…there stalked a multitude of dreams.


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Federico Castillon
Masque of the Red Death, 1968
1975.39.09
There was much of the beautiful, much of the wanton, much of the bizarre, something of the terrible, and not a little of that which might have excited disgust. To and fro in the seven chambers there stalked, in fact, a multitude of dreams. And these, the dreams — writhed in and about, taking hue from the rooms, and causing the wild music of the orchestra to seem as the echo of their steps. And, anon, there strikes the ebony clock which stands in the hall of the velvet. And then, momently, all is still, and all is silent save the voice of the clock. The dreams are stiff-frozen as they stand. But the echoes of the chime die away — they have endured but an instant — and a light, half-subdued laughter floats after them as they depart. And now again the music swells, and the dreams live, and writhe to and fro more merrily than ever, taking hue from the many-tinted windows through which stream the rays from the tripods.

Upcoming Big Read Events:

Today – Poe Film Festival

Community Theater, 1431 S. 25, 1:00-4:00 p.m.
Masque of the Red Death will be shown at 1:00 p.m. followed by a discussion of Poe’s work and films by Sharon Russell. Fall of the House of Usher will be shown at 3:00 p.m. Both films feature Vincent Price.

March 31st – The Ghosts of Edgar Allan Poe

Vigo County Public Library, 12:10 p.m.-12:50 p.m.
Marshall Public Library (IL), 6:30 p.m. (CST)
Spend a spine-tingling evening in the parlor of Edgar Allan Poe as played by Brian “Fox” Ellis.

April 5th – Poe’s Gothic Psyche: How Poe’s Dreams Became Reader’s Nightmares

ISU Library Events Area, 6:00 p.m.
Join Dr. Matt Brennan as he uses passages from Poe’s works to illustrate how Gothic writers adapt their dreams to create a nightmare experience.