Gothicism in Edgar Allen Poes The Masque of the Red Death & The Fall of the House of Usher

Name of Author : Dipak P. Ganmote, Bapuso S. Savase

Abstract: Entertainment is one of the aims of literary works. Various emotions, like happiness, sorrow, empathy, anxiety, fear, anger, excitement, etc., are aroused as a result of the effects of literary works. The arousal of these emotions proves that the writer of the work is successful in achieving his or her motive. It may be intentional or unintentional, but such emotional effects make literary works memorable for their affective characteristics. The present research paper looks at Edgar Allen Poes short stories, The Masque of the Red Death and The Fall of the House of Usher, as gothic tales. It studies the pieces of evidence from the stories that create a gothic effect through the portrayal of the events and settings. The use of ghastly elements, gothic settings, implausible revelations, mysterious events, and horrific language adds gothic features to these two stories, proving that they are excellent examples of gothic literature.

Keywords : Death, Gothic, Grotesque, Horror, Mystery

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