Masque of the Red Death, Edgar Allan Poe
Masque of the Red Death, Edgar Allan Poe
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Masque of the Red Death

Author: Edgar Allan Poe

Narrator: Patrick Lawlor

Unabridged: 17 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 02/18/2025

Categories: Fiction, Classic

Synopsis

The Masque of the Red Death, a short story written by Edgar Allan Poe, 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, has a masquerade ball within seven rooms of his abbey, each decorated with a different color. In the midst of their revelry, a mysterious figure enters and makes his way through each of the rooms. When Prospero confronts this stranger, he falls dead. The story follows many traditions of Gothic fiction and is often analyzed as an allegory about the inevitability of death, though some critics advise against an allegorical reading. Many different interpretations have been presented, as well as attempts to identify the true nature of the disease of the "Red Death."

About Edgar Allan Poe

Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849) was an American poet, short story writer, editor, and literary critic who is credited with inventing the detective fiction genre and with contributing to the emerging science fiction genre. He began his literary career with the anonymous publication of a collection of his poems entitled Tamerlane and Other Poems. He then turned to writing prose and spent the next several years working for literary journals and periodicals, becoming well known for his particular style of literary criticism. He served for a time on the staff of the New York Mirror, in which his poem "The Raven" was published. Poe's other well-known works include his stories "The Purloined Letter," "The Murders in the Rue Morgue," and "The Mystery of Marie Roget."

Reviews

Goodreads review by Glenn on May 08, 2017

I’ve always sensed a strong connection to Poe’s The Masque of the Red Death, perhaps because I've both played and listen to loads of medieval music, perhaps because I enjoy the art and history and philosophy of that period, or, perhaps because I’ve always been drawn to literature dealing with issues......more

Goodreads review by Michael on February 13, 2018

Fascinating and lurid allegory about a group of people who, on the invitation of "Prince Prospero," lock themselves within a "castellated abbey" to escape the Red Death. The inhabitants of the abbey are provided "all the appliances of pleasure," and boy do they know how to party: "there were buffoon......more

Goodreads review by Ruby on January 07, 2021

This is one of my favourite short stories by Edgar Allan Poe. That final spectral image is haunting, and it also raises the ever-important question of the wealth divide.......more

Goodreads review by Tadiana ✩Night Owl☽ on September 30, 2019

I don't know how I overlooked "The Masque of the Red Death" when I was going through my Poe phase a while back, but someone's review reminded me of it (Thanks, random Goodreads friend!). So I found a copy of it online here and gave it another read to refresh my memory. This story is both less and m......more

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