The Poe Shadow and the Murders of the Rue Morgue
The Poe Shadow and the Murders in the Rue Morgue
“Ratiocination is the act of deliberate, calculated reasoning through the imagination and spirit; the intimate and forecasting of the complexities in human activity, especially the frequent simplicity in that activity. Not interchangeable with mere “calculus” or “logic” (Shadow 52).” C. Auguste Dupin is the character model for Auguste Duponte. The detective in “The Murders in the Rue Morgue,” by Edgar Allan Poe, C. Auguste Dupin, is capable of ratiocination which allows him to solve the Rue Morgue murders. Auguste Duponte is recruited in “The Poe Shadow,” by Matthew Pearl, by the narrator, Quentin Clark, to help solve the curious death of Edgar Allan Poe. Duponte is also capable of ratiocination. Both Dupin and Duponte become good friends with the narrators and even live with them. They are driven by intuition and moral inclination; as well as mathematical study. They notice miniscule and seemingly meaningless details that allow them to form deep and thorough analysis. “In his tales, C. Auguste Dupin undertakes meticulous reviews of newspaper reports of the respective crimes before he ventures to resolve the cases (Shadow 112).” Duponte can see what others can’t. This was said to him in another case he helped with: “You (Duponte) are reputed to see what others cannot. If others see only her guilt, you can use your talents, your genius, to see her innocence (Shadow 232).” Edgar Allan Poe was a master of mind games, puzzles, and secret codes (cryptography) and passed on his abilities to his characters, especially C. Auguste Dupin; which lead to the creation of Auguste Duponte. C. Auguste Dupin comes upon a news article one day telling of what happened at the Rue Morgue. Two women were found dead; one strangled to death and one beaten to death. Two separate voices were heard the night of the murder; one male and the other unidentifiable. The police believe that nothing can escape from the inside of the morgue and
“Ratiocination is the act of deliberate, calculated reasoning through the imagination and spirit; the intimate and forecasting of the complexities in human activity, especially the frequent simplicity in that activity. Not interchangeable with mere “calculus” or “logic” (Shadow 52).” C. Auguste Dupin is the character model for Auguste Duponte. The detective in “The Murders in the Rue Morgue,” by Edgar Allan Poe, C. Auguste Dupin, is capable of ratiocination which allows him to solve the Rue Morgue murders. Auguste Duponte is recruited in “The Poe Shadow,” by Matthew Pearl, by the narrator, Quentin Clark, to help solve the curious death of Edgar Allan Poe. Duponte is also capable of ratiocination. Both Dupin and Duponte become good friends with the narrators and even live with them. They are driven by intuition and moral inclination; as well as mathematical study. They notice miniscule and seemingly meaningless details that allow them to form deep and thorough analysis. “In his tales, C. Auguste Dupin undertakes meticulous reviews of newspaper reports of the respective crimes before he ventures to resolve the cases (Shadow 112).” Duponte can see what others can’t. This was said to him in another case he helped with: “You (Duponte) are reputed to see what others cannot. If others see only her guilt, you can use your talents, your genius, to see her innocence (Shadow 232).” Edgar Allan Poe was a master of mind games, puzzles, and secret codes (cryptography) and passed on his abilities to his characters, especially C. Auguste Dupin; which lead to the creation of Auguste Duponte. C. Auguste Dupin comes upon a news article one day telling of what happened at the Rue Morgue. Two women were found dead; one strangled to death and one beaten to death. Two separate voices were heard the night of the murder; one male and the other unidentifiable. The police believe that nothing can escape from the inside of the morgue and
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