Edgar Allan Poe portrait from the Library of Congress
The Murders in the Rue Morgue: The Dupin Tales by Edgar Allan Poe, Edited and with an Introduction by Matthew Pearl, author of The Poe Shadow, is a fun read. With Mr. Pearl’s introduction, we learn much concerning Poe and detective fiction.
Reading these stories together gives food for thought on the theories surrounding Poe’s mental stability, or lack thereof. Poe’s contemporary critics referred to Dupin and Poe interchangeably, and his narrator wonders if Dupin’s genius might be “diseased intelligence.” Speaking of the narrator; he remains nameless, and yet, is a crucial part of these stories. Poe’s talent is on full display in this collection.
Arthur Conan Doyle called Poe’s sleuth, “The best detective in fiction… Dupin is unrivaled.”
This small volume contains all three Dupin stories, The Murders in the Rue Morgue, The Mystery of Marie Rogêt, and The Purloined Letter. The appendix excerpts three earlier detective stories, Zadig by Voltaire, Memoirs of Vidocq by Eugène-François Vidocq, and The Rifle by William Leggett.
-Thomas
Note: The image above is from the Library of Congress and is in the public domain, as are all works published prior to 1923.
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