Murders in the Rue Morgue

160 pages

English language

Published Dec. 20, 2009 by Penguin Random House.

ISBN:
9780099529583

View on OpenLibrary

4 stars (1 review)

"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; Poe referred to it as one of his "tales of ratiocination". C. Auguste Dupin is a man in Paris who solves the mystery of the brutal murder of two women.

54 editions

Fascinating read

4 stars

I had never read any of Poe's short stories until now, but having done so, I can understand the influence that he has had on so much subsequent fiction, and not only on horror.

With a few exceptions, the stories here were gripping and often horrifying, showing the enduring power of his gothic writing. In 'The Tell-Tale Heart', 'Berenice' and 'William Wilson', he manages to show moral decay, obsession and madness in a way which can be disturbing to read even now.

Though he may best be known for his gothic horror, it is important to recognise the influence of 'The Murders in the Rue Morgue' and 'The Purloined Letter', which may have invented the detective story as we know it. They were an enjoyable and intriguing read, even if they were not as well developed as later detective stories like those of Sherlock Holmes.

While some of the stories …

Subjects

  • France, fiction
  • Paris (france), fiction
  • Dupin, auguste (fictitious character), fiction