Prevailing Ingenuity in Edgar Allan Poe's
"The Purloined Letter."
In crafting the detective mystery, Edgar Allan Poe is the only author credited with inventing a new genre of literature. His contribution of this brand of story telling greatly influences writers to this day. "The Purloined Letter" is the final tale in the trilogy of the clever and cunning amateur detective, C. Auguste Dupin. In this story, The Prefect of the Parisian police calls upon Dupin to aid in an investigation that has baffled and frustrated the police. Dupin finds a worthy adversary in the antagonst, Minister D_. Dupin must identify with the mind of the criminal in order to retrieve a stolen letter and return it to its rightful owner. With the dynamic relationship between Dupin, Prefect G_., and Minister D_., Poe skillfully illustrates that an ingenious felon will always outwit his opponent if the opponent is incapable of identifying with the felon's intellect.
The plot of the story is about how a clever and ingenious amateur detective solves a mystery that has baffled the police for months. The story begins with a visit from the Prefect of Police to Dupin's apartment for advice on a matter of "extreme urgency and sensitivity." At first, Prefect G_. is cryptic about the details of the case, but Dupin quickly retrieves more information from the officer. For all practical purposes, the initial crime has been solved and the police are aware of the identity of the perpetrator. The only remaining task is to recover the letter belonging to a "Lady of high position," presumably a member of the royal family, and returning it to her. The theft of the letter was committed in full view of the Lady by Minister D_., but she was unable to prevent the documents removal by the Minister without bringing attention to its sensitive contents. It is feared that the letter will be used as an instrument of blackmail against the Lady.
Desperate to recover the letter, the Lady approaches the Prefect and... [continues]
"The Purloined Letter."
In crafting the detective mystery, Edgar Allan Poe is the only author credited with inventing a new genre of literature. His contribution of this brand of story telling greatly influences writers to this day. "The Purloined Letter" is the final tale in the trilogy of the clever and cunning amateur detective, C. Auguste Dupin. In this story, The Prefect of the Parisian police calls upon Dupin to aid in an investigation that has baffled and frustrated the police. Dupin finds a worthy adversary in the antagonst, Minister D_. Dupin must identify with the mind of the criminal in order to retrieve a stolen letter and return it to its rightful owner. With the dynamic relationship between Dupin, Prefect G_., and Minister D_., Poe skillfully illustrates that an ingenious felon will always outwit his opponent if the opponent is incapable of identifying with the felon's intellect.
The plot of the story is about how a clever and ingenious amateur detective solves a mystery that has baffled the police for months. The story begins with a visit from the Prefect of Police to Dupin's apartment for advice on a matter of "extreme urgency and sensitivity." At first, Prefect G_. is cryptic about the details of the case, but Dupin quickly retrieves more information from the officer. For all practical purposes, the initial crime has been solved and the police are aware of the identity of the perpetrator. The only remaining task is to recover the letter belonging to a "Lady of high position," presumably a member of the royal family, and returning it to her. The theft of the letter was committed in full view of the Lady by Minister D_., but she was unable to prevent the documents removal by the Minister without bringing attention to its sensitive contents. It is feared that the letter will be used as an instrument of blackmail against the Lady.
Desperate to recover the letter, the Lady approaches the Prefect and... [continues]
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