The Masque of the Red Death - Edgar Allan Poe - A Short Summary and Review
The Masque of the Red Death - Edgar Allan Poe - A Short Summary and Review
By: a.d. elliott | Take the Back Roads - Art and Other Odd Adventures
A Rite of Fancy Book Recommendation and Review
A short summary:
In The Masque of the Red Death, Edgar Allan Poe imagines a kingdom ravaged by a deadly plague. Prince Prospero responds not by tending to his people, but by sealing himself and his privileged court inside an opulent abbey, determined to outwait death with luxury, distraction, and spectacle.
When Prospero hosts an extravagant masquerade, complete with themed rooms and wild revelry, a mysterious figure appears, uninvited and unmistakable. The celebration turns to terror as the truth becomes clear: no walls, wealth, or isolation can ultimately bar mortality from entering.
My favorite quote from the book:
Questions to ponder while reading:
My review:
A chilling parable disguised as a party.
This story asks deceptively simple questions: Can you outrun an illness? Can you dance in the face of death? Can anyone truly isolate themselves from suffering? Poe’s answer is merciless—and unmistakable.
Prospero’s final party is a study in denial. Music plays, wine flows, and laughter rings out while death advances room by room. The story is short, sharp, and deeply ironic, making it something light to read during quarantine—until it isn’t. The lightness curdles quickly into dread.
What lingers after the last page is not fear, but recognition. Poe exposes the illusion of control, especially when privilege mistakes comfort for safety. Isolation, he suggests, is never absolute. Death does not respect borders, locks, or arrogance.
I wonder now, after COVID, whether this story ever stops being timely.
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About the Author
a.d. elliott is a wanderer, photographer, and storyteller traveling through life
She shares her journeys at Take the Back Roads, explores new reads at Rite of Fancy, and highlights U.S. military biographies at Everyday Patriot.
You can also browse her online photography gallery at shop.takethebackroads.com.
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