This seminar paper investigates the role of Poe in the history of the detective story as a genre. It tries to find out if Poe really is the inventor of detective fiction or if there had been any detective stories prior to his Dupin works. As a first step, this paper introduces to the characteristics of a typical detective story. It also informs about the current state of research about the origins of detective fiction and appoints compositions that are discussed in scientific productions to be ancestors of the detective genre.
The last focus on this thesis is the adaption of the characteristics of a typical detective story to easily check if Poe’s "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" is a real detective story. At the end of this seminar paper, the following questions should be answered: Has nobody ever written a detective story before or are there preforms that are related to detective stories? Is Edgar Allan Poe really the inventor of detective fiction?
Edgar Allan Poe was one of the most famous American authors, who is especially famous for his over seventy short stories. He was a master of suspense and of the macabre and succeeded in many different types of literature such as horror, poetry, criticism, mystery, tales and sketches. Furthermore, many claim him to be the father of the detective story.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Detective Fiction
2.1 What is Detective Fiction?
2.2 Origins of Detective Fiction/ Early Ancestors of the Genre
3. Edgar Allan Poe
3.1 The Murders in the Rue Morgue – Which Typical Elements of Detective Fiction are already Present in Poe’s Dupin Stories?
3.2 What did Poe himself Say about his Detective Stories?
4. Conclusion: Poe as the Undisputed Father of the Detective Story
Objectives and Research Focus
This paper investigates the historical role of Edgar Allan Poe in the development of the detective fiction genre, specifically examining whether he can be rightfully considered its inventor or if existing literary precursors already established the genre's foundations.
- Analysis of the fundamental characteristics of detective fiction.
- Evaluation of research regarding the early ancestors of the detective genre.
- Application of genre-defining traits to Poe's work "The Murders in the Rue Morgue".
- Comparison of Poe’s narrative techniques with established detective story conventions.
- Examination of Poe's own reflections on his "tales of ratiocination".
Excerpt from the Book
3.1 The Murders in the Rue Morgue – Which Typical Elements of Detective Fiction are already Present in Poe’s Dupin Stories?
The Murders in the Rue Morgue is Poe’s mystery in which C. Auguste Dupin first appeared in 1841. In this story, a mother and a daughter have been brutally murdered in a locked room. Dupin investigates this puzzling mystery and inventively figures out that the murders were committed by an escaped orang-utan.
The story begins with an introduction (cf. Poe 240-242) in which the murders in the rue morgue themselves do not play any role. Dupin’s mental and analytical skills are emphasized and described by his anonymous sidekick who is also the narrator of the story. Dupin is denoted as an analyst, who loves moral activities with the aim to disentangle things. He would love puzzles, secrets and hieroglyphs and while solving these cases he would use his supernatural and legendary ingenuity. His results would be based on a methodical approach although they seem to be intuitional. His talent to solve problems and the work of an analyst is described in greater detail. As well, the art of analytical thinking and the qualification needed to analyse is specified.
In the following section (cf. Poe 242-246), the anonymous narrator tells first how he got to know the analyst. Next, the storyteller tells a long drawn-out example to express his deep admiration of Dupin’s “peculiar analytic ability (Poe 243)” and his ability to read minds. It gets clear that Dupin follows cases backwards up.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: This chapter provides a biographical overview of Edgar Allan Poe and introduces the central research question regarding his role as the father of detective fiction.
2. Detective Fiction: This section defines the core characteristics of the detective genre and explores various academic theories concerning its origins, ranging from ancient historical examples to modern secularized society.
3. Edgar Allan Poe: This chapter analyzes Poe’s personal circumstances during the creation of his Dupin stories and examines specific elements in "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" alongside Poe's own understanding of his "tales of ratiocination".
4. Conclusion: Poe as the Undisputed Father of the Detective Story: The final chapter synthesizes the findings, asserting that Poe created a definitive pattern for the genre that continues to influence modern crime literature.
Keywords
Edgar Allan Poe, C. Auguste Dupin, Detective Fiction, The Murders in the Rue Morgue, Ratiocination, Genre History, Deductive Reasoning, Literary Analysis, Crime Fiction, Secularization, Analytical Skills, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Detective Story Origins.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary scope of this academic paper?
This paper examines the history of the detective genre and evaluates whether Edgar Allan Poe is truly its inventor or if there were significant predecessors.
What are the main thematic pillars discussed in the text?
The paper covers the definition of detective fiction, competing theories on the genre's origins, an analysis of Poe's "The Murders in the Rue Morgue", and the impact of secularization on the emergence of the genre.
What is the core research question?
The research asks: "Has nobody ever written a detective story before, or are there preforms related to detective stories, and is Edgar Allan Poe really the inventor of detective fiction?"
Which scientific methodology does the author employ?
The author uses a comparative literature approach, matching established genre characteristics against the textual content of Poe’s stories and evaluating existing academic theories.
What is covered in the main section of the work?
The main section details the specific narrative elements of Poe’s Dupin stories, such as the brilliant analyst and the sidekick-narrator, and addresses how Poe conceptualized his own work.
Which keywords best characterize this research?
Key terms include Edgar Allan Poe, Detective Fiction, Ratiocination, Deductive Reasoning, and Genre History.
How does the author define the "detective" role in Poe's early stories?
The author notes that because the term "detective" did not exist at the time, Poe labeled his protagonist as an "analyst" who engages in "tales of ratiocination".
Why is the "stupid narrator" considered an essential element in the analyzed stories?
The sidekick serves to emphasize the protagonist's superior analytical skills through contrast, highlighting the difficulty of the case while allowing the detective to explain his process.
What role did secularization play in the birth of the detective genre?
The author argues, referencing Ulrich Suerbaum, that the decline of religious interpretation of crime allowed for a human-centered, rational approach to justice, which is a prerequisite for detective fiction.
What is the final conclusion regarding Poe’s legacy?
The author concludes that Poe is the legitimate, undisputed father of the detective story, as he established the definitive pattern that subsequent authors like Arthur Conan Doyle followed.
- Quote paper
- Nicole H. (Author), 2018, Edgar Allan Poe's "Invention" of Detective Fiction. Classification of the "Dupin Stories" in the History of the Detective Story as a Genre, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/471265
