Wednesday, September 6, 2023

The Murders in the Rue Morgue by Edgar Allan Poe*

 A short story

For my son's mini detective unit this year, we started out reading the first detective story written, "The Murders in the Rue Morgue".  (Although the British will contend they have a couple novels that were the "first"! ) The narrator relates how he befriends intelligent Monsieur C. Auguste Dupin in Paris and then rents a mansion with him. During his stay, the two friends read about a gruesome murder of a mother and daughter. Dupin solves the case with his reasoning and analytic ability. Because of the logical presentation, I was able to figure who the murderer was.

The first couple of pages are devoted to analyzing different games and the abilities required to succeed at them. He proves his introductory points by relating how Dupin solves this murder that had stumped the police. The French words/phrases, Latin phrases, and robust vocabulary may prove challenging, but the reader can understand the story well without stopping to look up every.single. challenging word. Some words may need to be defined to understand the cleverness and depth of the story. 

*Highly recommend for late junior high and older. See warning.

I own this collection of short stories/poems.

Warning: The murder scene is graphic and quite gruesome.



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