The Masque of the Red Death Decay and the Red Death held dominion over all". Directly influenced by the first Gothic novel, Horace Walpole's "The Castle of Otranto", in "The Masque of the Red Death" Poe adopts many conventions of traditional Gothic fiction, including the castle setting. The multiple single-toned rooms may be representative of the human mind, showing different personality types. The imagery of blood and time throughout also indicates corporeality. The plague may, in fact, represent typical attributes of human life and mortality, which would imply the entire story is an allegory about man's futile attempts to stave off death (a commonly accepted interpretation).
The Boat Race 1842 22 lengths in the previous year's race. They led overall with four wins to Oxford's one. Cambridge University Boat Club received the challenge to race from the Oxford University Boat Club secretary Fletcher Menzies in late 1841, in which it was proposed that a race between the universities should take place in late June or early July 1842. Cambridge rejected the suggestion, maintaining that an Easter race would be preferable. A challenge from their captain, John Ridley, was then sent to Leander Club, whose reply bemoaned the fact that they had insufficient numbers to provide an eight, suggesting a four