Customer Reviews

Edgar Allan Poe's the Masque of the Red Death

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When I was in the third grade this book came out in the Troll Book Order Club. (Now a part of Scholastic, if I'm not mistaken) I think it was all of $1.97.
It quickly became one of my favorites. The years went by, I buried it in a multitude of other children's books that I outgrew and proceded to forget about.
When I graduated college with my Elem. Ed. degree, I reclaimed all of my books from home and put them in my "professional" library. :)
Ten years later, I've never read this to a group of kids without them sitting on the edge of their seats. Waiting... Wondering what the prince will find...
It's always the most popular book in my classroom library.
I need to replace my original, actually, because it was loved so much it disappeared. ;)

Edgar Allen Poe (1809-49) is one of the most famous of American authors of mysterious and macabre stories, certainly the most famous 19th century one. The Masque of the Red Death was first published in 1842, and is rightly considered one of the greatest works of Gothic horror ever penned.

When the story begins, a strange and deadly plague is stalking the land. When the disease is contracted, the victim is dead within a half hour, bleeding from every pore, giving the ghastly disease its name, the "Red Death." The strange and demented Prince Prospero decides to defeat the disease by sequestering himself and a thousand courtiers in a sealed-off abbey, where they can lead a life of comfort, safety and sensuality. But, when the Prince throws a masquerade ball, there appears among the guests a figure dressed as one who died of the Red Death. Why is he dressed like that, and who is it beneath the costume?

I must say, it is easy to see why this is considered a classic of American literature, and why it is still such a popular read over 150 years after it first appeared! I found the story to be quite scary, in the older way, without recourse to blood and severed limbs, and keeps you glued to your chair reading it. I am now quite sorry that it took me so long to get around to reading this story, it's great, and I highly recommend it.

SPOILER BELOW:

By the way, there are those who see this story as something of an allegory, with the seven rooms of the prince's suite representing the journey of life, with the final, black room representing death. Prince Prospero (prosperity?) runs through life, finally meeting his end in the black room of death. Well, I don't know about that, but read it for yourself and see what you think!

The book The Masque of the Red Death is by Edgar Allan Poe. I thought this book was great. It is about a ghost that haunts a castle. All the people were scared and they could not escape the ghost. The "red death" killed many people. If you want to find out what happens you should read this book.