Use these links to supplement and complement students’ reading of the work and to increase their overall enjoyment of literature. Challenge them to discern parallel themes, engage through visual and aural stimuli, and delve deeper into the thematic possibilities presented by the title.

Recommended Texts for Pairing

Chapter IV of A Short Account of the Malignant Fever Lately Prevalent in Philadelphia by Mathew Carey

• a 4-page excerpt from a primary account of the yellow fever epidemic
• both a grueling account of the disease’s impact on Philadelphians and a celebration of Selflessness in the Face of Disaster

"The Masque of the Red Death” by Edgar Allan Poe

• a brief, classic short story about a masquerade ball and a plague
• Compare and contrast thematic motifs of Selflessness Versus Selfishness in the Face of Disaster and Death and Despair in this piece and in Fever 1793, particularly in the responses of the wealthy and privileged.
• "The Masque of the Red Death” on SuperSummary

“The Plague Doctors” by Karen Lord

• a contemporary short story about a mysterious illness
• Compare and contrast thematic motifs of Selflessness Versus Selfishness in the Face of Disaster and Death and Despair/Rebirth and Hope in this piece and in Fever 1793, particularly in the role of government and medical professionals.