“The Masque of the Red Death” by Edgar Allan Poe has its place as one of the strongest examples of Gothic Fiction in the literary world to date, and is therefore a spectacular candidate for close analysis. The most particular and interesting part of the odd short story is its style; more specifically how it’s style emphasises the allegorical nature of the work. Among the more unusual devices that Poe uses to deliver his message is the language and sentence structure within the text, which not only tells of the story but is also part of it and it’s heavy intentional symbolism. The question, then, to be asked is what Poe was trying to convey in the structure and word choice of this short story. The answer is, of course, much longer and more exciting
…show more content…
The best example of this is in the second to last paragraph, where the sentence beginning with “But with a certain nameless awe…” and ending with “...while none followed him on account of a deadly terror that had seized upon all” (Poe) is a stunning nine lines long - much too long to quote in its entirety. This lengthening is meant to represent that the nobles have all run out of time, and the thing that they had been running away from has finally caught up to them. In the last paragraph, however, the sentences return to their original length. The sinister finality of the first sentence in the last paragraph, “And now was acknowledged the presence of the Red Death” (Poe), creates a sudden stop and signals to the reader that time goes on in death as in life.
In conclusion, it’s obvious that Poe was intricately detailed with his language in “The Masque of the Red Death”. His use of elaborate word choice and varying sentence structure contribute positively both to the overall style of the work and to its allegorical meaning. The words work as the ebony clock does; they remind the reader that death is inescapable, and will one day come for them. In true Edgar Allan Poe fashion, his goal was to bring the world to terms with it’s foolishness in trying to out-run
The best example of this is in the second to last paragraph, where the sentence beginning with “But with a certain nameless awe…” and ending with “...while none followed him on account of a deadly terror that had seized upon all” (Poe) is a stunning nine lines long - much too long to quote in its entirety. This lengthening is meant to represent that the nobles have all run out of time, and the thing that they had been running away from has finally caught up to them. In the last paragraph, however, the sentences return to their original length. The sinister finality of the first sentence in the last paragraph, “And now was acknowledged the presence of the Red Death” (Poe), creates a sudden stop and signals to the reader that time goes on in death as in life.
In conclusion, it’s obvious that Poe was intricately detailed with his language in “The Masque of the Red Death”. His use of elaborate word choice and varying sentence structure contribute positively both to the overall style of the work and to its allegorical meaning. The words work as the ebony clock does; they remind the reader that death is inescapable, and will one day come for them. In true Edgar Allan Poe fashion, his goal was to bring the world to terms with it’s foolishness in trying to out-run