297: Edgar Allan Poe's "The Masque of the Red Death" and "The Fall of the House of Usher"

Published in 1841, 'The Murders in the Rue Morgue' is a pioneering work in the detective fiction genre. The story revolves around C. Auguste Dupin, an amateur detective, who investigates the gruesome murders of Madame L'Espanaye and her daughter Camille in Paris. Dupin uses his analytical skills to unravel the mystery, which involves an orangutan as the unexpected perpetrator. The tale introduces several elements that became standard in detective fiction, including the brilliant amateur detective, the locked-room mystery, and the use of ratiocination to solve the crime.

The story follows Prince Prospero and his wealthy nobles as they try to avoid the Red Death, a terrible plague, by hiding in a castellated abbey. They host a masquerade ball in seven rooms, each decorated with a different color, symbolizing the stages of life. However, a mysterious figure disguised as a Red Death victim enters the ball, leading to the death of all the guests. The tale is often interpreted as an allegory about the inevitability of death and the futility of human attempts to escape it.

The story begins with the narrator visiting Roderick Usher, who has been suffering from an unspecified illness. Roderick's sister, Madeline, is also ill and falls into deathlike trances. As the narrative unfolds, the narrator becomes increasingly entangled in the eerie and supernatural events surrounding the Usher family and their mansion. Roderick believes the house is alive and connected to the family's fate. The story culminates in the terrifying revelation that Madeline may have been buried alive, leading to the simultaneous deaths of the twins and the collapse of the House of Usher itself.