Part one of term paper
Death imagery is a popular theme in Edgar Allan Poe’s short stories. Poe’s most famous works are morbid tales or terror, madness, death and decay (Vora). Poe captures the reader’s imagination and proceeds to lead them into a world of the gothic and the grotesque. A perfect example of this type of imagery can be found in his short sto ...

Part two of term paper
... to give direction and focus to the reader’s imagination. The reader must pay close attention to Poe’s use of words throughout the short story in order to pick up on slight detail which can be easily over looked. For example, Poe uses the word “masque” in the title instead of “mask” to describe the hidden face of death. Masque, a french word roughly translated as “face-mask,” refers to a form of indoor courtly recreation popular during the Renaissance that was repr ...