Edgar Allan Poe’s short story The Masque of the Red Death is a prime example of his Gothic horror fiction. Poe evokes a dark and eerie mood in a story that focuses on images of blood and death, while the personification of the Red Death lends an element of the supernatural. The Masque of the Red Death embodies Poe’s mastery of the short story; in addition, it illustrates his literary philosophy. According to Poe, a short story should be tightly focused so that every word, from beginning to end, contributes to the overall effect. In this story, powerful imagery and an illusive narrative voice are tightly woven into a macabre tale of horror with insight into the human condition.

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“The Masque of the Red Death: Introduction.” Short Stories for Students. Ed. Marie Rose Napierkowski. Vol. 8. Detroit: Gale, 1998. eNotes.com. January 2006. 15 August 2007.