Themes of Romanticism in Edgar Allan Poe’s The Masque of The Red Death

Introduction

Edgar Allan Poe was a very mysterious man who objected to what was socially acceptable back in his time. Poe had a love for writing and not so much anything else. His work mainly centered around the literary movement known as Romanticism, having a major focus on mystery, the supernatural, and folklorish type of topics. This type of style is what would encapsulate Poe’s work throughout all the novels and poems he would produce throughout his lifetime. Edgar Allan Poe’s life was substantially influenced by Romanticism, and this can be seen in his piece, “Masque of the Red Death”.

Romanticism in The Masque of The Red Death by Edgar Allan Poe

Edgar Allan Poe did not always have it easy in life. Edgar Allan Poe was born on January 19, 1809, where he was faced with hardship right from the get-go, with an absent father and the death of his birth mother, Elizabeth Arnold Poe. He ultimately found himself in the care of a man named John Allan as well as his childless wife. After being put into the care of these two, they went to Scotland and England to continue his education. Later on, Poe would go on to attend the University of Virginia in 1826 for a very brief time, unable to continue because of his unhealthy gambling addiction. After leaving the University, he would write his first set of poems, "Tamerlane and Other Poems". Although he had published this, it was not bringing in the money he needed, so he decided to join the army under the name Edgar A. Perry. However, when his foster mother died, John Allan purchased his release from the military and put him in West Point’s U.S. Military Academy. Poe did not like this and tried anything he could to get expelled from the academy. He was able to find success by not showing up to drills and classes for a full week. After being expelled from West Point, Poe would go on to New York City and produce a volume of "Poems", this being one of his early startup pieces. Later, in 1833 he would find some success with his "MS. Found in a Bottle" which had won fifty dollars from Baltimore Weekly.

The Rise of Edgar Allan Poe

Fast forward to 1835, where Poe would make a name for himself as a critical reviewer in Richmond as well as marry his 13-year-old cousin, Virginia Clemm. However, Poe’s main adversary at this time in his life would be his drinking addiction. Because of this problem, he would lose his job in Richmond and move up to New York City where, in 1838, Poe published "The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym", combining fact with fiction. This piece would be considered an inspiration to Herman Melville as he went on to write "Moby Dick". At this point, Poe was being recognized for his work, and in 1843 his "The Gold Bug" had won him one hundred dollars from the Philadelphia Dollar Newspaper, which would make his name very well known. Two years later, in 1845, Poe would write his most famous poem, "The Raven", which would give him the national fame and recognition that all writers long for. But, with the good comes the bad, his wife, Virginia, would die in January of 1847. Poe’s death would soon follow in 1849 where he died of drinking, or maybe heart failure, no one knows for sure even to this day.

Romanticism and Gothic Elements

A main component of Poe’s writing is the inclusion of the literary movement, Romanticism. Romanticism came to be known around the end of the 18th century and emphasized emotion and gave the author, artist, or composer the freedom to explore new paths that they could take their work. All of his work is centered around this idea of incorporating mystery and folklore into stories to create a more supernatural feel. Because of him doing this, he was able to develop a phenomenal style to his writing that is known as gothic writing. This type of writing is edgy and gritty and has a certain feel that other styles do not have. Gothic writing falls into the category of Romanticism mainly for its use of the supernatural and other horror types of topics. Edgar Allan Poe took these styles of writing to portray how he was feeling and the things that he was going through in his life. One of Edgar Allan Poe’s most famous pieces, "The Raven", is a great example of Romanticism as it has a dark tone and the raven in the poem seems to communicate with Lenore. This directly connects with Romanticism as it is something supernatural and the raven was also described to have demon-like eyes in the poem, thus showing more components of Romanticism through folklore and mystery.

Masque of the Red Death: A Reflection of Romanticism

Much like "The Raven", Poe’s story, "Masque of the Red Death", also connects directly to Romanticism. In this story, there is an entity that is zombying its victims. Clearly, it can be seen that this takes a terrible sickness and personifies it, giving the sickness more emphasis and allowing the reader to connect with the story more. Another building block of Romanticism is mystery; this element is extremely present in "Masque of the Red Death" as no one in the story understands what the disease is, so they run from it and try to hide from what they do not know. Fear can be a driving factor in many people’s lives and Poe uses that to allow the reader to connect to the people in the story. Fear is something that can help amplify the effect of mysterious or folklorish types of figures and events as it draws out the raw emotions of people who are invested in the piece that they are reading. The horror present in the story also gives us insight into the life of Edgar Allan Poe at that point in his life.

Conclusion

At around the time this story was written, Poe’s wife had been terribly sick; this event could be why the disease in "Masque of the Red Death" was so brutal and incited fear into the people in the story. Poe took his life and infused it with elements of Romanticism to create something of a masterpiece. By using his feelings in his writing he gives us a way to connect not only to the story but with him. Because Edgar Allan Poe’s life was greatly influenced by the literary movement of the time, he was able to produce many works of art including "Masque of the Red Death". Poe’s life was not all good and fun, but those bad experiences he had throughout his life turned him into the writer that he was and helped develop him into the man that he was. The way he used Romanticism to portray his feelings is unlike any other writer; he has a style and vibe that cannot be replicated, which is why Poe is regarded as one of the greatest Romantic and Gothic writers to have ever lived.

References

1. Poe, E. A. (1835). MS. Found in a Bottle. Baltimore Weekly.
2. Poe, E. A. (1838). The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym. New York: Harper & Brothers.
3. Poe, E. A. (1843). The Gold Bug. Philadelphia Dollar Newspaper.
4. Poe, E. A. (1845). The Raven. New York: The Evening Mirror.
5. Poe, E. A. (1849). The Masque of the Red Death. Graham's Magazine.