What’s the nickname of Agar Allan Poe?

What was Poe’s primary occupation? and what was his

reputation?
Why did people think that Poe was a little bit of
strange ?
What’s the first book Poe wrote that regards as the birth
of detective fiction?
 American writer,editor,and
literary critic

tales of mystery and the

macabre

unpleasant and strange

because connected with death
and frightening things

the inventor of the detective

fiction genre
"These tales of ratiocination( 推理） owe most of their
popularity to being something in a new key.”

- Edgar Allan Poe

 Agatha Christie

Each [of Poe's detective stories] is a root from which a whole literature has develo

Sir Arthur
Conan Doyle
 Criticism
towards Poe

His reputation : a
Themes often revolve

alcoholic
Ralph Waldo Emerson: “ I
see nothing in it .”
Aldous Huxley: “ falls into
vulgarity" by being "too
poetical"
The murders in the Rue
Morgue
Mysterious Murder
3 o'clock in the morning,a sudden terrible
cries broke the silence in the Rue Morgue...
Mysterious Murder

Scene:

The room was in a big mass.

The throat of Madame L’Espanaye was cut off .
The body of her daughter was stuffed into
chimney.
Mysterious Murder
Enigmata:

Doors and windows were locked.

Valuables in the house were not lost.
The skylight on the roof has not been opened for years.
The victims are not feuding with others.
Neighbors heard a harsh voice at the time of the crime.

Neighbors' sayings are different...

The Murders in the
Rue Morgue

"The Murders in the Rue

Morgue" is a short story by
Edgar Allan Poe published
in Graham's Magazine in
1841.
It has been recognized as
the first modern detective
story.
Poe referred to it as one of
his "tales of ratiocination".
Paris natives Dupin and his friend, the
unnamed narrator of the story, read these
newspaper accounts with interest.

Characters in the story:

Dupin(my friend)
Me (the narrator)
Le Bon (acquaintance)
The old woman
Young girl
The voices
superhuman strength
An unusual tuft of hair

murderer:
"Ourang-Outang"
(orangutan)
The orangutans (also spelled orang-utan, orangutang, or orang-utang)are
three extant species of great apes native to Indonesia and Malaysia
superhuman intelligence,observation
and expectation
 The My s ter y
of M ar ie Roge t
 Poe's detective character C. Auguste Dupin and his
PLOT

assistant, the unnamed narrator, undertake the

unsolved murder of Marie Rogêt in Paris. The body
of Rogêt, a perfume shop employee, is found in the
Seine, and the press takes a keen interest in the
mystery. Dupin remarks that the newspapers "create
a sensation ... rather than to further the cause of
truth". Even so, he uses the newspaper reports to get
into the mind of the murderer...
 ORIGIN

The narrative is based upon the actual murder of

Mary Cecilia Rogers.
ORIGIN

Fictionalizing actual events, especially murder, was

common in this period in American literature. Poe had
previously fictionalized the so-called Beauchamp–Sharp
Tragedy in his only play, Politian, which was left
uncompleted in 1835.[6] The sensational murder story was
also fictionalized by several other writers including
William Gilmore Simms and Thomas Holley Chivers.
"The Mystery of Marie Rogêt", however, was likely the
first real-life crime turned into a detective story.
Ratiocination As just referred to, taking an actual murder
as a basic, Allan Poe himself wrote the
mystery of Marie Rogêt according to his
own ratiocination. Even when the novel
came out, the mystery had not been
unlocked. Hence, following Allan Poe’s
words, we can experience the process of
inference personally. Some ratiocination is
appealing and convincing.
Referring to the articles on the scene,
there were some doubtful points.

A B C

Mildew and Weeds. Time Those Placement of Articles

Articles Existed
Referring to whether the
hooligans were real murderers
or not, some doubtful points Site Condition
were also put forward.

1600
G F
No Divulgence The Fastening of Strips
 Critic al R esponse

“It might better be called an essay than a story.

As an essay, it is an able if tedious exercise in
reasoning. As a story, it scarcely exists. It has no
life-blood. The characters neither move nor
speak.... Only a professional student of analytics
or an inveterate devotee of criminology can read
it with any degree of unfeigned interest.”
The Purloined Letter


 background

 It appeared for the first time in "Gift: To 1845"
(1844) , and the first edition brought $12 to Ellen
Poe’s income, then it was quickly reprinted in many
magazines and newspapers.
 This is the third of three detective stories he wrote
with the fictional character Dupin. And he thought
this story was the best one he had written, while, the
readers of him also generally think so.
 These stories are considered as important precursors
to modern detective stories.
 Characters in the story

Dupin: the detective
“I”: the narrator, the assistant
Monsieur G: chief of police
Minister D: the one who stole the letter
“She”: the one who lost the letter
 Story plot

A letter was lost and found
 How to lost the letter

 The letter is a secret document have to be seen by
private when she is going to read, the other come
in, and she has to place it, and open as it was upon a
table the other ignore the letter but D comes in
and sees the letter.
 Produce a letter similar to the secret one place the
fake one in close position to the secret one talk for
15min take away the secret letter and leave the
copy one she notice it, but dare not call attention,
because the other still here.
How do the police find
the letter

 The contents of this letter have not been exposed,
because if exposed, it will cause serious situations, and
this situation has not yet emerged. Therefore, D still
holds this letter.
 Decide to make through search of D’s hotel carefully.
 D needs to present this letter immediately after being
notified, which is almost as important as holding this
letter. So, he must put this letter in his hand
 Block D’s way and check him carefully.

Nothing
 Why nothing?

 The reasons for the failure of the police: They
assumed that D would carefully hide the letter

 D is not attempting to conceal it at all

 “hiding in plain sight”
 How does Dupin find
the 
letter
 Wear a pair of green spectacles: to cover the purpose of the
search.
 find a card-rack, a solitary letter on it , but much soiled and
crumpled, very dirt.
  so inconsistent with the true methodical habits of D
 Talk with D for a long time: learn how to fold the letter
rightly.
 Leave a snuff-box: to have the reason to visit again.
 Hire a lunatic to give a shot on the street: to transfer D's
attention
 Exchange the real letter and fake one just as D did.
 
 “Un dessein si funeste, S’il n’est digne d’ Atree, est digne
de Thyeste.”

 Thyeste has an affair with Atree’s wife, and Atree ate

Thyeste’s son. We use this metonymy to show if
something or someone are very malicious.
THANK YOU