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55th out of 214 books
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147 voters
The Murders in the Rue Morgue (C. Auguste Dupin #1)
In just five stories, Edgar Allan Poe laid down most of the ground rules of detective fiction. In the three tales featuring Auguste Dupin ('The Murders in the Rue Morgue', 'The Mystery of Marie Roget' and 'The Purloined Letter') he created the Great Detective, not to mention the locked-room mystery, the notion of armchair detection and the secret-service story; 'The Gold B...more
Paperback, Reclam Universal-Bibliothek, 160 pages
Published
(first published April 4th 1841)
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Opening Quote: What song the Syrens sang, or what name Achilles assumed when he hid himself among women, although puzzling questions, are not beyond all conjecture. - Sir Thomas Browne
Opening: The mental features discoursed of as the analytical, are, in themselves, but little susceptible of analysis.
Parallel re-read with Brazilliant
Opening: The mental features discoursed of as the analytical, are, in themselves, but little susceptible of analysis.
Parallel re-read with Brazilliant
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Reading in 2011 has gotten off to a great start with Crime Masterwork's collection of five Poe crime stories. The first, The Murders in the Rue Morgue (1841), is widely considered the first detective story and introduces C. Auguste Dupin (who is clearly the template for Sherlock Holmes, created more than 40 years later in 1887). Dupin's talents are such that he is more mind-reader than deductive logician. Poe's style is rather didactic and abstruse but this serves to punctuate the gruesome and b...more
Apr 25, 2013
Hobby
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
1001-books-list,
classic-mystery,
mystery,
owned-a-copy,
supranatural,
short-stories,
novella,
antologi
My first acquitances with Poe's works really surprise my-self, because some of them are reaaly unique and I cannot describe it how precisely the feeling I have after finish each one of its stories. So instead doing recap-post on all of them, I put my thought on each stories and how I feel or how I reacted on them.
Chapter 1 : Manuscript Found In A Bottle
Chapter 2 : Ligeia
Chapter 3 : The Man that was Used Up
Chapter 4 : The Fall of the House of Usher
Chapter 5 : William Wilson
Chapter 6 : The Man o...more
I’m fairly new to detective fiction (other than Arthur Conan Doyle, of course) so I wasn’t sure what to expect from the short story, however I am a fan of Poe’s writing. The writing in The Murders in Rue Morgue was a little complex and occasionally difficult to understand which I have come to expect from detective fiction. The analytical aspects of detective fiction take a lot of considering! Unlike some other Poe works I have read, this story didn’t have any supernatural overtones and was an in...more
The first recognized detective story is surprising light on the Poeisms. The beginning was very Poe-esque, but the rest of the story wasn't steeped in supernatural overtones.
The start, to me, reads more like a Rice Vampire proto-novel : "Seeking in Paris the objects I then sought, I felt that the society of such a man would be to me a treasure beyond price; and this feeling I frankly confided to him. It was at length arranged that we should live together during my stay in the city; and as my wo...more
The start, to me, reads more like a Rice Vampire proto-novel : "Seeking in Paris the objects I then sought, I felt that the society of such a man would be to me a treasure beyond price; and this feeling I frankly confided to him. It was at length arranged that we should live together during my stay in the city; and as my wo...more
2.5 Stars
I am participating in a crime fiction read-along and this was the first work. I tried something new and downloaded the book from libravox (free recordings of books in the public domain). This was my first attempt at an audio book and I'm not sure if this is really a good medium for me ---- my mind wandered a bit and I had to repeat a lot of sections. Also, the person reading it had a British accent which threw me off --- especially the french words.
On to the story, Murders on the rue Mo...more
I am participating in a crime fiction read-along and this was the first work. I tried something new and downloaded the book from libravox (free recordings of books in the public domain). This was my first attempt at an audio book and I'm not sure if this is really a good medium for me ---- my mind wandered a bit and I had to repeat a lot of sections. Also, the person reading it had a British accent which threw me off --- especially the french words.
On to the story, Murders on the rue Mo...more
Nov 13, 2012
Ape
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
france-italy-spain-portugal
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
This was a very strange tale from a man we have all been made to believe was a very strange, sinister type person. Poe, contrary to his writings, seemed to have been a man of sensitivity, a man much in love with his young wife, a man whose life took many sad turns as well.
The protagonist, Dupin, a forerunner of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes, solves a very gruesome, mysterious case by the use of his intelligence and wit. The murderer turns out to be someone who the reader would never...more
The protagonist, Dupin, a forerunner of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes, solves a very gruesome, mysterious case by the use of his intelligence and wit. The murderer turns out to be someone who the reader would never...more
After sitting down and actually getting past the intro to this story, I really enjoyed it. It starts out slow, sort of explaining the differences between thought patterns among people and why some are better suited for reasoning than others. After that, you are thrust into a story of murder and mystery that only the great Dupin can solve. With his excellent deduction and observational skills he not only figures out what happened, but lures the party responsible to turning themselves in.
I was exp...more
I was exp...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Whether or not this was the first work of crime fiction, this story is the grandfather of Holmes, Maigret and Marlowe. I'd say the combination of format, subject and pacing are what marks this story out as the most important originator of the style. If you haven't read it, its definitely a short and fast-paced (by 19th century standards) read. You won't like the ending.
I never thought that I would actually like one of Edgar Allen Poe's dark tales, but this story was really very good. I would never have guessed the ending, but then again it is not one of the possibilities that one thinks of when trying to guess the identity of a killer. The murders were more violent then almost any other mystery I've read. I mean, stuffed up the chimmney?! Eww. The characters were good, but I wish that there had been more suspects. It was a more outside- of- the-box case. I tho...more
The reasons I picked this were, 1) the fact that Poe used the word 'Tintinnabulation' in one of his poems, and 2) the back of the book blurb.
"Horror, madness, violence and the dark forces hidden in humanity abound in this collection of Poe's brilliant tales, including - amongst others - the bloody, brutal and baffling murder of a mother and daughter in Paris in 'The Murders in the Rue Morgue', the creeping insanity of 'The Tell-Tale Heart', the Gothic nightmare of 'The Masque of the Red Death',...more
"Horror, madness, violence and the dark forces hidden in humanity abound in this collection of Poe's brilliant tales, including - amongst others - the bloody, brutal and baffling murder of a mother and daughter in Paris in 'The Murders in the Rue Morgue', the creeping insanity of 'The Tell-Tale Heart', the Gothic nightmare of 'The Masque of the Red Death',...more
Not bad, not bad at all. Only thing, at this late date, it didn't seem very hard to solve the mystery, even though the events surrounding it were indeed out of the ordinary. I dunno if it's because Dupin's preliminary rundown made the reader susceptible to his august (see what I did there? har har) analytic method, or if the story has been in the public conscience so long that I've likely read something similar to this already, having finally today sat down to read the original. Still, Poe, as a...more
Edgar Allen Poe was a magnificent writer, and he is rightfully credited as one of the founders of modern horror. 'The Telltale Heart' and 'The Black Cat' are the best examples of this, and are in my opinion two of the best short stories ever written. But the same cannot really be said for the stories in this book. Sure, 'The Fall of the House of Usher' is pretty creepy, and 'The Pit and the Pendulum' could just as well be one of the many Bierce masterpieces, but the other stories like 'God Bug'...more
The mother of all detective fiction, written when the word "detective" (from detective police) was not even a part of a layman's vocabulary. Of course, as stories go, having devoured all the Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot and Midsomer Murders, you solve the mysteries as soon as they begin. But this has to be read by all detective fiction lovers as a historical start of the detective who sits in his armchair, exercising those "grey cells" while the slightly comical police detective is exerting h...more
Three tales in this book, the title story only 41 pages long was ok but not long enough to get into or develop the story or characters. The second tale was supposed to follow on from the first, written as one long speech and dull as ditchwater. I almost gave up, but battled through, and to be honest didn't take much of it in. The final story, The Purloined Letter was different, a letter was stolen that could incriminate someone very high up, it had been hidden and needed to be found. Overall a d...more
Poe was a literary pioneer, one of the first American writers to make a living from his work in the 1830s and 1840s. Known for penning gothic tales of the macabre and some of the first known detective mysteries, his influence extends through the penny dreadful fiction of the Victorians and weird tales of the 1930s right through to the best horror and crime writers of today. While I'd like to report that I was dazzled, thanks to Poe's peculiar early nineteenth century style of writing and rather...more
Este pequeno livro é composto por dois contos da autoria de Allan Poe: o primeiro é intitulado "Os Crimes da Rua Morgue", o segundo "O Mistério de Marie Rogêt".
Estes contos fazem parte de uma série de contos policiais nos quais entra o Detective C. Auguste Dupin, por muitos, considerado o precursor de Sherlock Holmes. Neste livro apenas podemos ler dois dos três contos, o terceiro intitulado "A Carta Roubada", não se encontra neste volume.
Relativamente à classificação, se fosse possível atribui...more
Estes contos fazem parte de uma série de contos policiais nos quais entra o Detective C. Auguste Dupin, por muitos, considerado o precursor de Sherlock Holmes. Neste livro apenas podemos ler dois dos três contos, o terceiro intitulado "A Carta Roubada", não se encontra neste volume.
Relativamente à classificação, se fosse possível atribui...more
Jan 20, 2011
Clarissa Draper
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
other-literature
What an interesting short story! A horrible crime is committed.
From the book:
...A search was made in the chimney, and (horrible to relate!) the corpse of the daughter, head downward, was dragged therefrom. Upon examining it, many excoriations were perceived, no doubt occasioned by the violence with which it had been thrust up and disengaged. Upon the face were many severe scratches, and, upon the throat, dark bruises, and deep indentations of finger nails, as if the deceased had been throttled t...more
From the book:
...A search was made in the chimney, and (horrible to relate!) the corpse of the daughter, head downward, was dragged therefrom. Upon examining it, many excoriations were perceived, no doubt occasioned by the violence with which it had been thrust up and disengaged. Upon the face were many severe scratches, and, upon the throat, dark bruises, and deep indentations of finger nails, as if the deceased had been throttled t...more
Auguste Dupin is introduced and my thoughts are: He is our role model? There is nothing special about him! But once he starts investigation, I get more and more involved. Dupin explains the case and solution to me as a friend which I envy for his cleverness and combinatory talents.
The story develops with each investigation piece put into place. Although the description of the violence and destruction of both murders is thrilling, I feel humoured at the end and wonder about Poes unusual idea for...more
A detective/crime tale from Poe, it was something different from the dark, horror tales of Poe's. The character of Auguste Dupin is very interesting! and to think of him as the first detective fiction character is amazing!!! these shorts paved the road for more crime fiction novel to come.
The quality of Poe's writing is still amazing!! I only read the first short of the series and it was very good, I think I saw it in different movies before but they changed the killer :)
The quality of Poe's writing is still amazing!! I only read the first short of the series and it was very good, I think I saw it in different movies before but they changed the killer :)
Versão Portuguesa: "Os crimes da rua Morgue".
O primeiro conto tem como tema a história do brutal assassinato de duas mulheres que residem na Rua Morgue em Paris. É impressionante a resolução do mistério através da dedução efectuada pelo detective.
No segundo conto, o detective tenta resolver o mistério do desaparecimento da jovem Marie Rogêt, através da dedução com a leitura de diversos excertos de notícias que saíram na imprensa sobre este desaparecimento.
O primeiro conto tem como tema a história do brutal assassinato de duas mulheres que residem na Rua Morgue em Paris. É impressionante a resolução do mistério através da dedução efectuada pelo detective.
No segundo conto, o detective tenta resolver o mistério do desaparecimento da jovem Marie Rogêt, através da dedução com a leitura de diversos excertos de notícias que saíram na imprensa sobre este desaparecimento.
I'm not sure if this is the exact edition that I downloaded, so I'll address the story. I thought it was well-written, as per Poe's usual, and I really enjoyed it. However, that doesn't mean I wasn't immensely irritated by it at the same time. The twist in the climax and denouement was completely unexpected and drove the message of the story home really well, but I think I would have read something about a certain gentleman on Baker Street.
The opening sequence,as I remember depicts two friends walking arm in arm through Paris discussing the relative merits of chess and draughts,very cleverly written.Plenty of atmosphere is generated even though this is Poe at his most pedantic (and that's saying something).Pretty soon the plot unfolds into a rollicking adventure with one of the most bizarre,almost comic,descriptions of violence that I've ever come across.
With my love of mysteries and detective stories, thought I should read the book that started it all. Knowing who the culprit was before reading it did detract from the experience. The first few pages were a little laborious to get through but once the story started, it moved quickly. Dupin reminded me a little of Dr. House or the current Sherlock Holmes on TV...is it really possible to notice and know everything?
Fascinating story poorly rated. Edgar Allen Poe is the father of the detective story; it's a shame to see Holmes take the spotlight. And to do so in the fashion that he did - villainous! Way to completely miss the point, Doyle. The Murders in the Rue Morgue is Poe thinking on God, on man's possible purpose; he considers how machine-like we are, animals besides us, and just bleeds the confusion I feel myself with this story. A fascinating writer to be sure.
The story is interesting though a little far-fetched. Wonder how Auguste Dupin came across such a strange book on apes and monkeys at the right time. Save the fact that this is arguably the first detective fiction written by a master of mystery and macabre, it is certainly having some serious flaws. It is not the denouement but the crisis that will keep readers engrossed.
Not your normal murder mystery, which might be why I appreciated it. Quite absurd story. I disliked how Dupin just sits and tells you how it is, more than a 'who dunnit', it explores the analytical mind. This Poe makes perfectly clear in the first few pages, making the short story an excellent way to clear your pallet before you embark on a longer read.
This is looked at by some literary scholars as being the first modern detective story (though I've also heard Wilkie Collins' The Moonstone referred to as such), and I decided to read it for that reason. It wasn't a favorite, mainly because a) it was awfully grisly, b) I deciphered the mystery long before the reveal, and c) Poe is just weird.
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The name Poe brings to mind images of murderers and madmen, premature burials, and mysterious women who return from the dead. His works have been in print since 1827 and include such literary classics as “The Tell-Tale Heart,” “The Raven,” and “The Fall of the House of Usher.” This versatile writer’s oeuvre includes short stories, poetry, a novel, a textbook, a book of scientific theory, and hundr...more
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“It will be found, in fact, that the ingenious are always fanciful, and the truly imaginative never otherwise than analytic.”
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“I was deeply interested in the little family history which he detailed to me with all that candor which a Frenchman indulges whenever mere self is the theme.”
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