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The Night Circus And Masque Of Red Death Comparison

Decent Essays

Gothic Literature is different from other normal works because of the elements that are not usually used in other tales. Gothic stories use elements that can cause the reader to feel emotions they are unfamiliar with. A prime example of these amazing tales would be The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. In this tale, the use of suspense and mystery adds to the effect of the story and makes the story come to life. Both The Night Circus and “Masque of Red Death” by Edgar Allen Poe uses the effect of taking ordinary objects and making them go beyond their normal capabilities. By doing this both authors show the reader the intrinsic whimsical side of Gothic works, but also gives the reader the feeling of suspense for what it is to come. For example, both of these works use clocks, which most people associate with time. They instead use clocks to their advantage to add a layer of suspense to the story and to show that time is inevitable. In the “Masque of Red Death” by Edgar Allen Poe “there strikes the ebony clock which stands in the hall of velvet, and then for a moment, all is still save the voice of the clock. The dreams are stiff-frozen as they stand” (Poe …show more content…

But both authors, Morgenstern and Poe, show the pain and anguish characters feel when they have found their significant other and the all-encompassing pain that is felt when losing their only love. “It’s as if there is love and loss at the same time, together in a kind of beautiful pain” (Morgenstern 205). This shows how losing someone can cause a person to feel distraught, alone and that no one cares for them anymore. “I whispered, and an echo murmured back the word “Lenore!” Merely this and nothing more” (Poe 438). Both authors use the death of a loved one to show the torrential pain that is felt and the aftermath of what this pain can

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