The Murders in the Rue Morgue by Edgar Allan Poe (1841): A Review

Title: The Murders in the Rue Morgue

Author: Edgar Allan Poe

Publication Year: 1841

Pages: 47

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Genre: Detective Fiction, Horror

Source: eBook

If you read "The Resident Patient" by Arthur Conan Doyle without knowing the publication date, you might mistakenly assume that Edgar Allan Poe copied Doyle. However, there is almost a 50-year difference in their publication dates. Despite this, the similarities between them are undeniable. It's important to note that "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" is considered the first work of detective fiction. It features all the classic elements of a distinctive private detective, including a sidekick, a unique analytical mind, and a compelling personality.

The narrative follows C. Auguste Dupin, our first modern detective, with our narrator serving as his sidekick—similar to Watson in the Sherlock Holmes stories. When I first read the story, I was uncertain whether I was reading a short story or a treatise on analytical thinking, another characteristic also found in Holmes. I was intrigued when the narrator introduced himself, along with his friend Dupin, highlighting Dupin's peculiarities and the nature of their relationship. This dynamic is reminiscent of how Watson often describes his partnership with Holmes, although Dupin’s introduction to the narrator has more of a charming meet-cute quality. As we finally get into the story (it takes a long time by the way), Dupin demonstrates an uncanny ability to read the narrator's mind, echoing a scene between Holmes and Watson in "The Resident Patient." After several pages, we learn about the murder, and Dupin embarks on solving the mystery.

Highlighting these Holmes-like elements does not diminish Poe’s talent as a writer of detective fiction; rather, it emphasizes how original he was in creating a blueprint for the genre that subsequent authors, including the most popular one (aka Arthur Conan Doyle), would follow closely.

If you're interested in crime fiction and the character of Holmes, you should definitely read this story, as it is the first of its kind!