The Masque of the Red Death

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The Masque of the Red Death
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• ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849)
Known for what type of literature?
Horror, Suspense, Mystery, Gothic
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Elements of Gothic Fiction

• Setting in a castle or large estate.
• The action takes place in and around an old
  castle, sometimes seemingly abandoned, sometimes
  occupied.
• The castle often contains secret passages, trap
  doors, secret rooms, dark or hidden staircases,
  and possibly ruined sections.
• In some American Gothic fiction, the setting
  might be in an old house or mansion.

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Elements of Gothic Fiction

• An atmosphere of mystery and suspense.
• The work is pervaded by a threatening feeling, a
  fear enhanced by the unknown.

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Elements of Gothic Fiction

• Supernatural or otherwise inexplicable events.
• Dramatic, amazing events occur, such as ghosts or
  giants walking, or inanimate objects (such as a
  suit of armor or painting) coming to life.
• In some works, the events are ultimately given a
  natural explanation, while in others the events
  are truly supernatural.

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Elements of Gothic Fiction

• High, even overwrought emotion.
• The narration may be highly sentimental, and the
  characters are often overcome by anger, sorrow,
  surprise, and especially, terror.
• Characters suffer from raw nerves and a feeling
  of impending doom.

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Elements of Gothic Fiction

• The metonymy of gloom and horror.
• Metonymy is a subtype of metaphor, in which
  something (like rain) is used to stand for
  something else (like sorrow).
• Examples of metonymy
• wind, especially howling
• rain, especially blowing
• footsteps approaching
• lights in abandoned rooms

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Elements of Gothic Fiction

• The vocabulary of the gothic.
• The constant use of the appropriate vocabulary
  set creates the atmosphere of the gothic.

• Mystery
• Fear, Terror, or Sorrow
• Surprise
• Haste
• Anger
• Largeness

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Other works by Poe include

• CASK OF AMONTILLADO
• FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER
• MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE
• THE PIT AND THE PENDULUM
• ANNABEL LEE
• ELDORADO
• THE RAVEN
• THE TELL-TALE HEART

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Literary Focus

• Figurative Language
• Language enriched by word images and figures of
  speech
• Designed to make the reader take an imaginative
  leap to understand the authors point.
• Includes the use of similes, metaphors,
  personification, etc.

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• Figurative Language
• Dead Metaphor Cliché a phrase, expression or
  idea that has been overused to the point of
  losing its intended force or novelty.
• Applies also to almost any situation, subject,
  characterization that has become overly familiar
  or commonplace.
• Cliché in writing or speech can indicate a lack
  of creativity or sincerity.