Sunday, August 21, 2011

The Masque of the Red Death -By Edgar Allan Poe

A thousand of the favored joined their decadent prince behind high walls and welded gates. They engaged in bizarre celebrations while the Red Death raged outside--until one cryptic figure showed them the true horror in "The Masque of the Red Death".

For reasons I can't fully explain, I have always had a fascination with Edgar Allan Poe and his talent for telling such grand and morose stories. When I read his stories and poems, I find myself utterly amazed by his talent. I can't even begin to fathom how he came up with his works of fiction. Actually, he goes into such great and unique detail in his poems and stories that he almost makes me believe that he didn't fabricate them at all; which makes it seem all the more creepy, and I totally dig it!

I am also extremely intrigued with the mysterious circumstances surrounding his death. Apparently, he was found on the streets of Baltimore, delirious and in bad shape. He was then taken to the hospital, where he was out of it most of the time, and therefore unable to give any explanation as to what happened to him and why he was found wearing someone else's clothes (weird, huh?). It is said that on the night before his death, he was heard repeatedly calling out the name "Reynolds". To this day no one knows who this "Reynolds" character was. No one knows what his exact cause of death was either, and Poe's death certificate and medical records were lost. I suppose the nature and manner of his death could all be chalked up to him being a drunk (apparently he had an alcohol issue) who's behavior became increasingly more erratic after he lost his wife; therefore allowing his addiction to possibly be the cause for his demise. But we shall never know. Either way, the mystery only adds to his allure.







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