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A review by theladydoor
The Murders in the Rue Morgue by Edgar Allan Poe
3.0
One of my favorite shows as a kid was Wishbone, the simple tale of a scholarly Jack Russell who would imagine himself into the various classic novels he loved to read. The show massively appealed to me as a budding bibliophile, and I watched avidly, soaking in the stories of those books still a little advanced for me to read. One of my favorite episodes was "The Pawloined Paper" based on Edgar Allen Poe's "Purloined Paper", arguably one of the first true detective stories ever written. When I saw the novelization in my local bookstore, I begged my mom to buy it and reread it many times over the next few years.
I loved the story for it's cleverness and lack of bloodshed. The mystery is simply that of a politically devastating letter which has fallen into the hands of slimy would-be aristocrat out for his own gain. The Parisian police are baffled, as they have searched the blackmailer's apartment from top to bottom, meticulously removing, inspecting, and replacing every single object. But no letter is to be found! They turn in desperation to C. Auguste Dupin, a brooding genius who lives in a nearly abandoned house with his unnamed companion, who is the chronicler of his stories. Dupin arrives at the blackmailer's house, armed only with a dark pair of glasses, and immediately deduces the location of the letter.
This story in the collection read like a typical narrative, wherein the police bring a case to Dupin in medias res and he goes out to solve it in an infinitely satisfying way. The other two stories were less clear cut, and I must say I enjoyed them less for all that. "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" is certainly an interesting story, but Poe's recounting of the savage murder of two women by orangutan was too disconnected for me. He tells the story through witness accounts, which were repetitive and a bit dull. I still found the story captivating though, and enjoyed reading about Dupin's scientific investigations.
I cannot say that, however, for the last story, "The Mystery of Marie Rogêt". This story was based on a sensationalist crime of the period, the murder of a woman name Mary Rogers in Manhattan. The "story" is told entirely through examination of police reports and newspaper articles and is, as a result, extraordinarily dry and tedious to read. I found myself skipping over entire passages just to get to the ending and find out the culprit. Even after that though, I cannot say for certain I know who did it or why. This story put me to sleep, and is entirely at fault for dropping my review of this collection to three stars. Even my fascination for detective stories could not save this one from my dislike.
It is still impressive to me that Poe basically invented the modern detective novel with these three stories. Dupin is exactly what a proper detective should be; he is mysterious, terrifyingly intelligent, observant of the smallest details, and fully committed to his work. In Dupin, Poe laid the groundwork for other amazing detectives like Sherlock Holmes, Poirot, and Lord Peter Wimsey, and for that, I am eternally grateful.
I loved the story for it's cleverness and lack of bloodshed. The mystery is simply that of a politically devastating letter which has fallen into the hands of slimy would-be aristocrat out for his own gain. The Parisian police are baffled, as they have searched the blackmailer's apartment from top to bottom, meticulously removing, inspecting, and replacing every single object. But no letter is to be found! They turn in desperation to C. Auguste Dupin, a brooding genius who lives in a nearly abandoned house with his unnamed companion, who is the chronicler of his stories. Dupin arrives at the blackmailer's house, armed only with a dark pair of glasses, and immediately deduces the location of the letter.
This story in the collection read like a typical narrative, wherein the police bring a case to Dupin in medias res and he goes out to solve it in an infinitely satisfying way. The other two stories were less clear cut, and I must say I enjoyed them less for all that. "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" is certainly an interesting story, but Poe's recounting of the savage murder of two women by orangutan was too disconnected for me. He tells the story through witness accounts, which were repetitive and a bit dull. I still found the story captivating though, and enjoyed reading about Dupin's scientific investigations.
I cannot say that, however, for the last story, "The Mystery of Marie Rogêt". This story was based on a sensationalist crime of the period, the murder of a woman name Mary Rogers in Manhattan. The "story" is told entirely through examination of police reports and newspaper articles and is, as a result, extraordinarily dry and tedious to read. I found myself skipping over entire passages just to get to the ending and find out the culprit. Even after that though, I cannot say for certain I know who did it or why. This story put me to sleep, and is entirely at fault for dropping my review of this collection to three stars. Even my fascination for detective stories could not save this one from my dislike.
It is still impressive to me that Poe basically invented the modern detective novel with these three stories. Dupin is exactly what a proper detective should be; he is mysterious, terrifyingly intelligent, observant of the smallest details, and fully committed to his work. In Dupin, Poe laid the groundwork for other amazing detectives like Sherlock Holmes, Poirot, and Lord Peter Wimsey, and for that, I am eternally grateful.