Outside a dark creepy and terrifying castle, a endless rain was falling , the infernal thunder was rumbling, darkness there and nothing more. The castle seemed to be sinister. I, Hannah was seventeen ans I had organized a mask ball with high school mates. All the girls from my Sunday-school class were coming, and four of the best have boys as well.

      The atmosphere in the castle was really strange, strange and strange. The corridor was narrow and oppressive, the floor creaked and we had a humid sensation.

      I was dressind in a pink summer dress when suddenly I thought about Thomas Henry Smithson and Ralph Wellings. Thomas was conscientious, lumberingly polite for anything whereas Ralph, who was a strange boy, was a little, fat and wild. I had a bad foreboding.

      I ran out of the room, worried to look for my mother. When she crossed into the corridor, the light switched off/on, off/on, off/on, off/on... I found that strange, strange, strange... I entered my mum's room. Mum was behind the window and she was looking at the gloomy weather. I approached her and took her hand but she didn't move anymore, anymore...and anymore. Suddenly she clapped her hands and she pushed a frightening howling. There was a furious, tremendous,gigantic flash of lightning. I was so surprised that I jumped. My eyes was looked into the miroir. A scary vision appeared then I fell back unconscious.

    Later, I woke up in a hospital bed. The room was spoiled and very dusty and a foul smell all around. When I looked in there was the room, I saw an unknown woman who called me « Grandma ».

Question: Say in what way The Masque of the Red Death  is " gothic "  ?

Firstly, this short story is " gothic " because the action takes place in an abbey. Furthermore, in the text is writes " Gothic window looked out upon a corridor... " .

Then, this short story is " gothic " because there is the presence of an atmosphere of mystery and suspense. Indeed, with the eccentric castle of Prince Prospero and his seven exceptionnel rooms. To my mind, it plays a symbolic role but more particularly " the black chamber ". Unlike to others rooms where the color of the windows correspond to the decoration of the room, in it's completely different. In fact, the panes were scarlet (a deep blood color) and her tapestries was black velvet. 

Moreover, The Masque of the Red Death is " gothic " because there is the presence of Supernatural but also inexplicable events. Suddenly, the apparition of THE "RED DEATH"- spectral image. As soon as this suspect "character" appeared he created the panic in the crowd. The whole assembly ignored Who was it and why he beared a fancy dress as strange...

( This one wear a strange costume :

- a mask ( impression= countenance of a stiffened corpse )

- he was shrouded from head to foot in the habiliments of the grave

We can notice that his costume is in link with the first theme because this appearance was no orinary : so, mystery and suspense. )

To conclude, Edgar Allan Poe has made this short story "Gothic" because it adopt a dark atmosphere, suspense in his writing but also worrying and frightening elements. Furthermore, there is a lot of description and rich and varied vocabulary.

                          Problématique : ( 2nd dossier )

             “Rewriting - Pastiche – Parody :    How do literary works echo one another? »”

                         Le "je" de l'écrivain / Le "jeu"de l'écriture                                                  

je = I

jeu = game

Le "je" de l'écrivain : 

An autobiography is a text in which the author is the narrator, and he/she tells his/her own story.

A first person narrative is a text in which one of the characters is the narrator.

A thind person narrative is a text in which the narrator is outside the.

Le "jeu" de l'écriture : 

Writers often have fun :

*** they play with words ( they can invent words )

*** they play with homophones ( I / eye )

*** they play with the setting of the text ( acrostyches )

*** they can write distorted texts, parodies or pastiches

                                                 Biography of Edgar Allan Poe

Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849), the father of the modern mystery, was born in Boston on January 19, 1809.

He was educated in Virginia and England as a child. It was during his later years at West Point that he showed a remarkable propensity for writting prose. As early as the age of 15, he wrote these words in memory of a female acquaintance. "The requiem for the loveliest dead that ever died so young".

Indeed, Edgar Allan Poe's first love was poetry, although he was unable to make a living at it early on, he was able to publish two small volumes during these early years.

Only after becoming an assistant editor at the Southern Literary Messenger in Richmond, Virginia, in 1835 did Poe's literary talents start to blossom. It was at this time in his life that Poe fell in love with his 13-year-old cousin Virginia. Their marriage forced him to find a source of income. When the editor of the Messenger offered employment, Poe eagerly accepted.

During his tenure at the Messenger, Edgar Allan Poe was an editor as well as a contributor. In early 1836, Poe was credited with "between 80 and 90 reviews, six poems, four essays and three stories, not to mention editorials and commentaries." (Edgar A. Poe: Mournful and Never-Ending Remembrance)

Poe was to work for several publications as both editor and contributor. His career as an editor coincided with his growth as a writer. While working in Philadelphia for Burton's "Gentleman's Magazine" in 1839, Poe's work continued to flourish. At this time in his career he still was not secure financially, but his work was being recognized and praised, which helped greatly in furthering his reputation. During his tenure at Burton's he wrote such macabre tales as "The Fall of the House of Usher," and William Wilson. Tales like these psychological thrillers were to become Poe's trademark.

In 1841, Edgar Allan Poe began working for a man named George Graham, who offered him 0 a year to work for him as an editor. While at Graham's, Poe was preparing his famous work, "The Murders in the Rue Morgue," for publication.

Published in April 1841, this story featured Auguste C. Dupin, the first-ever fictional detective. Poe's "tale of rationation," as he termed it, "inaugurated one of the most popular and entertaining forms of fiction ever conceived." (Edgar A. Poe: Mournful and Never-Ending Remembrance)

It was during these years in Philadelphia that Poe published such trademark horror tales as "The Tell-Tale Heart," and "The Pit and The Pendulum."

It wasn't until the 1845 publication of Poe's famous poem "The Raven" that he achieved the true rise to fame that had been denied him until then. The public's reaction to the poem brought Poe to a new level of recognition and "could be compared to that of some uproariously successful hit song today."

In February 1847, Poe's young wife died of consumption. Poe was devastated by her death and penned these words, "Deep in earth my love is lying and I must weep alone."

During the years following Virginia's death, Poe's life was taking a steady turn downward. He suffered through a suicide attempt, several failed romances and engagements, and a largely unsuccessful attempt to resurrect his failing career after a long bout with alcoholism and depression.

Poe died at the age of 40 in October 1849 in Baltimore. Although the exact circumstances of his death remain unknown, it seems clear that his death can be attributed to the effects of alcoholism. A contemporary of Poe's at the time remarked, "This death was almost a suicide, a suicide prepared for a long time." (Edgar A. Poe: Mournful and Never-Ending Remembrance)

 Although he lived a short and tragic life, Edgar Allan Poe remains today one of the most-beloved mystery writers in history. His contributions to literature and the mystery genre cannot be underestimated.

 http://www.mysterynet.com/edgar-allan-poe/