The Masque of the Red Death - A Reading

The Masque of the Red Death was written by Edgar Allan Poe in 1845. It was originally published in 1842 under the title of "The Mask of the Red Death. A Fantasy". I think his latter title is a better choice. This is a dark and bizarre story about a bunch of people are holed up in Prince Prospero's abbey to avoid a terrible disease called the Red Death. They believe that by sealing themselves in the abbey, they can save themselves from the disease. The Red Death makes it clear that they are wrong. Months into the disease, during a grand party that happens to be a costume party, the Red Death showed up. His costume was particularly disconcerting for the revelers. Once the Red Death infects all of the revelers, he left the abbey to hold dominion over the whole land.