The document discusses the Gothic literary movement and its influence on American writer Edgar Allan Poe. It provides background on Gothic architecture and literature, explaining that Gothic stories emphasized the grotesque, mysterious, and desolate. Poe was influenced by earlier Gothic works and employed Gothic elements like dark castles and supernatural occurrences. The document also gives context about Poe's short story "The Masque of the Red Death," noting it has a medieval setting implied by the reference to the plague, though Poe wrote it in 1842.

1. The Dark Romantics Click on the pictures for biographies on these writers.

4. What does Gothic Architecture Look Like and Why is this Relevant? Here you can see Notre Dame in Paris. This is relevant because the style applies to literature, too.

6. Edgar Allen Poe and the Gothic In the nineteenth century (1800’s), American writers like Poe were influenced by the Gothic movement in England. Poe was especially influenced by Walpole’s The Castle of Otranto . The term Gothic can be uses interchangeably with Dark Romanticism, at least in Poe’s case. Remember: The Gothic began in the Middle Ages with art and architecture. Then, it began to influence British literature in the late 1700’s-early 1800’s. Finally, Poe was greatly influenced by this movement as we will see.

8. What was “The Black Plague?”

9. The Black Plague, Cont’d ~ The Black Plague, also known as The Black Death or the Bubonic Plague was a devastating and usually deadly disease that began in China and spread to Europe in the 14th century, killing 1/3 of the entire continent’s population. Many people believed that plague occurred as a result of disobeying God. ~ People contracted the plague through infected fleas. Click on map to enlarge

10. Closing: As you read “The Masque of the Red Death,” think about how it is a good example of Dark Romanticism/Gothic. Remember that the setting is not modern—while Poe wrote in the 1800’s, we are supposed to assume that the story has a medieval setting.