S8.3 Discussion Questions for The Complete Auguste Dupin Stories: "The Murders in the Rouge Morgue," "The Mystery of Marie Rogêt," "The Purloined Letter."
Movie poster from 1932 (Universal Pictures) "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" is a short story by Edgar Allan Poe published in Graham's Magazine in 1841. It has been described as the first modern detective story. 1. The title of the story is "The Murders in the Rue Morgue," but the narrator spends nearly the first third of the story on chess players, whist players, and Chantilly the comic/tragic actor. What is the purpose of this long introduction to Dupin's method? What would be the effect of jumping right into the murder plot? 2. In explaining his logic for his "tales of ratiocination" , Poe talks about presenting clues for the reason to reason along with his protagonist. Do we have the clues we need to solve this mystery before the sailor appears to explain all? What is the purpose of presenting so much detail to the reader (e.g., the three spoons of metal d'Alger , the four gold Napoleons, etc.) that will never reappear in the story