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Illustrated cover for The Masque of the Red Death by Edgar Allan Poe

Short story · 1842

The Masque of the Red Death

Edgar Allan Poe

Aya Saleh · Ink & Ivy

Short story · 1842 · American · Romantic

The Masque of the Red Death

Edgar Allan Poe

Prince Prospero seals a thousand nobles inside an abbey while plague takes the country.

AllegoryGothic fictionShort storyPlagueMortalityPrivilegeTime

Reading edition

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How to read it

Seven coloured rooms running east to west: a life measured out in décor, with the ebony clock counting toward the black chamber no wealth can renovate.

Whole-work summary

Prince Prospero seals a thousand nobles inside an abbey while plague takes the country.

Where to read & what to read about it

More by Edgar Allan Poe