time stewing-in-his-own juices and scribbling out these 'crazy stories'. Auden reminds us that we all know individuals like this; either one of our own relatives or found among the children of our friends. There's always these 'over-artistic' types who waste their time on apparent 'balderdash' and 'rot'. We never give them very much credit. It's probably our nature--when we Americans see someone not being energetic or business-like, we style them 'backward' and 'lazy'. And yet one of them --like Poe--occasionally turns out a hero. Poe died without enjoying one iota of his accomplishments. Imagine how much he would have been gratified to know how famous his name went on to become.

Thank you, Feliks - it's interesting to know more about the author.

I think I was in 5th grade when I grabbed my older sister's copy of Poe's short stories off her shelf. She was a bit goth (even though this was back in 1975) and always saying things like "Nevermore" in a creepy voice. I knew she was quoting Poe's Raven so I sat with a dictionary to help me with words I didn't understand and devoured every story in the compendium. I loved all of it! It was so real and fresh I find myself terrified to this day by the idea of being lured to a wine cellar and sealed inside to die a la The Cask of Amontiallado!

I remember babysitting a neighbours two little boys a long time ago(BC-before cable). They got one channel and it was showing The Tell-Tale Heart by Poe. I only lived half a block away, in a very small town, but boy was that walk scary.

Since then, as a substitute teacher, I have read that story with a Grade Eight class. It wasn't nearly as scary as that black and white movie!

I've seen a lot of black'n'white horror movies but I don't recall that one. It's also rather a short story with few characters. I'll have to look it up and see who produced it.

Do you all know the story of the mysterious flowers--delivered and laid on Poe's grave--by an anonymous sympathizer, annually, for over a decade|? This takes place in Philadelphia, always under cover of darkness. I don't believe anyone ever found out who the person was. The ritual may still be going on, I haven't checked in on it in some time. I used to ghost-hunt in Philadelphia (until our van broke down).

Great inputs, Feliks! Thank you for that.

Someone here watched the movie about this short story? This one http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058333/c.... Prospero was played by Vincent Price.

Hammer Films. Vincent Price, Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, and Edgar Allen Poe all go together, yep.

But the lurid color productions, hammy scripts (and not to mention scenery-chewing performances by Price) don't do Poe justice.

Where his short stories shine is in radio plays. I will try to post links for them.

In the meantime, how about a look at some of Gustave Dore's illustrations for Poe's works? If you don't know this legendary French artist, you are in for a treat.

He drew visuals for Dante's 'Inferno', Coleridge's 'Mariner', Poe, and I forget-what-else. He excelled with dark-themed works.

Anyway, these are for 'The Raven' but you can imagine--from these astounding images--what he might have done with 'Masque'.

http://ncummings.com/poe/raven_4.htm
http://artsycraftsy.com/dore_raven.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gustave...

I love the Doré's illustrations for Dante's work. And these illustrations for Poe's works are pretty.

The illustrations are eerie and capture the poem so well.

I haven't read Poe in a very long time... but wow. Now I remember why I enjoy his stories so much. This imagery in this short story so easily conjured up the images at they were meant to do. And the chromatic detail was sublime!

Some questions to you:

How do you feel about Prince Prospero? What thoughts do you have about him? Do you feel connected to him?

Do you think that Poe have some message to send to the readers? If your answer it yes, what message?

I thought Prince Prospero was very arrogant.

The elements which leap out to me are these:

1) Class issues. The nobleman gathers up all his 'favorites' --everyone like him who is wealthy and privileged--and they all take refuge in his castle while the plague outside, devastates more common, everyday folk. Also: the name 'Prospero'.

2) Social issues. When the figure appears and roams through the colored rooms, he creates apprehension but also, everyone is disgusted with his 'bad taste' in costume. He is reminding them of what they left outside.

3) The play-on-words of 'masque' which means 'costumed party' and 'masque' which can mean a false-face worn at such a party.

4) The final confrontation between Prospero and the mystery figure; where Prospero tries to prise the death's head from the face of the stranger, only to find it can't be removed. Highly symbolic. The story could probably have been told no other way given these very stark components.

5) Finally, after all this would I treat it on the level of a simple horror story; being able to imagine myself in the shoes of the partygoers; and feeling fright and loathing at the onset of a mortal pestilence when by all rights it should be banished outside the walls.

4) The last paragraph, when Poe remarks that the Red Death now rightfully rules the land (instead of Prospero), is very fine indeed.

This was my first read of Poe since high school (and I don't remember what I read of his then). I enjoyed this and will definitely read more Poe in the future.

I thought it was an interesting comment on society, where those who have money or influence can attempt to escape or hide from unpleasant events.

To me, this story formed a huge contrast with the true story of the village Eyam in Derbyshire (England). Villagers voluntarily agreed to put themselves in quarantine when bubonic plague reached them in 1666, so that the infection was not spread from them to other places nearby. Only a few people in the village survived.

Trisha wrote: "I thought it was an interesting comment on society, where those who have money or influence can attempt to escape or hide from unpleasant events."
I was thinking along the same line, however in the end they didn't escape.

Feliks wrote: "The elements which leap out to me are these:

1) Class issues. The nobleman gathers up all his 'favorites' --everyone like him who is wealthy and privileged--and they all take refuge in his castle ..."

Great inputs. Thank you.

Trisha wrote: "I thought it was an interesting comment on society, where those who have money or influence can attempt to escape or hide from unpleasant events.

To me, this story formed a huge contrast with the ..."

I did not know about this village. What an altruism by them! Unfortunately they were not saved.

another story in a similar vein is the famous "Burghers of Calais" which became a famous life-sized group of statues carved by Auguste Rodin.

Calais, France--under siege in the 1500s or so (I forget the exact date) was told by the commander of the surrounding army that he would mercifully not slaughter the whole town if they offered him five volunteers to be put to death as a 'token sacrifice' instead. I forget how the five citizens were chosen; but it was always a 'heroic legend' in France (supposedly that these 5 people had nobly stepped forward, without a qualm). Rodin sculpted them as they probably would have behaved in real life: agonized, frozen with fear; weeping. It caused a controversy but art prevailed over patriotic feeling.

Rafael, I hope you don't mind me commenting on "The Raven" here. Although I didn't enjoy the Red Death book, after reading comments from other members & seeing the illustrations mentioned by Feliks I decided to try the Raven. I thought the rhythm was good but otherwise didn't like it. (The Kindle version I read was badly presented, which didn't help.) I'm disappointed.

Trisha, if you want to read one of Poe's shorter poems, I recommend the short poem called To Helen. The last two lines of the poem are quite famous. The mood is quite different than in The Raven.

If there are any Sherlock Holmes fans out there, I recommend the short story called The Purloined Letter. If you read it, you will know what I mean. It is more of a puzzle than anything else-about a missing letter.

Rosemarie wrote: "Trisha, if you want to read one of Poe's shorter poems, I recommend the short poem called To Helen. The last two lines of the poem are quite famous. The mood is quite different than in The Raven.

..."

Thank you so much, Rosemarie - I'll look for this. There's so much to learn!

I have learned a lot about books from members of this group, and others on goodreads. It took me this long to read the short stories of Edgar Allen Poe, and I am a granny. His novel, The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket is entertaining.

I found "To Helen" on Wikipedia - I see what you mean, Rosemarie. But having found it, I looked there for The Raven too - it made a lot more sense & was displayed much better with an interesting explanation. I also found the Purloined Letter online (on pagebypagebooks.com) & thought it was quite cleverly written. Thank you for your help.

You're welcome.

Trisha wrote: "Rafael, I hope you don't mind me commenting on "The Raven" here. Although I didn't enjoy the Red Death book, after reading comments from other members & seeing the illustrations mentioned by Feliks..."

For sure I do not mind anyone to comment other works here. on't worry!

I am sorry you did not like it. But every book have who like then and who don't, so, it's fine.

Poe's poetry is written in a very ornate, classical style and is not always easy to assimilate. But he was very gifted in this art.

One just has to flip through them and find the ones which 'work for you' by random chance.

'Annabel Lee' is a favorite of many; for instance.

My own fave is 'Ulalume'. What does it mean? I'm not sure. But it has these superb lines:

The skies were ashen and somber,
The leaves were crisp and sere.
It was a day in mid-November,
In my most immemorial year...

What a super quote, Feliks! It's a perfect description of a November day.