★ 英語級數：Intermediate（中級）
★ 本書錄音採用美式發音
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本書所收錄的三則故事《艾家大院的崩塌》（The Fall of the House of Usher）、《橢圓形肖像》（The Oval Portrait）和《紅死病的面具》（The Masque of the Red Death），正是依循所謂「哥德式」傳統的短篇故事之絕佳範例。哥德式文學是在十八世紀末席捲英國，探索人性和人生經驗中的黑暗面，如死亡、惡魔、疏離、憂鬱、瘋狂和荒涼寂寞的環境等。把歌德式文學帶到美國的正是愛倫坡，而他在每一篇故事中所創造出的氛圍，不是屬於肉體層面的不安和戰慄，便是精神層面的憂慮和恐怖，至於這些故事中所一再出現的主旋律，則是瘋狂和死亡。

其中《艾家大院的崩塌》是1839年付梓的，也是他最受歡迎的恐怖故事之一，內容涵蓋了哥德式故事所有必要的特色：一棟讓人渾身發毛的建築、一幅與世隔絕的景色、一場神祕的疾病、狂風暴雨的天候，以及陷於困擾中的人物等等。這是一篇講述精神錯亂的羅德瑞克．艾舍，與他那位怪異的雙胞胎妹妹瑪德蓮之間的故事，如今已被公認為古典短篇故事中的超完美傑作。

愛倫坡在這篇故事中創造出一種所謂「幽閉恐懼症」的感覺，書中人物無法在屋內自由自在地走動，而且要直到房屋真正的崩塌，故事的敘述者才得以逃離。瑪德蓮和羅德瑞克是雙胞胎，而這也分別阻礙了他們發展成完整的個體，還有，瑪德蓮雖然被埋，但她仍活著，並且在最後襲擊她哥哥，把他給壓死。這篇故事也給了許多其他作品不少靈感，包括電影、歌劇、戲劇、流行音樂、電玩，以及無以數計的小說創作。

1842年，《橢圓形肖像》最初以《Life in Death》的篇名問世，三年後愛倫坡加以編刪，重新以《橢圓形肖像》的篇名出版。這是愛倫坡最短的一篇小說，所述說的仍是其小說慣有的主題：死亡與偏執狂。（偏執狂是妄想症的一種，患者會極度執著於某個想法或情緒）這篇小說的情節，給了王爾德寫《葛雷的肖像》小說的靈感。

《橢圓形肖像》以講故事的方式來述說一則故事。述事者因為負傷，在山區一棟廢棄宅院中找地方過夜，他被睡房中的畫作所吸引，並且看到了一本記錄畫作的冊子。其中有一幅畫像震懾了他，而冊子透露了這幅畫何以如此吸引他。

這個故事以藝術和生命的關係為主題。在小說裡，藝術與生命是敵對的關係。在創作的過程中，對藝術的強烈偏執，有可能攝收人的生命力，最後導致死亡。

過度的執迷（偏執狂）是愛倫坡作品中恆常出現的主題，在前一篇《艾家大院的崩塌》中，主人翁羅德瑞克．艾舍最後死於自己的恐懼之中，在下一篇的《紅死病的面具》中，勃培洛王子對紅死病的偏執，最後也導致的自己的死亡。

《紅死病的面具》於1842問世，是一則寓言性的故事，主題和劫數難逃的死亡有關。這篇小說運用了哥德式小說的諸多元素，例如身體與心理上的恐懼感、城堡、封建社會和死亡等主題。

小說中未交代時間和地點，內容描繪一種恐怖的紅死病正在世上迅速蔓延，凡得病者，必死無疑。勃培洛王子和一千位貴族友人遂逃到一個遺世獨立的修道院裡避難，他認為待在那裡就可以安然無恙。

幾個月後，他在多間相連的廂房中籌辦了一場炫目的化妝舞會，每間廂房的裝潢顏色各有不同。最後一間廂房裝潢成黑色，裡頭有一座每個鐘點都會報時的黑鐘。然而就在時鐘敲響子夜的鐘聲時，來了一位打扮成「紅死病」的不速之客。

這則小說是愛倫坡典型的歌德式恐怖短篇小說。在小說中，愛倫坡創造出一種黑暗詭異的氣氛，集中描繪流血與死亡的畫面，「紅死病」的擬人化，為故事增添了超自然的元素。

《紅死病的面具》反映出愛倫坡對短篇小說的看法，他認為短篇小說的創作從頭到尾都應該字字斟酌，各方面都要表現得淋漓盡致。在本篇小說中，強烈的象徵性畫面和流暢的故事鋪陳，編織出一則令人毛骨悚然、卻又深刻表達出人類處境的恐怖故事。

The three stories in this collection, The Fall of the House of Usher, The Oval Portrait, and The Masque of the Red Death are examples of short stories in the ‘Gothic’ tradition. Gothic literature became popular in Britain in the late 18th century and it explores the dark side of human nature and experience: death, ghosts, alienation, depression, madness and desolate settings. Poe brought Gothic literature to America. The atmosphere created by Poe in each of these stories is one of both physical and psychological fear and horror. Recurrent themes in the stories are madness and death.

The Fall of the House of Usher was written in 1839. It is one of Poe’s most popular horror stories and contains all the essential features of a Gothic story: a frightening house, a desolate landscape, a mysterious illness, stormy weather and troubled characters. The story, which tells of the demented Roderick Usher and his strange twin sister, Lady Madeline, is now regarded as a classic short story masterpiece.

Poe creates a sense of claustrophobia in the story. The characters cannot move freely within the house. And the narrator cannot escape until the house physically collapses. Madeline and Roderick are twins and this stops them from developing as full individuals. Madeline is buried while she is still alive and she finally kills her brother by falling on him and crushing him.

The story has inspired many other works including films, operas, plays, popular music, computer games and numerous works of fiction.

The Oval Portrait was first published in 1842 as Life in Death. Poe subsequently edited and cut the story and it was republished as The Oval Portrait three years later. It is one of Poe’s shortest stories but includes themes that recur through many of his works such as death and monomania (a type of paranoia where the sufferer is obsessed with a single idea or emotion). Elements from the story inspired Oscar Wilde’s novel, The Portrait of Dorian Gray.

The Oval Portrait is a story within a story. It starts with an injured narrator taking refuge for the night in an abandoned mansion in the mountains. He is drawn to the paintings in the room where he is sleeping and finds a book that describes them. One painting in particular strikes him and when he reads about it in the book his interest is explained.

The story focuses on the relationship between art and life. In the story art and life are rivals. An extreme obsession with art can lead to death, as art takes the vital forces from life in the creative process.

Extreme obsession (monomania) is recurrent in many of Poe’s tales. In The Fall of the House of Usher Roderick Usher is ruined by his own fear. In The Masque of the Red Death Prince Prospero’s obsession with the disease, the Red Death, ultimately leads to his own death.

The Masque of the Red Death was first published in 1842 and it is an allegorical tale about the inevitability of death. The story uses many features of Gothic fiction such as physical and psychological fear, castles, feudal society and death.

The story is set in an unnamed time and place. A terrible disease, the Red Death, is spreading rapidly throughout the land, killing everyone it meets. Prince Prospero, along with one thousand noble friends, escapes to an isolated abbey where he is sure they will be happy and safe.

After several months he organizes a fancy dress ball in a set of rooms that have been decorated in different colors. The last room is decorated in black and has a black clock that rings every hour. However on the stroke of midnight an uninvited guest arrives, dressed as the Red Death.

The story is a very good example of Poe’s Gothic horror short stories. Poe creates a dark and uneasy atmosphere and the story focuses on images of blood and death, while the personification of the Red Death adds an element of the supernatural. The Masque of the Red Death also reflects Poe’s vision of what a short story should be like. According to Poe, a short story should be so well written that every word, from beginning to end, contributes to the overall effect. In this story a series of powerful symbolic images and an impeccable narrative voice are tightly woven into a macabre tale of horror with great insight into the human condition.

Helbling文學讀本（Helbling Readers）

共出版十餘本，分兩大套：
● Helbling Classics（經典英文文學改寫）
● Helbling Fiction（當代原創英文小說）

《Helbling文學讀本》為一套最優質的英文分級閱讀讀本，英語難易度由初級銜接到中級。在各項英語認證考試中，本系列書培養的英語能力級數如下：

GEPT英檢 中級
TOEIC多益 550
TOEFL Ibt新托福 57-86
IELTS雅思 4.5

全系列皆隨書附贈全文朗讀MP3。
內文編排精美，採用彩色印刷，全文穿插精美插圖，單元設計豐富。
除了精彩的小說之外，另編寫有：

1. About the Author（作者簡介）：介紹作者，幫助認識創作背景。
2. About the Book（本書簡介）：介紹故事內容概要，幫助了解故事的背景與旨意。
3. Before Reading（閱前活動）：設計各種問題和活動，幫助暖身，啟發各種探討與學習。
4. After Reading（閱後練習）：設計各種深入的問題和題目練習，幫助復習內容，加深英語的學習印象。
5. Test（測驗）：有些讀本在閱畢之後，設計有各種測驗題目，包括文意測驗和英語練習等。
6. 隨文討論：在故事行文中，另設計有針對內文情節的問題探討，幫助做啟發性的思考。